Still planting....

I put my Lavender seedlings into the ground this morning. 11 of them. I put them on the south side of the house, in spots that I had planted all of my Canna's. I am not sure what I did wrong, but not one single Canna has grown. I pulled them all out and put into the compost pile. I overwintered them in the garage exactly the way it said to, but nothing. Obviously the garage is too cold or too warm, none of my geraniums (and I suspect my water lily too) made it either. WHAAAAAA!

So, out with the Canna's and in with the Lavender. Two completely different plants, completely different foliage, different flowers, different heights, two completely different looks.

The lavender will do well in those locations, but I was really looking forward to the tall leafy Canna foliage along those beds.

I also planted one pumpkin plant that I started indoors. I sowed this in a pot in the sun room and direct sowed the rest of the pack (which was one to two years old). The direct sowed plants are much larger than the indoor started plant. I am not hoping for a bumper crop, but at least enough to not have to go buy any this fall.

I also put one nice looking sun room sowed Sunflower plant out too. I sowed this at the same time as the pumpkin plant and it is already thick and bushy and nearly 8 inches tall.

I transplanted 3 Blue Angel Hosta's from the woodland path, split 2 of them into 2 plants each, planting a total of 5 into the front Maple Bed. I also transplanted 2 Green-Yellow Hosta's (unknown name) into the same bed. Additionally, 4 Spider Plants (the hanging house plant with the babies hanging down) went into the bed, 8 Geraniums dug up and divided, and some other house plants-all into this same Maple bed. If it sounds large, it is. It is a nice shady bed, nice and green. But, it is all green green green. Nothing to catch your eye. So, the addition of the blue and the variegated Hosta's, the geraniums and spider plants will bring some much needed color.

We've gotten little bits of rain here and there. Not enough to soak, I've still had to go and water everything. But it has been enough to germinate the weeds of course. I spent some time yesterday pulling some weeds and cutting my Blue Fescue back and got stung or bit by something. I didn't feel it, the sting or bite, or see what did it. But my right hand began itching like mad and I realized it was swelling quickly. I don't have bee allergies, but my hand and wrist and part of my forearm are big and tight and itchy. I hope it doesn't last too long. I imagine it wasn't a bee, I haven't seen too many of them due to the colony collapse. It could have been a spider or even maybe an ant.

Speaking of insects, the picture at the top is a nifty looking creature. This is the 6 spotted Tiger Beetle. According to the Bug Guide, it eats other insects. Hopefully it eats the bad insects, as it didn't give that information. We have seen lots of them around this year. Maybe it will have an impact on the soon to be arriving Japanese Beetles. I seriously doubt it though, Japanese Beetles are quite a tough insect and almost bigger than the Tiger Beetle. They both certainly are colorful though.