On Sunday it was to be cloudy and in the 80’s but I never got outside until 10AM. I picked up where I left off in the New South garden. Seven sled loads later it was cleaned out.
This will give a sort of idea how bad it was in August.
On the west end the white iris had survived at the end. The Sweet William in front had done well through the drought. In back the geranium was none the worse for the ordeal and next to it the chrysanthemum daisy had made a bid for world domination. It got hacked back.
I planted some of the pathetic plants from the cold frame, some dianthus, an unknown I must have bought, allysum, and balsam.
In the center part, the catnip had grown all over everything and nothing survived but 2 hollyhocks and a portulaca. All 3 of the big ones were cut back.
I planted balsam, a cosmos, some marigolds, alyssum, lobelia, and soapwort.
On the east end lamb’s ear did really well, another geranium, Sweet William, and white iris with blue Siberian iris mixed in. The lamb’s ear had lots of flowerstalks that I cut off and I cleaned up the iris as there was extensive bug damage.
There’s just a couple soapwort planted on the end. I don’t expect much from these poor planted plants, but if for some reason we don’t get frost until well into October, they might do something, now we are getting rain.
Tom came with the milk order in the afternoon and took my camera to snap this of the swallowtail caterpillar. I had noticed they had all abandoned the dill so I guess they are looking for places to turn to chrysalis.
I was outside for 3½ hours and pretty wiped out when I finished. So the afternoon was watch Gilmore Girls.
On Monday my helper friend’s wife is coming for 7:30AM and I hope we can put edging around the garden I finished. It’s never been done and will keep the grass out, mostly. Then she will continue on the South Herb and I will tackle the 2 on the east side, in hopes of getting them done enough to get edging in. That should do me in for the day. At some point soon, laundry must happen….