Today I pulled up the leggy overgrown pansies in the front bed. I was sad to do it because they were still colorful and pretty, but it was garbage day and I knew it was time. Plus, Cook's had a sale on lobelia, buy one flat get one free. Which led to more planting and I still didn't use all of the second flat. Lobelia is my favorite though - it is blue, after all.

Lobelia in place of the pansies

Lobelia by the mailbox

I added lobelia between the white impatiens I planted last week.

I had this blue pot already so I just planted lobelia around the edge and went back to Cook's for the variegated geranium and more bark. You can see I didn't pull up these pansies, they still looked good; I think they get some shade so they haven't burned up in the sun yet.

I went back outside tonight when it was cool and weeded the front beds and planted some lobelia where the pansies have given up in the heat of summer. I also miraclegro-watered all the beds. My neighbor was out in front and we ended up sitting and visiting for a couple of hours. It was nice.

A Failed Experiment

The Topsy Turvy planters are a failed experiment. Once planted they are so heavy there was no place to hang them in the sun. They were fine on the swingset until the gkiddies came to play. After searching for a way to hang them, I gave up and bought a square foot raised garden box. Actually, this is something I've wanted to do for a while, but just saw it when I was searching for a solution to the Topsy Turvy dilemma. I love that the box is on legs so I don't have to bend over or get on the ground. Brian put it together and stained it for me.

I put it at the corner of the court where it gets full sun

My new raised garden box

Herb pots: sweet basil and cilantro ~ and an empty pot for zucchini

New bark in the back bed

I spent two hours in the back yard today:

~ Transferred the plants from the Topsy Turvies to the new planter box. What a mess!
~ Planted cilantro and sweet basil in pots and prepared a pot for a zucchini I will buy soon
~ Swept the patio
~ Scooped dog poop
~ Weeded and barked the back bed
~ Cleaned out the sticks and dead daffodil stems from the hammock bed
~ Watered the hanging pots and garden box and pots

Topsy Turvy

I planted tomatoes and herbs in the topsy turvy planters. It was not an easy task getting the plants in through the holes without breaking the stems and then filling it up with dirt when you can't set it down because of the plant sticking out the bottom. But they are done and we are hopeful for a bountiful tomato harvest.

In the planters are: red beefsteak tomatoes, anaheim peppers, serrano peppers, curly parsley, rosemary, cinnamon basil, and mint.

I bought "shepherd's crooks to hang the topsy turvy planters on, but the planters were too heavy and BENT them. So I hung them on the swingset for now, but that's not a permanent solution. I'm still figuring out how to hang them. All in all, it was quite an experience in frustration. But I hope that it will be worth it in the end.

I also cleaned up the front beds and planted some more blue plants. I just love blue flowers and so when I see some I must add them to my garden. This is the first time I've seen "Lithodora" a perrenial ground cover with blue flowers, so I planted three of them. And I also got and planted two blue and white columbines.

Blue and White columbine and lithodora in the background

I have a love/hate relationship with hanging baskets on the back patio. I love looking at the flowers through the window from the inside, but I tire of going out to water them everyday during the summer.

I love how the clematis is blooming and finally climbing up the mailbox after six years!

My last outside project was touch up paint. When they put in our new windows in December some of the wood trim was wrecked and the porch swing sometimes hits the stucco. So I got out the two colors of outside paint and did some touch up work. I'm always surprised and thrilled at how good a little paint can make things look.

You can't really tell that I painted in this picture, but I'm happy with the front porch