You can experience a lot of different emotions in just a few minutes in the garden.
For a few minutes, I was so happy in my garden.
I saw that my candy lilies are starting to bud out. These were little tiny seedlings this spring when I transplanted them to where they are now. I originally got the seeds for these from Park Seeds several years ago. They claim they are the only ones who have them but if you “google” candy lily you will find many places sell them.
They are listed as perennials, but mine seem to come up as seedlings each year, so maybe they have reverted back to one of the parents because hybrids should not come true from seed.
Next spring I’m going to pay closer attention and I’ll be able to see if these come back or if I just have seedlings again. Regardless of what these are, they are pretty and I was happy to see a flower stalk on one of them this evening.
My happiness was short-lived, however, and was replaced with disgust. Just a few feet from these I saw what was left of one of the hostas I planted a few weeks ago, and there wasn’t much left. Some critter had chewed it down to nothing and ate the leaves and all. Luckily, this was one that I had divided when I planted it so just a few feet away, I have another one. It is the variety “Praying Hands”.
I just hope the rabbit who ate this doesn’t think the other one is also there for it to eat. Yes, I am blaming the rabbits for this, as I blame them for any destruction in the garden no matter if they did it or not.
But then I looked back at my vegetable garden and was happy again. The bunnies, so far, aren’t eating the green beans, so I should have some to harvest in a few days.
And these gladiolus came up again.
I always assumed that glads will not overwinter here and should be dug up in the fall. I did dig up some of these last fall, but got lazy and left some of the corms on the ground, so naturally they didn’t come up this spring. But those I missed digging did come up, and are starting to bloom.
It makes me happy because I didn’t expect to have glads this summer, after I treated the ones I had last year so poorly.
How many emotions did you feel in your garden today? Countless, I bet, because sometimes it’s a regular roller coaster existence out in the garden.
Candy lilies sound really nice. I googled them and they look nice too.
I’ve had a good couple of days in the garden, without any catastrophes, so I would say I have an overall feeling of gladness. I found the canker worm who was eating my redbud leaves, and I squished him. That felt especially nice. A butterfly landed on my shoulder while I was cleaning the pumpkin vine and he stayed there for a good 30 seconds. That was a treat. A hummer visits the salvia on my deck several times a day. Love that.
I’ve been disappointed for awhile about a few things and the disappointments, once sharp, have settled into dull aches I’m learning to live with. There’s always next year! (To be specific: I want my elderberry to be more shrub- or tree-like and less of a vine, I want more flowers for cutting, and I’m a little irritated the thyme I plant to fill in bare patches really doesn’t seem very interested in doing that. argh.)
It rained last night so I’m happy without even stepping in the garden! I’m not sure how big your hosta is, but if it’s not too big you can make a dome of chicken wire over it so it can grow back unmolested. That won’t protect it from slugs, though. While you’re at it, cover the uneaten one, too.
Sorry to hear about your hosta! I’ve always wanted to buy that one, too. I had a deer problem just once this year, and it was MY fault for letting too many weeks go by between “liquid fence” sprayings-darn me, anyhow!
Well, I’ve learned something new–candy lilies! I have been tempted to try a belamcanda lily before, but I’ve only seen them grown on the south shore of the province (a little warmer.) That doesn’t mean they won’t grow here–but I think I’ll try this one.
Have you tried the hot-sauce recipe to spray on plants you don’t want the rabbits eating? It’s supposed to be quite effective against deer so I suspect it would deter rabbits too. Layanee at Ledge and Gardens likes to rotate her various anti-critter sprays and finds that helps, too.
I was happy in the garden this evening, except for being exasperated with horsetails, and with my irritable knees. But things are happy, (including the weeds) so despite the cool, dry weather, I’m just glad to be a gardener.
I so hear you on the roller coaster–I was just at it this morning, starting to scout for the upcoming bloom day. I’ll have to do the ugly post and share. Except that terrifies me! ~A 🙂
I like the pictures of your garden visit my website http://www.homeandgardening.co.uk