At Loose Ends

 While I'm not really happy with the state of the garden overall - too straggly and a mish mash - there are some specimens that have done very well.


The Limelight hydrangeas are just starting to blush pink and the flower heads are huge!

I never grew zinnias before and now I love them.

This zinnia was a straggly little seeding from a six pack on sale and now this!

The Lantana is so pretty I'm contemplating keeping it over the winter in the house.

I'm coming to the conclusion that the whole garden needs to be redone. Some plants are not placed well, others I just don't like at all. Maybe it has something to do with the back yard being all torn up? In any case, I'm working through it and even went to shop, evaluate, and price out hot tubs. I thought I was certain I wanted a salt water system, but now I'm not sure after talking with a couple of dealers. My internet research is not giving me a clear answer either. 

The area is all prepped and ready for concrete. It was rescheduled for Tuesday since the weather
 is not looking great for Monday. That drain which runs under the patio got a good test run
today as it rained for several hours and I could not see a drop of water pooling anywhere.

Last Tuesday's pickleball didn't happen as all the courts were full. Instead we went for a 3 mile walk, then I got on my bike and rode 20 miles on the Zim Smith Trail which felt great. That night I went up to Saratoga to see Alex Torres and the Latin Kings play in Congress Park. There was lots of dancing and people watching. 

The iconic Saratoga statue looked nice in the moonlight.

On our way to the car, they were giving away the flowers for some charity function.

I lost my Internet service for a few days during construction as they ran over the line. A tech showed up to fix it eventually and service was restored. My contractor was just relieved they didn't hit my electricity line which runs right under the patio area.

These little bear cubs were romping through my neighbors yard. I'm not sure how
I feel about that since I'm sure the mama was not far away.

I was happy to see these guys are finally around.

On Friday Sue Ellen and Patty went with me to ride the Ashuwillticook Trail over in MA. When we got to the southern end I was happy to see they are extending it another couple of miles into Pittsfield MA. I love bike trails!

The only excitement on the bike ride was when I stopped to rescue this little
 turtle who didn't look too pleased with my efforts.

Today I took advantage of the 4 hours between rain storms to mow the lawn, do a bit of gardening, and saw dead branches out of trees and drag them down to the road to get hauled away. No need to do a strength training workout today!

I have never seen one of these in my garden before - a New World Giant Swallowtail.

Based on it's ragged wings, it has been through some things.

Tomorrow I'm going to another hot tub showroom to see if I can sort things out. It's supposed to be a very rainy day, so shopping it is.

Comments

  1. MargaretAugust 19, 2024 at 12:01 AM

    Your photos are incredible! We share a similar taste in flowers. I've never tried to grow zinnias either and would like to give them a try. Your hydrangea is impressive too. I know 0 about hot tubs; in fact I've probably only been in one a couple times in my life. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. MaureenAugust 19, 2024 at 12:54 PM

    Zinnias are so easy, neat, and prolific. The colors are eye popping too! I will try my hand at collecting seeds to plant next year.

    ReplyDelete

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