July blooms

Welcome to my central Ohio garden, zone 6a. Let's see what is blooming for Garden Blogger's Bloom Day. 

As always the second half of summer brings a coneflower explosion here. Nothing has flourished in my garden like the coneflowers. They definitely dominate the front garden bed, but I love the effect and so do the pollinators and other critters.

I have however been replacing some coneflowers in the front bed with other bloomers. This winter-sown blue sage (salvia farinacea) is a new addition this year and I'm loving it so far.

Two tall larkspur (delphinium exaltum) bring another pop of purple to the front bed.  

This apricot drift rose may be small but it's been blooming all summer and smells good too!

The Lavender Grosso has also been blooming all summer and I love drying it to keep inside too.

The White Swan coneflowers have been spreading a bit in the side garden, much to my delight. I love the result. I also planted a group of them I winter-sowed in the front bed, but those probably won't bloom until next year.

Zinnias will always have a place in my garden and they're so easy to grow from seed. This is Queen lime red that I'm trying for the first time.

This bee balm in the garage bed just recently started blooming.

The new agastache planted this year has been blooming for weeks, while the larger one behind it is still re-growing thanks to a severe pruning in late spring courtesy of our local deer.

This cheerful volunteer common sunflower from the bird feeder has inspired me to plant sunflowers next year.

I enjoy seeing these elephant ears rebloom each year. I'm still amazed they come back after spending the winter in a box in the basement.

That's about it for my garden this month. What's blooming in yours?

Poppies!

Last year I started watching British gardening show institution Gardener's World. In addition to learning a lot of useful gardening tips, I also became obsessed with breadseed poppies (papaver somniferum). I love their gorgeous colors and the fact that they bloom in late spring to early summer. 

I ordered some Hungarian Blue Breadseed Poppy seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and Burpee, and planted them via the winter sowing method and by direct seeding them in winter as recommended by the Impatient Gardener. Though, to be honest, I was skeptical about direct sowing them since I tried doing so with other varieties in the past without success. Previously, the only poppies I've successfully grown more than one or two of are oriental poppies, which do return every year.

While both methods worked, I think the seeds I direct sowed ended up much larger and more robust, so I'll only direct sow them in the future. Hopefully I'll be able to do so with seeds from the ones I grew this year. And let me tell you, those poppies did not disappoint! These gorgeous blooms will have a permanent spot in my garden from now on.

All of the photos above show the variation of colors in the poppies that sprouted, ranging from white to lavender to deep purple and I love them all. Plus it's fun to see what will pop up next. They bloomed throughout the month of June into early July, vastly extending the time I get to enjoy poppies beyond the few weeks in May when my oriental poppies bloom.

I also tossed some old peony poppy seeds I had on hand and some of those came up as well.

My challenge for next year will be trying to grow them in clumps instead of so spread out. Tips welcome!

Do you have a favorite poppy?

July in the garden

When I first started blogging I often featured the garden, but as the years went on I wrote about it less and less and focused on house projects more. And then I pretty much stopped blogging and I didn't garden as much either. But my garden has been a place of peace and relaxation for the last year and I've become passionate about gardening once again.

So let's see what's blooming this month for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, shall we?

front bed

July in my garden means a coneflower explosion. The coneflowers dominate every border, especially the front bed, which makes this old post about how I struggled to finally grow a coneflower pretty funny. Now I'm to the point where I need to remove some to make room for other plants. 

These all came from just a few plants, which I distributed the dried seed heads throughout the garden over the years. While coneflowers aren't my all-time favorite flower, I admire their stamina. They withstand the heat, humidity and dry conditions we often have and bloom from mid-summer until frost. Not to mention that they've been a great bargain for my gardening buck!

the side bed

They're all purple/pink except two plants of White Swan coneflowers that popped up in the side bed. I plan to move those to the front this fall and plant some more white coneflowers via seed next year.

The bees and other pollinators certainly love them. There are so many buzzing the front bed that I can't even count them all.

I also have Zinnias. These were grown from seeds that I planted throughout the garden.

There are more Zinnias in pots on the deck, along with some nasturtiums and some elephant ears that I've lifted and overwintered for three years now. There are some lemon cucumbers growing on the side.

A couple of hostas are also in bloom.

I love my large elephant ears so much that I couldn't resist adding these cute little pink ones this year.

This container of lantana and calibrachoa looks great and I love how it contrasts the new garage door color. Most of my large container flowers are past their prime. Anyone have tips for keeping petunias looking good throughout the summer? 

I'm also excited about this Dwarf Queeny Hollyhock that I grew from seed. Only one of the two that survived bloomed, but I'm going to try growing more next year.

And although it's not hardy in my zone (6), these snapdragons I grew from seed and planted last year returned and I love them.

What's blooming in your garden?

A cheap and easy way to revive plastic pots

After many years of hard use, my large plastic pots were looking worse for the wear. While still perfectly functional, they were stained and discolored to the point that it distracted from the beautiful flowers they contain.

While some might have just tossed them, I hate to throw away plastic that still serves its purpose if I don't absolutely have to. The pots weren't broken or cracked, they just looked unsightly. New large pots, even plastic ones, aren't exactly cheap. 

After remembering a tip I read online about spray painting plastic pots, I decided to try it before throwing them out.

After thoroughly cleaning the pots with bleach, I used this Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch spray paint I found at my local home improvement store. This color, London Gray, looks like a gray brown and complimented the deck color while still being neutral enough to go with any color of flowers.

Pot before (right) and after (left) being cleaned and spray-painted. 

One can of spray paint covered two pots, so for a couple of hours and less than $12 total, I revived four large pots. Best of all, the pots I sprayed last year still look great, so this isn't just a short-term solution.

Nothing like a cheap and easy DIY fix!

Do you do anything to keep your pots and containers looking fresh year after year?

 

Squeezing an office in a small space

Like many people, I've been working from home since mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

For the most part I prefer it. There's no commute, fewer meetings, fewer distractions. Plus, it's quiet, which I need since my job involves a lot of writing.

So instead for the first 4.5 months I worked on a laptop from the couch and kitchen table. The window views were nice, but the cats didn't seem to appreciate having to share the table (it looks out onto the birdfeeder and is their favorite window hangout). Eventually the lack of ergonomics took a toll and in early August I knew I had to make a change.But there was one issue--lack of a proper workspace. Because I live in the 740-square-foot house, I don't have the luxury of a separate home office. The spare room used to be set up as an office, but gets much more use as a bedroom. I didn't want to set up a desk in the living room, where I'd see it all the time, or the basement.

My new co-workers do not enjoy sharing their space.

I measured a corner of the spare room and it was big enough for a small desk. I shopped for desks online, but everything I liked in my budget was out of stock. Plus, I wasn't sure I'd like working in a separate area, facing a wall no less.

I went up to the attic and measured the old IKEA desk to see if it would work temporarily, but it was even bigger than I remembered. The boyfriend insisted it would fit if we'd rearranged all of the furniture in the room, but it was going to be a tight squeeze and that's what I'd been trying to avoid.

Office circa 2007

Luckily I found another solution--my old kitchen table that first belong to my great-grandparents. My mom said my great-grandpa Gordon used to clean fish on it. So it's hardly a priceless antique, but I like it anyway. 

This old table has been well--used for generations.

Luckily the boyfriend had already refinished and restained it, so it was ready to go. I repurposed a chair and rug I already had and--voila--a free work from home space. The only new thing I added is a chair pad, which was a gift. 

My new, repurposed work space.

It's advice we've all heard, but having a dedicated work space really has made a difference. It's easier to sit down, focus and be productive. Then at the end of the day, I can pack it up and leave work behind.

Of course the cats still insist on "helping" me work at times.

Best of all, the rooms doesn't feel crowded at all and still functions as a bedroom. So if you too are struggling to find work space at home, try carving out some room for a small desk. It might be just what you need.

Farewell, Garden Kitty

This is Garden Kitty, GC for short. He lives down the street, but spends most of his time outside.

He's extremely friendly and sweet, and seems to crave attention even more than food. So we gave him both. 

I didn't know his real name, but started calling him Garden Kitty because he liked to keep me company while I gardened. He would hang out and occasionally come over to be pet or to pounce on something that moved enough to catch his attention. He loved to play and would chase sticks, or vines or even long plants. He was great company and made chore time more fun. Often he would be on the deck waiting for us first thing in the morning and would come back after we returned home from work. 

He was extremely curious and before locking the garage up we had to make sure he wasn't still in there exploring. He had no fear. There was the time I went outside to scare away the deer that GC was slowly creeping up on as if he were going to pounce on it. Or the squirrel that he came *this close* to catching and instead swatted on the behind as it leaped away.

Sometimes he was a bit of a pain. Like when I was trying to hoeing weeds and he kept trying to rake against my hoe and pounce where I was working. I was afraid I would accidentally hurt him, so I stopped and petted him instead. Or when he camped out on our deck and stressed out our sensitive kitty, possibly contributing to his recent cystitis flare. Or when he scared away the birds from the feeder we hung from the deck to provide entertainment to our three indoor kitties.

But we couldn't be mad at GC. And we couldn't stick to our resolutions to ignore him. He was too sweet of a soul.

We debated if GC was neglected. He was outside most of the time. Early in the morning and late at night. Even on heat warning days when the temperature was 95 and so humid it felt like 105F. He was thin so when he cried for food we started feeding him. So did some of our other neighbors. One down the street called him Friendly Kitty, also an apt description. 

Our next door neighbor worried that he wasn't good around cars. He didn't always look before crossing the street in his excitement to come visit. And unfortunately on Friday, August 2, this habit is what led to his far too-early death when he was hit by a car. 

I know there can be extenuating circumstances that lead people to let their cats outside. But there are so many risks--cruel people, cars, other animals--and their lives tend to be so much shorter than indoor cats. I question if it's worth the risk considering the alternatives of letting them out only with supervision or on a leash or in a catio. 

We miss him and mourn his early passing. I question if I should have done more for him. I know some of our other neighbors have the same thoughts. He deserved more than he was given at home, but he was loved by many.

Farewell GC, you were a very good boy. We won't forget you.

When is it time to upgrade?

It's July 3, the evening before our Independence Day, and many are out celebrating or attending the big fireworks celebration downtown. I however will be asleep soon. Stress wears me out.

What am I stressing out about? My stupid car. It's latest issue is a busted radiator. Lucky for me, the parts are less than $100 and the boyfriend can fix it. So it could be much worse. But it wasn't fun seeing the heat gauge max out this morning. It was even less fun trying to drive it home and pulling over three times on the five mile ride home to let it cool off. Not to mention the boyfriend had to come check it out mid-way because I was freaking out thinking my car might explode.

Photo: Carlyle Ellis Photography/Human Quotient

Having the radiator go out isn't unexpected given that my Honda Civic is 19 years old. I mean, how long is a car supposed to last anyway? It does only have 135,000 miles, but as a mechanic friend warned me a few years ago, all of its parts, gaskets, seals, etc. will fail start failing soon.

A lot of things have already broken and already been replace by the boyfriend. He's saved me tons in labor and aggravation over the years (thanks, honey!). So when should I just call it quits?

I came close to doing so last summer. I went car shopping. Narrowed down the make and model to a Toyota Camry or Honda Accord. But I was underwhelmed and if I'm going to spend $15-20k, shouldn't I be a little excited about what I'm buying?

I'm also overwhelmed by the options. SUV or car? If I care about the environment, does that mean I should invest more and get a hybrid or electric?

Another problem is I want the latest safety features for a three-year-old-car price. Not gonna happen. In the meantime, my boyfriend spruced up the Civic, painted the peeling trim and plastic hubcaps, and found a deal on tires.

Suddenly it didn't look so bad.

Plus, there's the cost. I haven't had a car payment in 16 years and pay $280/year for insurance. I definitely like that part.

However, I don't like worrying about how I'm getting my broken down car home or how long it will be out of commission. Or having the boyfriend have to spend time fixing it on his limited time off or in winter. And taking long trips in it feels like a gamble.

He says this isn't a big deal and there's not much else that can go bad since most things have been replaced ... except the clutch.

So should it stay or should it go? I can't decide.

What's the oldest vehicle you've had? How do you decide when it's time for a new one?