Thursday, January 31, 2008

The Dog Days of Summer
I'm very excited...I bought a Salvia gregii 'Annie', which is a sweet pink Autumn Sage, and a Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue' for my garden. Salvias are a good bet in Sacramento, blooming mid-summer to fall and liking the heat! See the Black and Blue at http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/54031/I also picked up some garden "art" (or rather, "stuff")...A mother duck and 2 ducklings, being clearanced at my Safeway. Now they're poking around in my hydrangea border.My veg (as the Brits call it) garden is doing great! The Stars and Stripes watermelons grow noticeably bigger bythe day, tomatoes, cukes and eggplants, even anaheim green peppers (for Chili Relleno). It's lovely to look at as well. My back half of my backyard, however, is a disgrace, gone amuck with volunteer shoots from old fruit tree rootstock. But, I'm getting a vision and starting to work on it. It needs better drainage and new irrigation and all that rootstock pulled up, but then, instead of a lawn circled by trees and shrubs, I think I'll go for a central fountain surrounded by flowering shrubs, roses, etc., surrounded by a walkway/path, surrounded by a hedged fence. In my mind it reminds me of Ireland. And, then, over in the shady area, a little area for a lounger like my mom used to have, where I can sit on a summer's day and read a book and have some iced tea! I'll post some pictures in a couple of days and you'll be able to see how full of it I really am. But, I suppose all gardeners have 2 gardens, the one they have and the one they imagine.