Garden Update

Now that the rains have stopped (tho' last night I dreamed I was by the sea and there was a tsunami coming in!) and the sun has pushed the clouds aside we are outside planting, moving, digging, planning, admiring, waiting...

My parents came yesterday for the afternoon and stayed for dinner (that Mom brought, thanks!). They helped me outside while we tried to figure out where to put the two new "Inkberry" bushes (Ilex glabra "Nigra"). These native hollies should do well up against the house in the new west-facing bed that I've been trying to fill for the last year or so. This bed is rather wet most of the time and supposedly this kind of bush does not mind the damp.

I purchased a Viburnum "Summer Snowflake" (see picture above, obviously this is not *my* bush but what it will hopefully look like in a few years!) and am hoping to figure out where to put that. The tag said 4-5' tall and 4-5' wide but online I'm finding more height & width... maybe I need to call the plant center and ask them what to expect before putting it in the wrong place.

We also put in 24 impatiens plants yesterday, around the shaded corners of the house in between the azaleas and hydrangea. They like it there and the deer don't usually eat that close to the house.

Younger dd and my mom put in a packet of nasturtium seeds in and throughout the sunny driveway bed. They also tucked some in the ground around a large rock down by the road. We'll see how that goes!

Other seeds planted... a few sunflowers in a couple of pots and some cosmos "naturalized" in a small wildflower bed next to the driveway.

My small deck vegetable & herb garden is expanding. Right now I have basil, rosemary, lemon balm, and coriander (cilantro). We've had a half-dozen or more large salads from the pots of lettuce... last night I whisked up a homemade vinagrette and we had fresh lettuce, tomato, and avocado salad with our spaghetti! Yum! Yesterday we began a few yellow cherry tomatoes from seed (courtesy of my aunt J!).

Lastly, before calling it a day, my dad installed a small trellis (that I've had for years) and I put in three cardinal vine plants. Last year I put in one of these and it went insane. Now apparently there is some confusion out there as to whether this plant is a Cypress vine or Cardinal vine/climber. We'll see what I got!

More today... I'll try to post another update & pictures later.