All Is Not Lost

I'm finally getting around on my bum knee a bit more, so I've been able to start a little bit of gardening again. Good thing too, boy does everything need work! I've been chipping away at it little by little. I have a long way to go yet, but I don't care. It feels good to even do a little.

The main project at this point is simply deadheading. And with the dry weather we've had, there is a lot of dried, brown foliage to clean up too. The saddest part is to see the failure of the more sensitive plants. This drought has me reevaluating my garden. I always thought I had planted mostly drought tolerant plants. But there are plenty out there that are still pretty water sensitive. I just have to face the fact that our summers are always going to be dry, and I need to be prepared for that with any future plantings. See in the background here? Even my bicolor butterfly bush is drying up.

Is that a gnome in my the pot up above? Why yes it is! I took the time to repaint him while home recovering. Such a silly little thing, but he does make me smile. He's guarding my Angel's Trumpet.

The puzzling part is the loss of some hardy, native plants like liatris, monarda, and even some of the echinacea. Who kills off liatris, except for me? But like I said, all is not lost. Sunny spots of colorful zinnias make me smile.

Amazingly enough, the Endless Summer hydrangea looks even better this year. I'm watering it constantly, but it's so pretty that it's worth it.

The cute little plumbago never lets me down either. It's blue blooms are clear and true, and when autumn arrives, it turns red for fall color. I always tell myself to plant more of it, but this year, I definitely will. I promise. I'm trying hard to plant repeating elements. I've already added lots more Angelina sedum to unify the back garden, and I plan to do the same with plumbago.

And I have to admit that the Starry Night violas never stop blooming. Even in winter one will occasionally pop out. They even spread themselves gently around in the garden. They also don't care how hot the summer gets.

My mums are confused. First of all, they think it's fall. Second, they've lost their proper coloring! This mum is usually more red and a lot less yellow. Hmmmm. It's called Hot Salsa, and it comes back faithfully every year.

So in a disappointing garden year, there are plenty of hot spots left to enjoy. I'll try not to mourn the losses, but you other gardeners know that it isn't an easy thing to do!