Gardening

So, gardening. We have had such interesting weather this spring that the first round of seeds I planted (1) didn't sprout or (2) died. Actually, that was probably more due to laziness on my part than the actual weather.

So, gardening. I decided that if sunflowers can grow on the side of the highway with no help whatsoever, they would probably do all right in that patch of my back yard where nothing but dirt grows.

Also, the neighbor removed two trees along the fence line and replaced her chain link fence with a wooden privacy fence, but the people who came to grind the stump only took care of the roots on her side of the fence, so the root section in our yard started sprouting all kinds of foliage as soon as it rained. And, we have about an inch of dirt and then lots and lots of "chalk rock". You all probably know what it's actually called, but there's a lot of it around here, and that's why I didn't plant a nice row of sunflowers along the fence. And because it didn't occur to me at the time. [Lazy gardener]

The package said dwarf sunflowers, but they're as tall as Elijah and still growing.

Since the plants are so big, I didn't see any harm in leaving the caterpillars to their meal.


So, gardening. Until a couple of days ago, we had a large patch of thistles and dandelions that I didn't do anything about, and then it rained several times, and they exploded. Then Jack Jack came home and identified several ladybug larva after studying the ladybug life cycle in kindergarten, so I left the weeds alone and called it our "ladybug garden." This was literally a breeding ground for my favorite insect. I didn't mention it to Jack, and he took a weed eater to the patch the last time he mowed the back yard, so the ladybug garden is no more. We still have plenty of snails, though.


So, gardening. Jack gave me a potted rose for Valentine's Day this year, and I repotted it and hung it outside the kitchen window. It hasn't died yet, so I feel good about that.


So, gardening. While many people consider honeysuckle a weed, I have many happy childhood memories involving honeysuckle. Good thing, because this stuff cannot be killed, short of chemicals. I'm opposed to chemicals in theory. In practice, I'm just too lazy to buy and apply them. However, with the removal of two trees, fence, and installation of a new fence, I didn't have very high hopes for the honeysuckle. Turns out, they don't call it a weed for nothing.


So, gardening. Today I found two flowers on one of my tomato plants!! These babies started from seeds, and it seems like it's taking forever for them to get growing. And I almost killed them when I repotted them into bigger pots. Not pictured in my "actual" "vegetable" "garden" are the tiny plastic strawberry containers with sprouting kale and chard, and the pots in my kitchen windowsill with sprouting basil, onion, and chives. That's because they might still die. [Lazy gardener]


This was the second time I saw this guy in my yard. Unless there is more than one large lizard wandering around with a missing tail. Also, we have seen squirrels, birds, garden snakes, and never ending snails.

We got lots of pecans from the trees in the front and back in the fall, and the peach tree in the front yard has fruit on it, but I'm not getting my hopes up. . . . Okay. Maybe I'm getting my hopes up a little.

In my lazy defense, I do water my plants daily. But if they need more than regular watering and sunlight to grow, and an occasional application of liquid miracle grow, That's beyond my lazy gardening KSAs. [I don't plan to be lazy forever, for the record.]