Not yet, but eventually. I’m posting this Monday morning because it’s 0547h, raining, and I’ll spend my last holly-day doing Thursday’s laundry as well as Sunday’s. Yay? Anyway, I made more progress, so that’s something. About half of the edging is packed in, and the rest is at least trenched out. Thankfully, I keep scraps because I was about a foot short. I’ll have to weed whack one spot in the back because I extended it enough to make room for cardinal climber and scarlet runner bean, and it’s too close to the morning glory bed. I used cardboard, which I hope I don’t regret, and took out only a little grass (actually, mostly clover). The bed resembles a paramecium, with last year’s bed being the nucleus. In the spot next to the west side of the nucleus, I threw in a few royal red catchfly, a few cleome, sneezeweed, 4000 purple bee balm, some marjoram, and some dwarf zinnia. I doubt I’ll see anything from the catchfly or the cleome, but meh. I still haven’t planted the ‘Autumn Colors’ rudbeckia, or the ‘Route 66’ tickseed. If it’s too muddy today, I’ll try tomorrow after work. Still kind of looks like shit, but it’s getting there.

Doesn’t look big here, but it really is quite. I think the front will get the grass removed (?), and I’ll plant gaillardia…seeds.

I thought the spicebush I planted in February looked odd, but then I figured maybe the leaves were just immature. Nope–entirely different. Leaves are smaller, darker, glossier, and opposite instead of alternate. Not spicebush. I sent pictures to the seller, asking whether she recognized it (maybe she grows it next to her spicebush and didn’t notice because it was dormant). She said, “It looks like allspice, which is close to spicebush…” Um…no. Bitch didn’t even half-arsed apologize for sending the wrong plants–not a word–and I hadn’t asked for a refund or anything; I just wanted to make sure it wouldn’t choke out my damned spicebush. She said “it’ll be fine,” but I was tired, hot, sweaty, dirty, sunburnt, and in no mood for her blasé response. I wrote…

Do you mean Carolina allspice, Calycanthus floridus? That’s not at all close to Lindera benzoin; entirely different genera, and not a host plant for Spicebush Swallowtail butterflies, or any others. Anyway, if it’s Carolina allspice, I’ll move it; it suckers readily, and it’s literally in the middle of two clumps of spicebush. Thank you for your response.

Bitch. I almost bought Carolina allspice once, so I’m not heartbroken or anything, but that bitch is on my Never Buying From You Again list.

“Close to spicebush”. Oh, reeeeeally?

P made a friend. It just landed there for no particular reason. I thought it was a bunglebee at first, but it was a robber fly. They’re damned good mimics!

Someday, I’ll have lavender flowers.

Oregano is getting close.

Borage still teasing me. I pruned back the evening primrose and catnip so my poor, struggling aster seedlings don’t get choked out, and had to trim a few borage leaves. God, they’re prickly!

A “double bloom” (literally!) Mesa Yellow gaillardia. I have funky flowers this year.

Oh, and I almost forgot…I found this amongst the Helenium in Sarah-Flah’s garden. I checked with C in case it was some weed I just didn’t recognize, and not a tomato, but nope…it’s a tomato. LOL!

EDIT: I almost forgot because the pictures are on my camera, not my phone, but the first Monarch of 2015 paid a visit yesterday, and she left presents! She seemed to prefer the orange butterfly weed to the milkweed (of course…they’re all small seedlings), but I think she hedged her bets. I’ll post the (crappy…she wouldn’t stay still) pictures when I get them off the camera.

Finally getting around to it…

In sad butterfly news, my pipevine eggs are gone. Just gone. Hopefully, another pipevine girl will come; the extra Virginia snakeroot I bought was not cheap!

EDIT: First Baby Sun coreopsis!