Not much in the gardens this year. DH and I were both ill during the early seed-starting period, and by the time we were able to direct-sow, the rains had stopped. Literally everything has had to be irrigated to provide enough moisture for the seeds to sprout. We did get fresh peas, but not nearly enough. Not sure there is ever enough, even in good years. Some lettuce came up after over-wintering, transplanting made a lovely 25' row. It's just now decided to bolt but we've had two months of crispy fresh leaves. The new plantings finally sprouted but it's hard to give them enough water, so the leaves are still thumbnail-sized. We're going to go back to the winter pots for the next planting. The spinach has done well, so far apparently not affected by water-rationing or by the extreme heat. The limas and the green beans are slowly climbing, but no way can we call their growth lush. Actually, only about half of the grn beans sprouted. I think we must not have watered during a crucial moment. The onions, which by now should be handball sized are no larger than golf balls. Several mornings, a local fox walked across them, neating pressing the stems over, which apparently has acted as a signal to stop growing. I'm now contemplating planting onion seed -- which is not among my joys to raise. In spite of netting, the birds ate all the blueberries while they were pink, and the cherries just before ripening. The apple and pears have small fruit -- like everything else, they want more water. The squirrels ate holes in the netting and tore rips in the row cover and finally tunnelled under the strawberry netting to reach their goal, then -in one day- ate the whole crop from seedy green nubbins through the palm-sized giants just turning red. We got one meal before they tunnelled; the luscious flavor reminding us why we attempt this crop. The tomatoes all have green fruit, Salsa and the little bush plant may provide us with red goodness in another week. The beefsteaks are only teacup-sized, but they are supposed to be a late crop. 3 of the pepper plants are knee-height and starting to bloom, the other three are 6-inch midgets. After replanting four times, DH gave up on the corn. The squirrels think it good eating when the stalks are about 4" tall. The melons, squash and cukes are blooming, but no fruit yet - or else the squirrels have snacked before we see them. The annual flower beds are adequate, with the snapdragons putting on an exceptional show. I'm crossing my fingers that they will last through the summer. The marigolds and zinnias are just now starting to bloom. DH's scarlet salvia clashes madly with the impatients [which is a shocking-pinkish violet instead of the advertised dark purple] and the pink zinnias. Not my choice of colors, but for sure, it's bright. I made drip bottles to water the new cannas... they are only a foot tall, but the leaves are already exhibiting the pink and gold stripes. The perennial beds are not a show place, although the nepeta and phlox have bloomed well, the veronica flashing a bit of royal blue. The lilies have made stems, but no blossoms; the huge lemon sherbet lily didn't even make buds. This is a sandy bed, and even in wet years has a tendency to drain too fast. I water every third day 'til the soil is wet 3" down, yet two days later the leaves are drooped parallel to the stems. The plants in pots are doing well, even the stevia -- I don't think that was supposed to be a pot plant, but it's easier to care for. I didn't make show-off pots this year, somehow spring seemed to be struggle enough without the additional work. Rolling thunderstorms moved through the area last night, booming and flashing for hours. The raingauge showed a scant 1/4-inch, bringing our total precipitation to 2" since the beginning of April.

Timing depends on kind of shrub. In future look up pruning of each before doing anything major. This kind blooms on old wood so you must have old wood present to get a full bloom. Due to the variation in growth types and the number of different techniques entire books are written on pruning alone. I may have as many as 10 of them myself, and there are ones in stores right now I haven't bought.

Hi Everybody! I can't believe how this week has flown by. Tomorrow is weigh-in day again! Other than more demolition on the kitchen, I haven't been getting my exercise. Actually, I should be doing my step aerobics right now, but here I am instead. The days are getting noticeably shorter, but the temperatures here are still warm. I guess we will be getting remnants of Ivan in the form of rain, rain, rain for the weekend. But I can't complain. My heart goes out to those affected more directly by the recent string of hurricanes. Well, I wore a pair of jeans today that I had not worn for a looong time. They fit, and were not tight. I know that the changes in my diet are really working. Yellowhair--I wonder if we will see Bunny Tracks here. I really love the Skinny Cow fudge bars. My DH is now eating them, too. You know, I have never had problems with my feet. But awhile back when I was trying to take long walks, I started having a problem with my big toe. It felt like it was sprained or something. It was very odd, but it just went away. DH has lots of trouble with his feet. I am sure it is just that we are getting older. Anyway, he has heel spurs, which are bony growths that kinda jab you from the inside. he has other things going on too, and has even been through physical therapy. He says they told him that whenever he is getting pain to quit whatever activity he is doing for awhile. In other words, if it hurts when you do that, don't do that! Kathy--When I first got into gardening and landscaping someone, who was a seasoned gardener, told me that a garden wasn't really yours until you had re-invented it about a million times. Well, they didn't say it quite like that, but that was the general meaning I took from it. I was fretting because the year before I had planted a shrub that I now thought would be in much better spot if I moved it just 4 feet. I wasn't sure it was worth it to go to the trouble. The advice I got was to go for it. I did, and I am still glad I did. And that is still my approach to gardening now. I am always seeing something that needs to be improved and gardening is all about the process. So it sounds like a change will be coming to your garden soon! DeeMarie--Talking about your commute reminded me of when I was doing that. Several years ago, I drove 50 miles one way to work. It took an hour and a half on most days with traffic and all. DH says I used to come home in the worst mood. It is interesting how we get ourselves into these things. I mean the trade-off for a job that you love vs. having more time for activities at home vs a nice paycheck vs whatever. I try not to regret the decisions that I make, but it sure seems that life is all about the trade-offs sometimes. On that note, I will wrap up this longwinded post. Eat healthy!!

Wow Mctavish....awesome Jaws...looks dangerous! Just beautiful J's and Junes so far. My Junes....love them all! My first June...favorite and favorite pic Newest June...think it will fill this space nicely in the spring This June is in more shade... with Fragrant Bouquet This June gets a great deal of mid day sun and holds up very well considering the number of hours in the sun. Adapts a little better each season Can't have too many Junes! Thanks for looking!