My dog, Aster is so sad because there wasn't much happening in the front yard. All the wine cups shriveled up because it's been so hot and dry. I didn't deadhead my roses, so they weren't ever blooming this summer. And the whole middle section seems to be devoid of plants. I removed some Spanish lavender last year that had become unruly. As it turns out, it was a foundation plant that kept the middle from looking barren. I have been taking a project management class this summer and it has consumed the time I would ordinarily spend gardening. Alas, the garden was calling, but I had a busy signal.
New Mexico has a "monsoon" season that begins in July and can last to mid-September. I always want to put monsoon in quotation marks when it's in reference to New Mexico. The meteorological term seems ironic when applied to this landlocked state. Nonetheless, about a month ago the monsoonal rains started. I would be out and about in a downpour, but find that it had missed my neighborhood completely when I arrived home. But the last few weeks have been rainy and wet. My summer class finished and I could answer the call of the garden.
Santa Fe Greenhouses had a BOGO (buy one, get one free) sale this weekend. My supervisor, Kim and I made a stop there for our lunch break last Friday. I recklessly bought twelve plants. Twelve plants are a lot of plants for me and would have been an extravagance if they were full price. In previous summers, sometimes Kim and I would pool our purchases to get the 10% discount for buying 10 or more plants of the same size. I had intended only to purchase some agastache "Blue Blazes" and some lemon yellow Maximilian sunflowers. But then I saw some "White Swan" echinacea, flax, and dwarf asters ( that somehow made its way to the checkout counter. I think I'm trying to make up for being unable to garden most of the summer. What do you think?
Hi,
ReplyDeleteja nemám záhradu, ale keby som mala, tak by som kupovala rovnako ako ty :-) Moja malá záhradka je iba moja lodžia. Pekný pozdrav do Nového Mexika z Bratislavy! Daniela
I think after this nasty year you deserve a little extra. I know how you feel though, plants can sure keep us in the poorhouse. I hope this year is the last of my purchases and that I am set up now. Have a nice week.
ReplyDeleteCher Sunray Gardens
Niech się Aster nie martwi,znowu się wszystko zazieleni :-). Pozdrawiam
ReplyDeleteI'd say you showed remarkable restraint at the sale, especially with your fingers itching to get back into the garden. If I'd been in Santa Fe for the sale, it would have been hard for me to be as temperate as you were.
ReplyDelete12 plants is perfect! I can't pass up a good deal either... :)
ReplyDeleteI think Aster is adorable!
ReplyDeleteI think it's hard to resist a good sale! Aster is cute. :)
ReplyDeleteBuy one, get one free? And you bought only a dozen plants? I think your purchases will perk up you and your garden, and Aster will probably be frisky, too!
ReplyDelete@Mimi - Daniela, some summers I go to the nursery every week, but this year only in once in a while. Got to do lots of planting this weekend.
ReplyDelete@Sunray - Cher, it hasn't been a great year for planting, but the next month or so is a great time to get plants established here.
@Giga - I hope next summer that the garden overflows. Thanks for stopping by.
@Patricia - Not too much restraint. I was volunteering at Habitat for Humanity this weekend and only bought as much I could get planted. There is always the long weekend coming up to do more gardening.
@Hanni - Twelve was just right for this weekend. Everything got planted and there were a couple of great rain storms.
ReplyDelete@Cindy - Aster is adorable, but she has been a handful. At least she's no longer scaling the fence.
@Bumble Lush - After seeing your sunflowers, I hope to have a few of my own next year.
@Deb's Garden - The purchases were a great pick me up. I was like a kid in a candy store. But I forgot I wanted to get some grasses for some fall color.
I love the end of season sales. One of our local nurseries had a recent sale on perennials. I stocked up on some more echinacea and bought my first Joe Pye Weed. The butterflies can't get enough of it.
ReplyDeleteYou obviously need to make up for lost time in the garden before Aster pines away to nothing... Sounds like you found some wonderful combinations. I didn't hit their sale at the ABQ store until Sunday, alas--they had been pretty well cleaned out of the smaller pots. (And good for them, of course!)
ReplyDeleteI think you were definitely getting your gardening scale into balance, making up for lost attention, very healthy, well done, and a great sale! Isn't it great how we always get another spring to plan for?
ReplyDelete@The Sage Butterfly - Hope your echinacea does well. I can't wait to see how mine fares next year. I love the name "Joe Pye weed." It just makes me smile when I read it.
ReplyDelete@Stacy - Aster is overindulged so it's unlikely she will pine away. :) Sorry, to hear you missed the sale.
@linniew - Spring felt deferred this year, so I have high hopes for next year.