Upside Ann

 These are a month old.  I took them prior to embarking on our westward journey but did not get them posted.  The tiger lilies have invaded the fence row.  They are spreading recklessly throughout the side flower bed but last year they jumped the fence - and a bit of lawn - to run free.  I suspect I "seeded" this area by discarding the chopped off stems over the fence during autumn garden clean-up.  I am amused.  (Note: This spring there were about a dozen plants over there but my cousin and I dug up a selection for him to take home to SC... where they are, no doubt, planning to take over the southern United States.)  I like them OK - but not as much as the field lilies- which, ironically, have much better manners.  And, for the record, I am TIRED of my Stella del Oro daylilies.  Yawn.  I'm sure I read they are supposed to be repeat bloomers.  My girls have not read the same manual.

  I have tried to exercise restraint this year in my plant shopping.   On the deck there will be only white and green plants and flowers… except for those dark elephant ears and their coleus buddies – but they are hold-overs from last summer.   On the patio we are wild with pink, fuschia, and a little red.   My mother’s bed, however, is themed “rabbit resistant”.   Shopping goes like this.   Ooooo pretty flower.   Type into Google “Do rabbits eat <insert plant name here>?”   There are very few with an absolute “no” answer.   Most noes are couched as “unless the rabbit is hungry” or “only the tender new shoots”.   I want to introduce a third “no, but” that may apply only to my garden.     It goes something like “No- unless your rabbits are assholes”.   The rabbits here on Harrison are not eating my veronica.   They do, however, invariably bite off the blooms and leave them (the blossoms) withering in the dirt....

Last spring I experimented with growing ginger.  Once again I had a hunk of ginger that was starting to sprout - so I placed it in a moist environment and then, later, planted it.  It was not an attractive plant- splindly, ragged-  until summer came and I moved it outside where it received much more light.  Over the course of the winter, once again in our dim house, the stems dried up, the leaves fell off, the plants died.  Last week I took the pot out to the flower bed, turned it upside down, and removed the soil and roots solid.  Washing, scraping with my finer, rinsing, soaking. My harvest, above.  It is nothing if not horrific.  I'm waiting for it to skitter away into a dark corner.  Anyone hungry?

  and hoping to do better this year. Despite constant battles (which I invariably lost) with rabbits last year, I did manage from 3 closely guarded sweet potato plants to harvest this mighty load.  Two potatoes.  The largest measuring NEARLY 2 inches. Are you not jealous? My ginger crop might have been better.  I just haven't turned my pot over to pull out the tubers.  Until I do so, I can imagine very great things. Bah.  Rabbits.  I planted $7 worth of violas last night.  Anyone care to wager how long before the plants are all eaten level to the ground - their tiny blossums safely tucked into some lagomorphs tummy.