Garden guilt is a phrase I thought I contrived but I googled it and it exists. It's when you feel guilty about haven't worked in your garden....(I know that it's probably self explanatory). I had been feeling guilty this past week...but then decided a garden is like a vacation....it's supposed to be fun. This week it finally rained here....a lot.... About 9 inches. So I have been camped out on my backporch. Not to admire the flowers...but the unending performance of hummingbirds, butterflies, cardinals, blue jays, moths, dragonflies. What a delightful surprise to this newbie gardener. It has been fantastic...so I let the guilt subside and decided this is why I have it in the first place.
I did do a little on the backyard project. I screened the trench that housed the irrigation pipe. I did use weedkiller but did not pull the weeds....there is no limit to my laziness sometimes. I even rationalized it by thinking the weeds will act like a bumper to stop the erosion of mulch down hill.
My wonderful, loving husband has done so much for me this year..and now the gardens are starting to pay off. I do think I will delay the garden party until next year. This project was so ambitious that I have neglected the front gardens. Next year will be prettier, because the peacock will be installed. The blacksmith agreed to build it for me. It will be my ONLY project next year...swear.
I am going to make this a path to irrigated the last zone and be able to run hoses through it. I haven't fed the roses lately and with fall fast approaching I wonder if the well broken down compost in the bin would help?
This is the other section that has to be done. It needs to be weeded, screened, mulched and irrigated but there is no end to my procrastination on it.
I am very happy about the screen. I know clean up is a pain but it does slow down the weeds a great deal..by about 85%
The irrigation is also bringing the roses to life.
I have to be careful not to walk on the tubing that is partially hidden by the mulch.
I have to fix the pool fountain as well...garden guilt kicking in...
JFK rose....I recommend buying these potted vs bare root but they are lovely roses.
The zinnia fell over due to the rain and have some kind of black spot on them. I also saw these orange looking ant things on them. I tried to restake them but I soon discovered that the way they are laying it's an impossibility. They have to stay where they lie. I was going to deeply pruned them but with the hummingbirds constantly visiting ...I couldn't do it.
Pinata rose. I normally hate the color orange but not when it comes to roses.
My pumpkins are not doing well. There is a wierd oily film on the water...I can't figure out where it's coming from....there is no apparent oil source anywhere near.
Well, maybe next year.
I went to dollar general and bought 58 packs of flowers.....I was dismayed to finally find Mexican sunflowers. They were 9 cents a pack. I was going to scatter them around the edges of the property but I really wanted them for next year. The packs read that they expire in December. I would prefer to plant them in the spring. Someone told me to put them in the refrigerator. I think I may do that.
