Wednesday, June 04, 2008

I Don't Have A Black Thumb!

And to prove it to you, here are some evidents:



I planted these few weeks and and Mick got his face in it and I thought I had lost hope. But plants are funny things and Mick apparently didn't eat all the seeds! I know for sure there are chives and cilantros in it, and I think the third kind is oregano, but I can't be sure. Once all the herbs are tall enough, I'll replant them and thin them out a bit.



I bought some peppermint and thyme awhile back (when it was still very cold) and had them in the original container on top of my microwave in the kitchen by the window. They did really well and when I planted the seeds above, I transferred them into a planter we had from the original owner. They are doing really well, as you can see.



I bought this pot of parsley from the farmer's market back in May and it actually have more leaves than before! I'm pretty excited at the fact that I haven't killed it yet. I seems to do very poorly when it comes to cilantro, parsley or basil.



I was feeling adventurous on Saturday and seeded some broccoli and cantalope. Today is Wednesday, look at how tall they are!!! I bought the growing system from Lowe's and I love it! I can't wait for them to be big enough to transfer them into my garden (hopefully this Sunday!)



I bought this container sunflower last Saturday from the farmer's market. It's so nice to have something bright and happy inside! If he has more this week, I would love to get my hands on another pot for my office!

So I think I have proved to the world that I'm not a black thumb anymore. I find myself really like gardening when it doesn't involve digging the ground and encounter bugs and such. So I think I'm going to do a raise garden to transfer all the veggies and herbs in. David, of course, would be one the building it. In return, I will try to seed some watermelon and cucumber for him :). So now onto things that just shows up in my garden year after year:



Look at the GIANT hosta!!!! I have three of these giant ones on the right side of the house, 2 of a different variety but still huge on the left side of the house, and I have a bunch in the back of the garage. I think when they bloom, I'm going to cut the ones from the back of the garage and arrange them and enjoy them indoor. But can anyone tell me why they are so big? My neighbors' hosta are like quarter of that size!!! Not like I'm complaining or anything... Just curious.



I have no idea what these are - they show up in the crack of the asphalt by the garage, and there only. One on the right, one in the middle, and one on the left. I didn't plant them, and they can very well could be weeds, but they are pretty so I didn't pull them out.



These pansies are in a container and just keeps on coming back each year! They are the small kind. I actually found the planter near the garage by the trash cans when I moved in and the whole thing looked dead. When the spring came, lots of weed were on it, so I pull the weed out, and some of the greens started to show up. Next thing I knew, part of the container had some pansies in it. Lucky for us, I was too lazy to empty the dirt to reuse, so now we have a container full of pansies. One thing though - I thought pansies are annuals? David's theory is that they must drop seeds every year and it just keeps on coming back because of that, which will support the fact that it was only a quarter of the container full the first year, and this year it was completely full. I'll post a picture of the full container the next time I post about the garden.



This showed up this year. It wasn't around last year. If it was, it didn't flower. I am not so sure of what this is. By looking at some pictures online, I'm guessing it's a type of peonies. Anyone had any ideas? You can tell I don't garden by this, right? The plant gave me so far 2 full flowers, two on the way (one bud is still very green.) It smells beautiful and I want to cut it and bring them in the house! I wish I have a whole shrub full of the flowers!



The tiny bug (I think bee, not sure) showed up just in time for the photo shoot! No idea what this is either, but it was cute and pretty. I have no idea what this one is either:



They are right next to each other in the back yard where no one goes. They were pretty so I had to snap some pictures.

And finally, my fruit tree:



I think I have two or three of these in the back yard and I think they are pears. Last year the yard was a mess and I didn't get to see what they were until it was too late. I'm gonna try to keep tabs at them this year. Maybe, just maybe I get to eat some fruit out of my tree this year.

So that's it folks! I am very excited about the whole gardening thing - for how long? I'm not sure, but if I have some success at the veggies I'm sure I would keep it up next year, and maybe started it earlier! So for those folks who knows what flowers and plants I have in the garden, would you be nice and leave me a comment and let me know? Also, what books/websites do you recommend on reading up? All advise welcome!

9 comments:

KnelleyBelley said...

Your thumb seems pretty green to me!

Octopus Knits said...

All your herbs and plants look like fun! Mmmm... pears!

The pink asphalt flower looks to me like a columbine, I do think that's a peony, and the white flowers look like a rose and a clematis to me.

Anonymous said...

Hmmm, peppermint - yummy! Everything looks so pretty, well done!

Robin said...

Not a hint of black anywhere! Congratulations!

Hunny said...

The big pink flower is a peony. I have a huge plant in my front garden. So far this year I have counted 18 flowers that will bloom. Some people say at the end of the summer cut it down to the ground when it starts to die. My mom is a great gardener and she said not to touch it. So I don't I just let it go. in the spring when the new stems come up I pull any old stuff away and it has worked great for me year after year. That pansy picture looks like it could be a viola. I could be wrong but I know that when they die they go to seed and the pod could burst and than you would have flowers again next year. I am kind of new to gardening too. There are only a few things that I know I can grow so I stick to those!!

Kathleen C. said...

Just adding to the others...

The pink four point ones are Columbine... http://www.gardenguides.com/plants/info/flowers/perennials/columbine.asp
This a wildflower you can also find in the forests and meadows in the spring.

And the many petaled wonder is a Peony...
http://landscaping.about.com/od/perennialflowers/p/peony_plants.htm
I love the showy beauty of peonies. And the bushes can get big and full and lovely.

The white small flower with the bee appears to be a Rosa Multiflora...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiflora_Rose
Apparently it's considered an invasive weed in some areas. But as long as you don't let it take over your entire backyard you'll be fine!

I've had pansies come back after the winter too... but apparently they'll only do that for two to three years. They're a member of the viola family, and violas and violets are perrenials.

A couple of websites with good info...
http://www.garden.org/plantguide/
http://www.bhg.com/gardening/
Although the BHG one has some annoying popups they also have a lot of info in simple layman's terms.

Welcome to gardening, fellow green-thumber! ;^)

muffinmidi said...

That pink flower is a peony and it's gorgeous.The fruit tree could be a crabapple, bt i'm not sure. I love that bush next to your hostas.
Is it a snowball bush?
My favorite source of garden info is P. Allen Smith's website : www.pallensmith.com
Can I have youe e-mail address?
Tracy

Deenz said...

I second that the small pink flowers are columbine! And I *counts* third? that the large pink flower is a peony. I'm pretty sure the flower with the bee is a type of rose (my parents have some - keep it trimmed or they can really grow crazy!). What you called pansies might actually be violas...but who cares, they look pretty!

Lia Hollander said...

this is adorable, you are nesting


*so cute!*