Okra

Who knew that okra would grow so well here, and that it has nice flowers?

Now we just have to find a way to cook it where it doesn't come out slimy and horrible.

Shittiest. Flowerbed. Ever.

In an attempt to create a sort of unified bed with some kind of design coherence, I planted a bunch of lilies all together.  However, this was before I read The Garden Design Primer, which sensibly suggests planting in drifts, to avoid this kind of random placement.  It really does look much better to put plants into groups of three, five, or seven of the same exact plant.

Here's what this bed looked like on July 20, at it's "best":

I want to divide and move these lilies so that I have big, eye-soothing drifts of the best colors mixed in with drifts of two or three other types of plants.  Unfortunately, I'll have to wait till they're in full bloom since I neglected to label them this year so I'd know which is which later this fall or early next spring.  Another timing disaster!

Here's what it looks like now, on August 12:

Ugh.

The other problem is that while daylilies look nice individually, they don't last and so each plant has lots of dead flowers or empty stems.  It's really a plant that is best up close:

Frankly, even up close it's not that great.  I suppose you have to deadhead every five minutes to make this work.

People Are Assholes

We live near a large park and a small but very nice zoo, and I don't mind that there's never any parking in front of our house in the summer, but I do mind the litter.  Does this look like a yard no one cares for?

I've also found cigarette butts and used diapers.

Tomatastrophe

Sometime last night this tomato plant fell over, in spite of a six-foot tall bamboo stake and a shorter tomato cage.  Next year I'm going to make really sturdy tomato cages from concrete reinforcing wire and rebar stakes.  I'm also going to give each tomato plant a bit more space.  They are just monstrous this year!  Is it the mushroom compost?

Seriously Lame Lamium

Lamium is supposed to be so aggressive--mine is just pathetic.  It's been languishing in this spot for about four years now, occasionally throwing out a flower or two, but mostly just barely hanging on.  I gave it some really nice composted leaf mulch this spring; if it doesn't shape up next year, it goes.  I'll have to find something bright to contrast with the bergenia and the wild ginger.

Timing Errors (A Continuing Series)

With a two-week vacation abroad looming, I put out soaker hoses and attached a digital timer.  Note to self: put in soaker hoses BEFORE the plants grow to epic proportions.  Getting them in place was a huge pain, and caused a lot of leaf shredding as I fought through a tomato and cucumber jungle.  Plus, it would have been so convenient to have an easy and regular watering system all season.

Square Foot My Ass

According to the book, zucchini needs one square.  I gave them a bit more space than that when planting, but it still wasn't enough.  I had to move a pepper, tomato, and two basil plants to give my two squash enough space (and to prevent those plants from being smothered).  I also massively pruned the squash, and they may never recover.  I left one tomato plant in the corner.  Next year I'm going to put two squash plants in opposite corners of one 9 square foot bed and let them duke it out by themselves.