Plan B

Whenever I tell someone that mice ate my seedlings, everyone says the same thing: "The mice ate your homework? Yeah, right!". We have to have a theme for our beds so I've decided to call my new design "Plan B - The Mice Ate My Homework". As for the design itself, I came up with it literally on the drive over this morning. Here's what it looked like when I finished planting it except for the zinnias:

In the center of the "V" is the lone miniature sunflower surrounded by calendulas. The outside of the "V" is edged with the thyme. The left arm has Zebrina planted along the middle with the portulaca on the sides and edged with purple alyssum. The right arm has Bright Lights cosmos along the middle with Persian Carpet zinnias on the sides and edged with the white alyssum. On the end of that arm are some Bells of Ireland and the two Thumbelina zinnias.

There aren't very many plants in it now because most of my plants are still too small to be transplanted. I brought the largest ones to plant today and crossed my fingers they are large enough. It helps that it was cool and rainy and will stay that way for forseeable future. As my plants grow at home, I can bring more to plant here.

The plants are also difficult to see because so much mulch was put on the bed. I had to dig down several inches to reach soil to plant the seedlings in so they look like they are growing in craters!

After many years of careful nurturing, I have finally convinced the Moth Mullein growing in my garden to multiply. Prior to this year, I only had one plant. This year there are close to a dozen, the largest of which has multiple flower stalks:

It looks great against the roses:

You knew I was going to get more rose pictures in, didn't you?

I have a mystery lily. I know I planted it, but I don't know when nor do I know what kind of lily it is. It looks short because the stalk got bent so it has been growing horizontally instead of vertically. The blossoms are quite small, only a few inches across.

You can go here to read the newsletter I worked on for the Master Gardeners of Middlesex County. My garden gnome is pictured on page 6. I gave him his own column called "Wit and Wisdom From The Garden Gnome". How nervy is that?