Yesterday about sundown I had an urge to do a project that I've been putting off for weeks. I had started a row of Morning Glories about a month ago and not all of my seeds sprouted. Since I have a plentiful supply of seeds, (Grandpa Ott), which I had gathered from my container garden last year and also from my neighbor's garden, I set about getting the previous row cleaned up and made ready for the new seeds.
I put the seeds to soak in a cup and then went out and raked leaves and debris, stirred up the soil, cleaned out gravel and lengthened the row. I had put a row of skinny bamboo sticks for the 1st plants to climb on and one got nearly to the top and has bloomed several times. That one is a keeper. plus a few others. My friend Ray had given me a trellis that is perfect to lengthen that row I put it in the ground at one end. Now it's a longer row outside the Lanai and gets the morning sun. 
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There will be pics added later today, but I just wanted to journal all this before I start a busy day. I'm dog sitting tomorrow, and Roxxie will be over nighting for 2 nights so today is shopping & errands.
One of my neighbors gave me these skinny bamboo sticks and I love them. I wanted some way to bring the tops closer together, so I sort of weaved them together with string. It looks better and gives a bit of whimsy. Now I'm all set for them to grow and add a spot of beauty to an otherwise bit of real estate that has gone undecorated until this year.
A cup of MG seeds in water.
Skinny bamboo trellis.
Dark green plastic trellis.
Morning sun not quite there yet.
Back of Raised Bed/frost cloth.
Front of Raised Bed. I got new RB soil today.
Inside Raised Bed, Marigold, Chives, & Dill.
True to her word Barb did give me 30 slips of the Stokes Aster and I put mine in the ground last evening. I have some in 3 places and I potted up a pot for Ray. This morning, I trimmed off the leaves because some looked a little droopy and so I just nipped all of them. They will be beautiful if they survive.
I've had a redesign pattern working in my brain about the Patio Garden. When the Silene is finished I will start with a clean slate. The middle is going to be a shade tree of some kind. I'm thinking one of Barb's if she is giving anything else away. The pathway is already built with pavers and granite stone & Lava rock. The Trough around the foundation will stay the same, but I'm thinking more stone where the Wattle Fence Garden used to be and where the Silene is now growing. The Silene looked beautiful until we hit a dry spell and now everything is just so dried up. The blooms are pretty Hot Pink though.
I just called Barb and she does not have anymore trees. I could plant a hedgerow of Cape Honeysuckle or Podocarpus in that garden and remove the scalloped pavers completely. It would give us privacy and define that area. I may do that, but those are both slow growers. I can take my time and do it a little at a time.
I redid the Frost Cloth on the Raised Bed last evening and now it looks like a Covered Wagon. I put my metal trellis up against the back and a piece on either side and draped the cloth over that and secured it with Twistee ties. It lets in the sun and I can water with my small watering can. Piece of cupcake!
I had 4 Tithonia rotundifolia coming up in the place where the old compost pile used to be. If I hadn't gotten them out of there and put them in a pot of soil they would have died. Hope they make it.
This was a last year bloom.
Peace & Plenty.
Phlox
Cosmos & Sweet Alyssum.
Tithonia & Cannas.
Tithonia.
Cosmos & Phlox.
Well, if we did have a drop, it would have sizzled on all hot objects and dried up immediately.
I have had a busy morning. There was mega watering to do. First, I started with the Milkweed patch. I used an iron spike to make holes all around my plants and poured the water from the small watering can. I can get exact precision with the small can. All the Salvia needed a drink, and then the Spotted Bee Balm. I put mulch around the SBB, and I watered all the Tithonia plants. That was about 2 buckets of rainwater.
I got up 2 tubs of leaves/compost and am waiting to get potting soil for topping those to grow things in. The soil here is pitiful and there is no tilth or nutrition so I will continue to grow things in some kind of container.
Went to Barb's and picked up the 30 Stoke's Aster plants. Barb let me borrow her frost cloth. She had one very long cloth and 2 short ones. One was perfect for the Raised Bed. I watered the RB and put a stick in each corner and laid the cloth over it and tied a soft knot in each end. The sun is filtering through the cloth, so I think it is going to be perfect for starting more seedlings. I have lots of seeds left, but when I cast them around the gardens they are not sprouting. Maybe the birds and other wildlife are eating them. I don't know, but it's frustrating. The seedlings I started in the toilet paper rolls are looking good. I will do more tomorrow.
Do you see those green beans?
Zinnia & Marigold seedlings.
My Tithonia.
Frost cloth on RB.
My Silene Garden. :smily:
My fortune cookie says, 'Not having a goal is more to be feared than not reaching one.' That makes perfect sense to me. My short-term goal is to be able to keep all these beautiful plants alive until the rainy season and my long-term goal is to be able to walk all the way around this complex, (that is 3 neighborhoods) on the weekends when I do not have little Roxxie with me. I would not put that little sweet dog through that strenuous walk. She does a great job walking with me every weekday and she is a real trooper.
Tomato patch.
Pink Portulaca.
Yellow Portulaca.
Basil rescued from the Hot Raised Bed.
Those pots of Portulaca were just made yesterday, and they already bloomed. I will take some more pics, especially of the Silene. It is as good as it's gonna get because it's so dry.
Barb is going to give me a cloth that I may be able to use as a shade cloth for the Raised Bed, and if it doesn't work then so be it. I had to go ahead and get the Basil out this morning because no matter how much you water it won't be enough. It will be fine in the pots. How many pairs of shoes does one gardening gal need? 
I got a call from Barb today and she dug up her Stokes Aster and says she can give me 30 plants. She also said it takes that plant 2 years to produce bloom. I can wait. I am very patient on things, garden things, like seeds, and waiting for blooms. I know they will be worth it because I saw hers in bloom last year.
The Ginger Lily is starting to grow and pretty soon those long leaves will unfurl. I love the blooms. Oh, the Magnolia trees are in full bloom right now and it makes for a delightful walk with the wind wafting that southern scent through your nostrils to take you back to a slower pace of life. Ah!
Most of you tomato growers probably already know about this, but I thought I would post it for those in the northern clime who will be planting seedlings soon. Remove the 2 germinating leaves at the bottom once they have yellowed and started to wither away and then bury the stem all the way up to the first true leaves. Where those leaves were roots will grow. It's like a jumpstart to quicker root growth. Another quick fact is the tiny hairs at the bottom of the stem. They are called trichomes and release oils that give tomato plants that distinctive smell that acts as a defense against pests. Don't you just love, love, love that smell?
My banana water is still going strong. I've used it on everything that needed a jumpstart, veg and flowers alike. I have a whole bag of banana peels in the freezer and will add some to the slurry today. It actually has a very pleasant scent, but I have it in a bucket with a lid outside.
Today I started a new container. It is a plastic bin that Ray gave me and is full of holes already for drainage. I filled it with leaves and will add potting soil and plants once I get some broken bags of potting soil at Lowe's. I'm in no hurry, and I will take before and after pictures.
Peace & Plenty.
