The Garden Plants and Flowers

The spring planting on the compound is pretty much done. We were lucky to have a late spring this year so we had a little extra time. There was an unfortunate hail storm one night a couple of weeks ago which did some natural pruning to the hostas and volunteer bleeding hearts. They seem to be coming back with the help of a week of sunny, cool days.

Daughter and boyfriend working in the garden viewed though yet-to-bloom Rose of Sharon.
Daughter and boyfriend working in the garden viewed though yet-to-bloom Rose of Sharon.

This is the second year that daughter-of-Snowball and her boyfriend are planting a vegetable garden. The veggies are well used in the fall for canning. This year they’re gonna be a little less aggressive in the amount of crops. Daughter’s canning efforts last year were so successful she has gotten promises from friends with gardens that they will donate produce for finished canned product. This sounds like it will work out well since daughter doesn’t like gardening but loves cooking and especially eating. I’m in favor of it all because the eating is my favorite part too.

Snowball planting flowers and herbs.
Snowball planting flowers and herbs.

To assist in the cooking part Snowball put in her usual herb garden outside the back door. The location is a little problematic because its on the south side squeezed in between the air conditioners. In the past watering was a constant chore since the tiered plant stand doesn’t have a lot of soil and store much moisture. This year she’s keeping the herbs in low pots with flowers in the plant stand.

And speaking of flowers

Yesterday we took delivery of four boxes of cut flowers, roses mostly, so that Snowball can do bouquets for a friend’s wedding. Don’t get me wrong, it’s therapeutic and she is fantastic with flower arrangements. Why if Martha Stewart would ever see what Snowball does with wedding flowers and cakes, she would throw up her hands in surrender and go wait tables for a living. But “To keep the flowers fresh” Snowball has turned the AC down to ice cold (seems appropriate considering her nickname). So we’re keeping flowers fresh in the photo studio but I think we could hang frozen meat in the living room. It’s only till Saturday so I guess I can pull out some sweatshirts and deal with it until then.