Organized Life, Disorganized Garden

Butterfly bush by the pond came home with me during the driest summer I remember, in 2007. It was a pathetic bush about a foot around and pretty much brown. I asked the owner of the roadside nursery if the poor thing was for sale or ready to be made into mulch. Not quite a bargain at $5.00, I felt sorry for it there, hidden in the back with two others just like it and too many other sickly, wilted perennials and herbs, left to die in the drought’s dust. Since that summer, butterfly bush has grown to my height but didn’t really become alive until this spring. From the bench, it blocks my view of the pond now but I’ll live with it.

I am not an organized gardener. As a matter of fact, I'm not even a gardener. In front of family and friends, I act like I know what I'm talking about but I really don't have a clue. Seriously. I should have foreseen that this giant butterfly bush would be sprawling across the pond in two years.

I purchase flowers on a whim and then think about where I want to plant them for about a week or maybe two. No pre-planning. I’ll even buy them without knowing if I have potting soil which is usually a problem. I’m always out of potting soil.

A flat of snapdragons were parked on the back patio in their tiny little flat sections for two months last summer. I watered them every day and finally planted them in August. These “volunteers” stayed green throughout the winter, under ice and snow, and bloomed beautifully a few weeks ago. They have since turned slightly brown and wilted and I don’t know why.

My life is so organized that every morning at precisely 6:26 a.m., I am plugging my hair dryer into the socket. At 6:45 a.m. I am lowering the garage door. And, without my daily check-off lists, I’d be lost and totally out of control. Everthing has its appropriate place in my home. Bedtime? I panic if I'm not sleeping by 10:30 pm on a weeknight.

Out in the yard, I lead a different life. I don’t think I would like the Zinnias and Impatiens planted in an orderly fashion, all lined up in a straight row.

This is our third spring/summer here in North Carolina. That famous three-year drought kept us from adding much to the gardens as it was too sad and dramatic to watch plant life shrivel up and die. Now, since this year has been wonderfully wet, I feel like I’m seeing deeper shades of green and flowers screaming color for the first time in many years.

So, since my gardens are overgrown and poorly planned, I’ll show some of what’s growing, both new and old, flower by flower. Maybe one day I’ll be brave, stand back with the camera, and show the mess I’ve made.

Calla lilies were dormant for two years.

I love the deep red Yarrow and

I won't ever have enough Lavender.

Wildflowers are multiplying, mixed with

Spiderwort. Yes, Spiderwort under the wildflowers :o/ I should fix that. If someone asks me what the name of that wildflower is, I usually make it up or say, "Oh, gosh, darn, it's on the tip of my tongue!"

Hydrangea bloomed for the first time in three years. I wonder why.

Beardtongue

Brazilian Verbena will grow to five feet around. It’s planted in a good spot. Ahem.

With evening sun and after a rain shower,

it's my favorite time

to photograph flowers.

For the birds -

they are ripe now. Do birds prefer wild raspberries or store bought?

Speaking of birds, have you been enjoying the clumsy, silly juveniles clunking their little heads on the feeders?

I have.