Way back in April or May, we decided to grow a small garden by our house.
 | |
| Elora making a rock border for our garden |
We only did a really small plot..maybe three or four square feet at the south-east corner of our house, where it would be most protected from wind or other violent weather. We had some free seeds we got in the mail, then we bought some ‘wildflower mix’ seeds, and I also got a bunch of lily bulbs to fill out the plot. Joseph did a lot of the work, digging up the clay soil and replacing it with some nicer soil we bought in town. We should have really bought more than we did, but even this small bit was a lot of work!
 |
| yay worms! |
Joshua liked the worms a lot…Elora thought they were interesting, but screamed every time one touched her hand. Silly girl.
At the time, the lily bulbs seemed pretty big so we planted them in the back, and the tiny wildflower seeds were sprinkled in the front. The free seeds from the mail, which were “Cosmos” we decided to put in a little planter on our porch with the last of the soil.
 | |
| This is our planter. It was in our yard with some garbage when we moved here. |
Then we let nature do it’s work!
Just the last week or two, everything has begun to spring up like crazy. The wildflowers are several feet tall, hiding all the lilies back behind them.
 | |
| one of the lilies. They seem to bloom one by one and don't last long,but they're pretty! |
They are blue, white, and pink in these pictures, and this last week there have been some pretty orangy-yellow ones springing up as well. I don't really know the names of any of them, but I think they look great! Maybe the bluish ones are cornflowers?
The cosmos on our porch, which were orange on the seed packet, have been blooming pink, purple and white. They don’t look quite so healthy, but maybe I need to just water them some more. In the planter we also had half a dozen pea or bean plants from some seeds Joseph sprouted with the kids and at school. They looked good at first, but I think they’re all dead now. I don’t know if they needed more water, or if the wind was just too much for their delicate stalks.
 |
| The ones in the planter have had a harder time with the heat, but they're looking okay. |
I’m not sure if I’d have the dedication to grow a larger garden, but we’ve sure enjoyed this one! And I'm pretty sure we have the only flower garden in the community...at least the only one I've seen.
 | |
| They're already at least a foot taller since I took this picture, and a lot more are blooming |
A little ways away from our house, we’ve also noticed a bunch of sunflowers growing. They’re in an enclosed plot which is supposed to belong to the school, but I haven’t ever seen anyone plant anything there or work in it. So, much to Elora’s delight, we went over there the other day and cut a few look pretty on our table..even if they do shed pollen like crazy.
We haven’t been going out too much this summer, which has been a little disappointing, as I’ve missed our summer evening walks. Part of that is the heat and humidity, but a bigger part has been all the mosquitos! They haven’t been too bad right next to our house (to which I credit the insecticide we sprayed on our flower garden and the surrounding lawn) but everywhere else they swarm like mad! Seriously, Joseph took the kids out to ride bikes once since we’ve been home from Utah, and Josh got over 30 bites in less than half an hour! Even getting our mail in the middle of the day is a little scary, with the way the mosquitoes hang around the mailboxes!
But a few weeks ago, it was overcast and drizzly all day, so it wasn’t too hot. I went to get the mail and didn’t see any of the pesky bugs, so I figured the rain must be dampening their drive a little. Anyway, that evening I took the three kids out for a walk, and it was kind of fun..even though we did get pretty wet when it started raining harder.
We just went up to the powwow grounds as we often have for photos, and were delighted to discover wildflowers growing all over.
My camera battery was dying, but I had fun taking pictures of the kids (that weren’t quite in focus) around the pretty flowers, and we all hung out under the roof of the nearby snack-shack when the rain picked up.
 |
| Elora and Jonah liked the rain dripping off the roof on their heads. |
There were a few mosquitoes hovering around there, but it wasn’t too bad. Elora and Jonah decided to stand right under the edge of the roof, so they got soaking wet, but they enjoyed it so I let them. I hope we can have more days out before the weather turns cold again!
Just the day after we took these pictures, they went and mowed down all the grass in this area, so I'm sure the flowers are gone now. Weren't we lucky to see them just in time?
 | |
| Josh accidentally pulled a flower out of the ground. I love his face in this one. |
6 comments:
Wow you grew all of those flowers from seeds? I've never been able to get anything to grow from seeds. I always buy the small plants and even those don't ever last the whole summer. I think it's too hot here or something...the something being maybe I don't water them enough or pay enough attention to them. Good job though, your garden looks very pretty! :)
Yay! I think it's great that you planted seeds and are growing flowers. It's amazing how much of a difference having plants around the inside and outside of your home makes. It feels more homey.
When we researched growing a container garden on our patio, we learned that plants in a container have to be watered more frequently than plants in the ground. As it has gotten hotter, I water our container plants every day and have considered watering twice a day. We just planted flowers in the ground on our back patio and I'm looking forward to not having to water them as much.
Too bad about the mosquitoes keeping you inside! I loved that Cedar doesn't really have a mosquito problem but it makes it hard to remember to spray repellent now that I live somewhere that has them. I hope you get some more outside time before it gets cold!
Lovely!!!
oh my. Yours is the only wildflower garden that I've seen really grow. It's amazing. Sunflowers are worth the pollen aren't they? Really, I am so impressed. Such a little monetary out lay and such rewards. Well, the work wasn't little, was it? Thanks for sharing.
kiera- I know, I didn't expect the seeds to really grow; maybe they are especially for our climate or something? Because I know I don't water as much as I should.
julie- I agree, it makes the home feel much nicer and like a real home having flowers outside! The mosquitos have died down a lot in the last few weeks...I think it was the week that the temps were in the 104F area that killed them all. It's been much nicer since!
Sarah and Lynne- thanks! Yes, I love sunflowers, and I will endure the pollen.
Your wildflowers are amazing! I love the way you photographed the vase of sunflowers. My yard is flower deficient, I should work on it. We have pots and pots of geraniums and some inpatients and that's it.
Post a Comment