Quiet Weekend with Different Kids

I am enjoying some garden time this weekend. I stopped on my way home from work last night and picked up three new perennials and a bunch of little potted herbs. I had been thinking about a couple of bare spots in front of the dining room and wondering what to put there; and the inspiration was high last night. Besides, my hydrangea and the hostas I separated are doing pretty well (see right), so I had enough confidence to spend a little more money. Besides, I went to my friend, Norma's, house a week or so ago. She has a beautiful garden and admitted she had killed a lot of plants getting to that spot. So that made it easier not to take it so personally when something dies. If Norma kills things, I don't feel so bad!

Here are my three new babies. The first is a Pink Peppermint Phlox. It smells really good. You can't see very well from the picture, but the lighter flowers are pink and white and look exactly like those little mints they give you after dinner that are wrapped in cellophane. The plant is said to attract hummingbirds and butterflies. It looks great right now; but it has been in the ground less than 24 hours. :-)




The second plant is a Foxglove. It has soft, furry-feeling leaves and lovely lavendar blooms. I think I like it because it is tactile. And it's purple; I like that.



The low plant at the bottom is St. John's Wort. This one is more of a low grower that will fill in and be like a cover plant. It has little yellow flowers on it, but the leaves are nice and colorful as well.

I came home last night and planted these and then did a little
watering. Since it is almost July, everything was completely root bound in the pots, so I figure these girls were aching to get into a roomy spot. I must say they look nice and I am satisfied with them. Now I have to flip my water hoses to irrigate two areas. But I have my own personal irrigation engineer, so I'm sure he can help me arrange that.




The herbs I bought went into a pot by the front door all together. This way they are easier to deal with and you can just run out there with the new herb shearers the girls got me for Mother's Day and snip off what you want. Everything tastes so much better with fresh herbs. It is one of the best things about summer.



This afternoon I am getting a pedicure with Dori and we are going out for dinner. It is her birthday! Today is also Emily's 30th birthday! Time really flies. June 30 is indeed a special day in many ways. Enjoy the beautiful weekend!