This is one Mean Old Lady!

This is one Mean Old Lady!
Self-portrait: 'Quilter on Fire'

Friday, July 25, 2014

Summertime Living, Too

I love the flowers that bloom and bloom all summer long!  This summer's generous (!) rains have kept things green (instead of brown and crunchy), so every morning that the sun shines is glittering with green and gold.  


The fence (behind which resides the pool pump plus two tool sheds and various pieces of equipment) gets decorated with old iron scrollwork and old-fashioned pots.  There's also a Mexican pottery lizard half-hidden by the plants in the hanging basket.  The big clock is so we keep track of the time when we're in the pool.

In Ohio, I battled a weed (supposedly edible) called purslane.  I'd have to be desperate to cook and eat it, and I certainly could have supplied a large amount had anyone wanted to try it.  
But Giant Purslane is now a popular potting plant.  The brilliant, waxy blossoms are open until the heat of the afternoon causes them to close.














Pretty, eh?

In our recent, drought-ridden and sizzling summers, I turned to portulaca (moss rose)...which I do love.  This one doesn't seem to mind the extra waterings....

Very heat and drought-tolerant, this is doing well sitting on the stones with full sun most of the day.  I go out almost every morning and water most of my potted plants--orchids, hostas, petunias and dusty miller in urns--or, if it has rained, I empty the cache pots and try to drain as much water as possible so the plants' roots don't drown.  



1 comment:

  1. Sounds like I need to go plant shopping! I really like those moss roses. I never knew that's what they were called. Definitely need drought-tolerant plants around here. Next year, I'm planning a huge garden with lavender, rosemary, lantana, and some other things. Fingers crossed that I don't kill them all!

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Rose 'Crepuscular'

Asparagus bed--post harvest

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