So, I did that witchy thing again that I do.

While David and I mowed the yard yesterday, I pondered the old flower garden.  It is a garden that was in place when we moved in to this house.  It is an overgrown disaster.

So, I made a decision.  I mowed the garden down to the ground.  I decided to redesign the entire thing. David and I talked about what we might do.  I mentioned I wasn't sure where we would put the swing.

Well.....the universe must have agreed with the plan.  Within an hour or so, we had a weather cell come through with incredibly strong winds.

The swing and tree aren't really a design issue anymore.

Harvesting Herbs and Mock Orange Starting to Bloom

I started harvesting herbs and came up with the idea of using my microwave chipmaker to dry the herbs.

Cilantro, Tarragon, Lemon Thyme, Thyme, Oregano, Basil,  Curly Parsley, Flat Leaf Parsley, Sage

The Lemon Thyme smells heavenly.

And, on a different topic, the mock orange out front is starting to bloom.  The smell is amazing.

Final plant order for the spring/summer

I've spent way too much money on gardening this spring. However, this should be the last order.

 Lavender, Hidcote Plug pack           

This is to fill in a couple of gaps on the front Lavender border.

Mint, Orange Plants          

Uhm....this is because....I thought it would taste good.

Sorrel, Profusion® Plants     

I ordered this for Rachel.  She loved Sorrel when she tasted it and I couldn't fine any locally.

Thyme, Purple Carpet Lemon Plug tray   

These are to replace all the seeds that didn't germinate.  There 120 plugs.

Verbena, Lemon Plants      

For the herb garden.

Tomato, Sweetie Plug pack             

Can one have too many tomatoes?

Edelweiss Plants                       

For the rock garden in front.

Front walkways and edging

I grabbed 40 Bugle Weed plants from Home Depot yesterday.  At a $1 a plant, it was good, cheap ground cover.  So, I finished the edging under the front window and planted Bugle Weed between the stones.

I don't think the Thyme seeds I planted on going to germinate, so I ordered 120 plugs to put between the stones heading from the driveway to the house.

I still need to finish the edging around the butterfly garden and add one little piece of edging to the street-side bed.

We also added two cucumber plants to the garden to replace the two that mysteriously disappeared.  I also dropped in an eggplant plant in an empty spot.

Finally.

I finally got the Harry Lauder Walking Stick Tree/Bush planted.  I put the Elder Berry Bush next to it and a trellis behind both where I will plant moon flowers.  The idea is that the dark leaves of both the bushes will be a nice contrast to the moon flowers.

Harvest

I am stunned by how well the vegetable garden is doing.  Between the amazing growing medium I put in the raised beds and the regular rain, the silly plants have gone bonkers. (Yes, that is the technical word for it.)

Tonight, I brought in another huge bunch of kale, spinach, micro greens, and just for fun, we picked a beet.  It was still pretty small, but it was definitely big enough to make small chips.

I started adding more supports to the tomatoes (and pruning them a bit).  I also prepped another ten-foot gutter to mount on the fence.  I have 3-4 more strawberry plants I want to put in.

I bought some netting to put over the strawberry gutters.  Something is nibbling the berries. :(
I need to get it mounted tomorrow.  I'm still thinking about the best way to do this.

Cabbages

Beets

Growing Plants

Lettuce growing in gutter

Potato Tower going crazy...they are growing so fast!

This is where the blueberry patch will go.

Chives!

Echinacea plant growing in herb garden.

"Nursery" bed doing well.  Several of the baby glads are coming up and the whole bed of zinnias  is doing great.

Let's hear it for great soil and lots of rain.  My kale, cabbage and tomatoes are thriving.