In the Garden May 2021

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May 2:

Warm weather is here, and the plants are getting quite lush. It’s my favorite time of year when seeds are pushing through the soil.

It’s currently overcast, so rain may be in the forecast. Which, of course, my patio garden will surely love.

Plastic Pot Arrangement:

In the patio garden on May 2, 2021, the pansies and Johnny Jump Ups are still going strong in this cooler weather.

The allium plant has almost filled the green pot, but isn’t blooming yet.

Voodoo Sedum:

The harsh winter killed most of the sedum I had planted inside the driftwood. So now I’ve planted a different sedum in it. As you can see, it is green tinged with red.

The cluster of lemon balm growing from the crack in the cement continues to grow and looks very healthy.

If you look over at the far right side of the above photo, you’ll see that I paid the maintenance man to saw off the sharp daggers of the piece of driftwood. I kept running into it and cutting my legs.

Morning Glories:

The morning glory seedlings are growing fast. Soon they will reach up the trellis and over the fence and bloom. I have transplanted the seedlings to various pots around the patio to enjoy elsewhere.

Blue Raised Bed:

The blue raised bed is quite full at this end. There is a little room at the other end, where I have transplanted zinnia seedlings.

The wind knocked my tall irises over, and they had to be cut back a bit. And they were so lovely!

With nature, you have to enjoy things while you can.

Going outside to tend the plants and flowers, snipping and pinching back. Sitting in my wicker chair and enjoying the view, I watch the cardinal couple that visit here regularly.

May 9:

The Gerbera daisies are still blooming one right after the other, as it’s been uncommonly cool this spring, so the pansies are still blooming as well.

The Shasta daisies grow happily amongst the pansies, which will be dying back for a time when it gets hot.

And as you can see, a very full, blue raised garden filled with hosta, Lamb’s ear, and wild violets.

Hostas, Wild Violets, & Lamb’s Ear

Above is the blue container bed, featuring hostas, lamb’s ear, and wild violets, all mixed. My grandmother’s name was Violet, by the way.

The alliums in the front pot have nearly filled it since last year, when I first planted them.

The purple verbena is spreading and starting to dangle over the edge of the pot. That’s my rosemary just behind it, and beyond that is a pot I just planted zinnia seeds in the other day. I’ll have lots of zinnias!

I really don’t feel like one can have too many zinnias.

The salvia has turned purple. I love salvia. And so do all the bees and butterflies and hummers. Hummingbirds love the nectar of salvias, particularly the red ones. Hummers can see the red, but bees can’t.

Hummingbirds, unlike most birds, can taste sweets, and so they are drawn to flowers that produce lots of sugary nectar.

Salvia is renowned for its bright flowers, rich nectar, and drought-tolerance.

Flowers that can withstand drought and produce sweet nectar are essential in the world of nature because nectar can be hard to come by during drought conditions.

May 16:

Wicker Settee & Surrounding Plants:

The sun is beaming down now. It hasn’t rained as the forecast had predicted. I guess Mother Nature had other plans. We know she possesses an intelligence that human weather forecasters lack and can’t always predict.

Sedum is growing and filling in the brown shelf containers. Last year, I tried petunias in these shallow containers, and they fried. I’m hoping sedum will have better staying power in the heat.

The sedum I plucked up from various parts of the garden has certainly filled the multiple containers.

Just look at that top galvanized container, perched above the others. Those beautiful little yellow blooms are sprinkled through the plant like little starbursts.

I still haven’t removed the pineapple mint from the daisies in the galvanized container garden. If it doesn’t overpower and cover my daisies, maybe I’ll leave it. Otherwise, I’ll separate the two.

Blue Raised Garden Bed:

The blue raised garden is full to the brim and then some. I love the many shades of green of the different plants. The other day, I cut back the English Ivy that was about to grow up the side of the blue container.

If you look closely, you can see the pansies I planted in this bed growing up through the giant hosta leaves.

Front View Of The Garden:

Here is a broader view of the garden just outside my French doors that lead into my dining room.

It makes me smile to sit there at the table inside, eat my meals, and stare at the beauty of my patio garden just outside my door.

The purple verbena is trailing down, and I’ve had to begin cutting it back to keep it from growing long instead of lush.

The tree above has leafed out and is now in bloom, a stage that will not last long. A few weeks at most. Then it makes a mess when the blooms turn brown and fall. But in the short time they’re there, they smell magnificent.

The Layered Galvanized Garden:

The galvanized garden is one of my favorite parts of the patio. Additionally, the containers blend more naturally with the garden, complemented by the driftwood. I planted voodoo sedum inside.

The lemon balm is growing quite fast through the crack in the cement. This herb seems to be indefatigable. The purple petunias have filled the green pot. I enjoy going out and deadheading the flowers. It is a meditative process for me.

Purple Clematis:

The clematis vine is blooming as well. The old saying about clematis growth is, “The first year they sleep, the second year they creep, and the third year they leap.” This is its first year. I lost the white clematis I’d had for probably 6-7 years to the winter cold.

Clematis bloom times range from February to March, or until frost. Butterflies and hummingbirds are attracted to clematis flowers. As cut flowers, clematis are long-lasting.

The fruit is typically a showy, ball-shaped, “feathery” structure. The seedpods are used in dried flower arrangements.

I will have quite a few vines growing on this fence that borders my next-door neighbor: mandevilla, clematis, and morning glories.

The pansies are still quite lovely, as it hasn’t gotten very hot yet. In fact, it has been unseasonably cool so far.

It’s been a strange year weather-wise.

Gerbera Daisies:

The red and yellow gerbera daisies are growing and blooming amid all the pansies in their pots.

I love to watch the blooming process. The way each petal unfolds and loosens, spreading like the sun’s rays.

The red mandevilla vine has begun to bloom. Flowers look and feel like fine velvet.

May 30

This is my patio garden on May 30, 2021. It’s lovely right now, after all the rain. It has also been unusually cool this year.

But the pansies and Johnny Jump Ups have been cut back.

I have not fertilized at all this year. Last year, I fertilized the vegetables, but this year, I didn’t plant any. Many people ask me about fertilizing, but I rarely add fertilizer to my garden.

These Gerbera daisies are stealing the show in their pots with the pansies cut back. They are reaching up and out to be kissed by the rays of the sun.

Wild Morning Glories:

The first wild morning glories are blooming now. They have spread all over the patio and have become almost like weeds.

I pluck them out of the dirt where I don’t want them climbing and transplant them into other pots.

The red Mandevilla vine is blooming profusely. It grips onto the trellis and winds around it and over the fence.

More Gerbera daisies are forming and slowly unfolding. They are beautiful when tucked up tight, like a fetus growing in a woman’s belly.

I must cut all the petunias back because they have become leggy and need rejuvenation. They will grow compact and produce even more blooms when cut back regularly.

Lots Of Rain:

It’s raining. There’s been so much rain. Rain has been the only fertilizer I’ve needed so far. I prefer not to introduce something foreign to the soil unless necessary.

The red geraniums have many blooms about to open. They almost look like clusters of grapes.

Did You Know That Geraniums Are Edible?

The leaves and flowers of scented geraniums are edible. The essential oil in their leaves lends a pleasing aroma to meat dishes, salads, and desserts.

Scented geraniums can be added to fruit jelly. Two or three leaves of rose-scented geraniums are delicious with berries and currants. Just pour hot jelly into jars, then add a few scented geraniums.

Purple In My Garden:

The dark purple petunias are a vision layered over one another. I always want purple petunias of various shades in my garden.

Why You Should Deadhead Flowers:

I go outside with Charlie and tend to my many pots, deadheading flowers, cutting back leggy plants, and transplanting small seedlings into other pots. It is my place of peace and relaxation, where I sit and stare at the beauty nature has given me to nurture.