Helpful Garden Companions: Ladybug

Ladybug on clover

Many of the insects we find in the garden seem intent on eating, drilling holes in, sucking the sap from, or otherwise destroying our cherished plants, so it is a welcome relief to meet those that are actually beneficial to the garden.  Some pollinate flowers, without which service we would not have many of the fruits and vegetables we eat; and others protect our plants from the destructive insects.

Most Essential Garden Tools

My garden basics

What are your most essential garden tools--the things you use nearly every time you work in your garden?  Which ones would you most recommend to someone just starting out?

For those who have a lawn, a lawn mower might seem most basic.  But let's just think about the garden; whether it's a flower or veggie garden, in the ground, raised beds, or confined to containers on a patio or balcony.

Planting the Last Bed

Aglaia daisy

Over the last couple of evenings, I've been working on my final flower bed--the one in the far corner of the yard, that somehow always ends up being the last place I tackle every spring.  It's back behind the garage, the area I see the least.  It's on the west side, right out in the blazing hot afternoon and evening sun, yet farthest from a water source. This bed always gets invaded from the neighbor's yard with a variety of weeds that try to smother any lower-growing or less assertive plants I've put in. So I try to plant it with tough, low-water plants that don't need a lot of pampering.  Some of the things I'd originally planted there a number of years ago are no longer coming back, so I've been pondering over what to plant there this year.

Goldfish Pond

Putting a little pond in my back yard has added a lot to my garden.  The sound of splashing water attracts many birds to come visit. I find it relaxing when I sit out on the patio, to watch and listen to the fountain in the pond as well as to those feathered visitors who come around.

Rainy Forecast

Rain gauge after last week's storm

The forecast for the next several days here is for rain, which will be great for all the things I've been planting over the last month.  This spring I've planted four shrubs, to replace some that died last summer.  While planting them, I dug in lots of compost, and used mycorrhiza, to help encourage their root systems to get off to a good start. It's also important to give them a good watering regularly, and it sounds like they'll sure be getting that over the next few days!

Favorite Flowers: Sweet Peas

Annual sweet peas

Allergy Index Scale:  3
Annual
Full sun or light shade, 4-6' tall

The annual sweet pea is a fragrant flower available in many colors and varieties.  Some are cascading, and fit well in hanging containers; others are climbers that cover a fence.  Some of the newer varieties are less fragrant than the traditional ones.

Reblooming Lilac

Reblooming lilac "Josee"

Earlier today I finished deadheading my reblooming lilac bush.  My first lilac bush is an old-fashioned one, which every spring bears loads of those lovely, fragrant flowers.  When a few years ago I saw ads for a reblooming lilac, a variety named Josee, I was thrilled at the thought of enjoying them more than once a year.