Bogturtle's Garden- July 1-15, 2024

For the first time ever, I bought tomato plants. Used to start some in the heated little box on the potting table. Cannot even say if the heating cable still works, it has been so long. In recent years we bought them at a local produce store. But this year I bought 3 plants. Two cherry types, small plants and cheap. And one I did not price. Shocked, when I got home and checked, as I should have checked upon purchase. Would not have paid even $12, and I paid $20. The first finally got ripe. Wondering how many I will have to get before the plant actually pays for itself. I hope its really good.

Crocosmia 'Diablo'.  A 4 foot tall plant in the perennial bed and also in the bank of plants in front of the screen that blocks the potting bench from where we sit to eat, across the yard. 

This Hydrangea is also among several that line the exit drive. Will have to check for varietal name.

Such a fine photo chance. But I have shown this dwarfer form of the Oakleaved Hydrangea, that also is at the start of the exit drive.

 Buddlea 'Honeycomb' again. Strangely, all other forms of Buddlea are no longer here. Periods of time went by when I could not attend to the gardens. Unlikely I will get any, again, as the plants, here, have overgrown, and room is at a premium.

Always pleased when Viburnum mariessi blooms, by our front entry walk. But I was pleasantly surprised to see these what may be seed coming on. A nice color contrast.

Another Gray or Cope's Tree Frog. This one hopped into the pool and I placed it on the plants growing in the strawberry jar. 

There are youtube presentations of this beautiful Indigo Bunting, but seeing one and trying to post it is even better than a youtube presentation. Hopelessly shy, the bird will not tolerate my efforts to get a video but I am happy to post this. At the bird feeder several times each day. And if the female comes, I would never know, as she is to plain. Better to keep her safe on the nest. The zoom feature of my little camera allowed me to take the photo from in the room.

The squash plants, not within the 6 foot wire fence, are vegetables not safe from the Deer, Rabbits or Woodchuck. So I have sprayed them with repellent, but, yesterday, a trail camera caught the Woodchuck, I had not seen for many days. 3 traps are baited with Kale. So far, to no avail. But I did catch a little Opossum and then this really big one. It seemed dead. Trying to dump it out of the trap, I knew it was only 'playing possum'. Actual Epileptic type seizures that seem involuntary. So I left it, hoping the trail camera would catch the recovery and exit. The camera failed me there. I don't think any other wildlife extracted it from the cage.

So I was able to take a screen shot of a video that is too long to be handled by blogger. And the Woodchuck, Groundhog, is still romping about.

The landing to the addition has different plants, this year. Not the usual flowers, but a mix.One plant survived the Winter and was kept. The others are mostly herbs, the kitchen being near, and I am trying to grow some Kale in a pot, while some is behind the wire garden fence.  Hopefully the animals will not come that close to the house. The white Swamp Milkweed should do well, as there is quite a bit of Sun here. The railing has Morning Glory climbing on it, in a planter with some white flowered Cleome. Should look great when they bloom. Friends and relatives cannot keep squirrels and chipmunks away from the tomatoes. I have not had that problem yet.

Daylily 'Ribbon Round' is among the perennials in the main perennial bed, by where we park.

Daylily 'Mt. Etna' is there also. A yellow one, 'Glaemon Song' was budded up earlier on. A Deer visited when I had neglected to spray repellent after a rain.

The Buckeye, Aesculus parviflora, blooms behind the pool, by the swing set. I repeat myself, and have said the species name, parviflora, does not refer to the sizeable panicles of whitish flowers, but that each individual flower is small. Parva means small in Latin.

My camera is set to photograph flowers. So I cannot say why the violet-blue of the Chaste Tree, Vitex 'Shoal Creek' just look washed out gray. I may replace them with some taken with another camera setting that reports more accurately.

It's baaack.  Because the Trumpet Vines, I planted here, seeded all over, I tried to kill the beautiful Bignonia 'Jersey Peach' years ago. I cut it down, drilled holes in the stump, and poured in weed killer. Did not work. 10 years later, here it is again growing on the one pole at the end of the pool deck fence. It was there before the red Rose, 'Winner's Circle' was ever planted. I expect I'll keep it, only pruning it back to keep it under some control.