My Flowers and Garden

This is my favorite time of the year, when the flowers are blooming and the garden is growing so fast, you can see the change overnight!  My hydrangea bushes were so pretty last year, I had to add two more to the flower bed this year.  They have all grown really well and I'm in love!  They need a nice shady space or an area that gets just morning sun for them to reach their full potential.  Plus, they need tons of water...hence the name...HYDRAngea. 
Did you know...you may buy a bright pink hydrangea at the store but find that in your flower bed you get blue flowers?  That's because the acidity in your soil changes the color of the blooms, the more acid, the bluer the blossoms.  You can manipulate the acid levels with lime based fertilizer.  My soil is pretty acidic, and I love the slight variation in colors I have right now. 

I especially like them when they are still green and their colors are just starting to pop! 

It's hard to tell here...but this one is going to be deep purple, so exciting! 

We planted our garden in early April, and I was convinced for the longest time that chose the wrong time.  We had a couple really cold nights, a bad storm with some serious hail, and no growth for all of April!  However, May brought rain, sun, and a little more attention from me, and now it's rockin'! 

The only causality was my cucumber plant.  :-(  However, this new plant started growing where the cucumber originally was, and I'm letting it grow to see what it is.  For all I know, i could be just a hearty weed, but it looks like something more...we'll see!  

I've committed to keep up with my garden this year.  Last year was completely out of control.  First of all, i planted WAY too many plants...like 10 tomatoes, 20 peppers, 6 basil plants, two zucchini, a cucumber and a yellow squash.  Steven likes to say that he was scared to mow by the garden because he thought something would jump out of the jungle and attack!  This year is different.  I only planted 5 tomatoes, 2 peppers, 1 zucchini, 2 basil, 1 cilantro and 1 rosemary.  There are definite walking paths through the plants and I'm taking time each week to weed, fertilize and control the bugs!  :-)  No jungle in this garden, just delicious treats. 

I got this refreshing mint plant from Mary (Thanks!) and it has grown so much.  Mojitos anyone??

Last weekend we finished our landscaping in the back yard...finally.  Last year we framed off the flower bed on the right and planted, and this year we completed the look with the little bed on the left.  It just helps add some dimension to the boring back yard. 

My new three little bushes, hope they grow!

This is the bed from last year.  The knockout roses are (well, were) pretty, but the dang worms demolished the leaves already.  I gave them both a big haircut and bug spray last weekend, so I'm praying the blooms will come back.  My Stargazer lilies in the back are about to bloom, too.  yay!