This and That: A Blog

 I know I often wonder where the month went, but August really did fly by!   The weather is cooler, with rain expected later this week.  That'll be a change!  Here are some things going on in the garden.   Morning Glories Dragon's Tongue Bush Beans A Recent Harvest Oddly, the usually productive Sungold is not producing many tomatoes this year.  Bonny Best  (a $3 yard sale purchase) is the winner in size, color, and taste.  Dazzler Penstemon Sunsparkler “ Dazzleberry ” Sedum Garlic Chives  I have some daylily divisions given to me by a friend that need to be planted today, either in the ground or in containers for later.  I need to rip out the old rockroses in the front yard (they've gotten too big and are ugly for most of the year), as well as some of the old curb iris that don't looks so nice anymore, which will give me more daylily room. Daylilies are such nice dependable, easy plants.  This will be once the weather ...

 I didn't see any ladybug larvae, which look like tiny dragons, but the adults are out and about doing their good deeds. Seven-Spot  Spotless (I'm not just calling it that because it has no spots, that's what it's actually named.) Common Red Soldier Beetle   These are often mistaken for red and black pests, so be careful before you rid your garden of these beneficial insects! A spittlebug nymph at the half-way stage of development.   At this stage spittlebugs actively feed on plant sap, but unless you have a lot of them the plant won't even notice.  The foam, called cuckoo spit, or spittle, is a moisture shield, and won't harm the plants either.  The adults are called froghoppers.  If the spittle is noticeable I remove it.  Bold Jumping Spider  I've posted about these geniuses of the spider world before.  Jumping spiders problem-solve, learn from experience, plan routes (short-cuts, detours), and explore just out of curiosity....

 Now that April is over, and the A to Z Blogging Challenge with it (other than the Reflections post coming in a few days), it's time to focus on what's happening in the garden. May hit and the blooming began.  It feels that way, some flowers opened without my noticing they were even buds! Sharing these photos will have to be spread out over a few days this week, there are that many.  I'll start with the front yard, since it ties with the herb garden area for " Best of May " so far.  This is minus the bearded iris, which need their own post, and a few small things like the violas . Chives of course, the onion type. They seem extra purple this year. Breeder's Mix hardy geranium has flowers a bit different from the others in the mix I grew from seed. One of my favorites, Persian catmint.   Some sort of pink and sea thrift. Sweet William.  I don't know where it came from.  Maybe some random seeds I tossed out there.  Some take.  The columbin...

 First some of the garden things. Lemon Thyme The strawberries are blooming.  My two varieties grew into each other, so I don't know which is which.  One is a June bearer, the other is ever-bearing. Perennial Candytuft  One of my favorites, Blue-Eyed Grass. My only patch of tulips.  I like interior of the red ones.  There used to be only red and yellow, so the orange must be a hybrid of the two.  I've never known that to happen, but it sure looks like it. This is one big borage at sunrise. The bumblebees like the borage.  This is a yellow-faced bumblebee.  One of the Breeder's Mix hardy geraniums I grew from seed years ago.  Some non-garden things.  I was inordinately happy to find matching treats at Trader Joe's!  Mickey isn't a big fan, he prefers the sweetness of my yogurt pretzels.  The people version isn't all that good, other than the pretzels, strange bunch of stuff.  Mickey and I went to the park yesterday. We...

November 2025's Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day  The usual November suspects are blooming.  I thought with the weather being unseasonably warm there might be more,  but comparing to last year, no, the same bunch. Swam River Daisy, Wild Basil (not a basil), Borage California Poppies, Black-Eyed Susans  Abelia, Creeping Winter Savory, Prostrate Rosemary, Alyssum  Calendulas, Blanketflowers, Black-Eyed Susans  These are all in my backyard.  In the front are more blanketflowers, gaura, knautia, a few dianthus, and Autumn Tryst iris.  I have a head cold, and didn't want to go out front.  I went out back to supervise Mickey, so took these others yesterday.

 We haven't had a freeze yet this year.  Night before last it was 36° but the forecast for the next ten days shows 40s and even a few 50s as lows.  Some of these flowers will be shocked when the freezing nights finally occur! Brown-Eyed Stella  daylily is not sold as a rebloomer, but here it is, although not at its best. I wonder if this bearded iris will have time to actually open? The Black-eyed Susans are flowering again.  Japanese Anemone  Creeping Winter Savory  Swan River Daisy  It's not unusual for the prostrate rosemary to be blooming, it blooms nearly 12 months of the year solid.  It's unusual for nearly November to have honey bees though.  So many you can hear the buzzing when you walk by. The lack of freezing temperatures isn't helping Mickey's allergies.  They went away after the shot he had at the vet's last month, which didn't late the estimated 6-8 weeks.  So, back he went yesterday.  At least I didn't have...