atrocity!

Just after talking about how happy the stoop made me coming home...

It was windy last night, but this wasn't wind. Enzo was barking, and we heard someone in the front yard -- the gate opening and closing. It was about 2:30 am, and we heard the sound of breaking glass (well, we thought it was glass). It wasn't. Someone tried to steal the orange planter, and dropped it on one of the others, and then Enzo was barking and so he got scared and left.

Steve's theory is that he thought it was pretty and wanted to take it home. Who could look their wife/girlfriend/mother in the eyes giving them a stolen plant? Sigh. I've cleaned up, but need to find Mr. Cleome and Mr. Dianthus a new home.

Plants I'm a little worried about

Well for one, what happened to this guy? Brown and lavender? I don't remember that. Although it's huge and really pretty cool. You can also see the "Virginia Cup Plant a bit behind -- it's behind the lavender, which I had to totally chop back because it was mighty woody and scraggly. But that's going to be a success. And then there's also the Viburnum. I got it at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden sale three weeks ago, and still haven't repotted. And it definitely likes more water than it's been getting from rain. We got a mighty cool planter for it, and hopefully it will be happier now. But now we have to get it back up the stoop. Uh, hello heavy. Last but not least, the verdant jungle of the "Bionic bed". Echinacea and Joe Pye Weed are taking over -- I planted a "mullein" plant, also from the BBG, to break it up a bit. I think it might drown. I'm not sure how happy it is. That's him, the sort of peach/pink spiky thing towards the left in the sea of green. Meanwhile, liatris, and maybe that's the chelome coming back in front of it?

Things that are working!

Plants are coming up all over. And some things are working and some things are not.

I'm not a huge fan of the petunia, but the greenmarket guy talked me into trying this variety in order to try to have something grow out of our friend Amy, of Perch ceramics, a birdfeeder turned planter:










Also on the list of things that are working are the giant Iris, which bloomed today. Yes today.

And I'm optimistic about the way the stoop is shaping up. From bottom to top we've got the lantana, then some nemesia and some verbena, dianthus (is that what it's called?) with a cleome (spider plant, about to bloom!), and then up top nemesia, and alyssum and more verbena and some snaps. It's festively flowery and makes me happy when I come home.

He's cute...

And he mows the lawn!

more guys coming up

Meanwhile, stuff is coming up all over. Green-o-rama. But the irises. How come I don't remember them at all from last year? Suddenly, flowers! It's very exciting. (and that's the strawberries and lavender right behind them, and the chives hanging on in that planter that's falling apart).

I've got cosmos and sunflowers growing from seed. Here are some extras in pots so I'd know them from weeds.

It worked!!!

Holy cow. After a couple weeks of watering the mud, it seems that it actually worked. Lawn!