I did some accidental gardening; just weeding and moving (almost all of) the rest of the plants out of the patio flowerbed. Just a few coneflower and black-eyed susan left to go). The yard doesn’t look much different, but I did a pano anyway.

Yeah, I plan to deal with the grass (or lack thereof) over the long weekend…after I finish making the flowerbed for which I bought perennials today. I’m such a dumbass.
I finally figured out what that stuff was popping up all over the Honeysuckle Horseshoe. I left it, hoping it wasn’t a weed. It’s not–it’s bee balm. First flower!

Onje likes to sleep in my Virginia snakeroot, and he’s killed a couple already. Before investing thirty bucks in cold-pressed orange oil, I decided to try cheap Walmart warming oil. Sunny citrus orange and rosemary mint. Cats are supposed to hate the smell of citrus, especially orange, and the smells of rosemary and mint, so I’ve covered my bases.

I didn’t want to soak the bark chips and risk killing wildlife or even worms, so I cut down plastic cups.

I put two orange and one rosemary in with the snakeroot. I did sprinkle a little oil on the bark chips, but not enough to really get into the soil.

Hope it works. It certainly smells nice!

I finally got around to weeding the fence line flowerbed. I’d done part of the front last weekend, but got kinda lazy. Finished today, though! Holy crap, that’s a long flowerbed.

I might transplant some more out of the patio flowerbed, but for now, I’m in my lounge. 🙂

Zinnias coming along nicely in spite of the goddamned Japanese beetles.

Orange Sulphur.

Eastern Amberwing.

Tropical milkweed.

Not sure what milkweed this is, but it’s going to bloom soon!

I wish we could get the trellis posts in so I can make the Honeysuckle Horseshoe prettier. Then I’d have no excuse to not deal with that grass.

Too tired to do much, but…nasturtium bloom!

Hostas out front are blooming. Meh.

Yellow trumpet creeper looks like it’s going to bloom.

Not much, but our deer are either stupid, or trying to kill themselves. Top of the Mortgage Lifter tomato…neatly nipped off. Dumbasses.

Silver Spotted Skipper on Buddleia.

Fat bunglebee on Italian red clover.

Thought it was an Eastern Tailed-Blue, but I didn’t see butt-fluffies, so I dunno. On bachelor’s button.

The rosemallow sure knows how to grow. Goddamned Japanese beetles better not go after it or I’ll start mounting their heads on tiny spikes in the flowerbeds.

Petunias that volunteered in cracks on the patio. I moved them, and this is my thanks. 🙂

Bastards ate all of my morning glory plants yesterday. Even the oak leaf weeds in the pot!

Evidence. Deer track.

In good news, tropical milkweed.

Goddamned Japanese beetles are going after my zinnias. They may have numbers and pheromones,  but I have a bucket of soapy water, fueled by unadulterated hatred. Yesterday’s kill: 18. The only Japanese beetle I like is a dead one, and I crush or drown every one I see.

Tree Dude came yesterday, too. This was how it looked at lunch.

When I got home, it looked like this.

He’s coming back next week to get the dead stuff and the stuff overhanging my Grey Stick and Cliffie Bush so they’ll get some sun.

I almost pulled it for ragweed, but thrn I looked more closely. I forget what asters I planted, but I guess this is one of them.

At 544, I couldn’t get Gaillardia to grow from seeds, or even buying plants. Here, my Gaillardia plants are doing well so far, and be goddamned if the ones I planted from seed aren’t going to bloom.

Fuck spider mites. The violets will recover–they’re technically weeds–but I nonetheless emptied half a can of Raid on these little bastards.

Since Tree Dude got rained out, I spent the day on me (and the MLBs, who needed fresh nectar and clean feeders). I did a pedicure, tested the darker shade of foundation I got (Almay TLC “Warm”), ironed a few tops and jeans for the rest of this week, did “Biore” on my face, tidied up brows…just stuff I’d been neglecting because I’ve been working in the garden. Anyway…

Butterfly bushes doing their stuff.

Bunglebees love water pickrel. I got two in the shot, but there were at least four.

Mortgage Lifter.

Delicious.

Porterhouse has blooms, but no fruit yet.

My sugar babies are smaller than the tomatoes. They’re cute. Grow, fuzzy green dudes, grow!

Now off to bed. Tree Dude texted (or someone did) and arranged to be here at 0730h tomorrow. I should be able to do what I need to and get to work on time. I hope!

I may have taken the day off work, but I didn’t take the day off work!

These have nothing to do with that sentence, but portulaca blooms are beautiful (if short-lived)!

Second year I’ve grown Italian red clover; first year I’ve seen a flower. Mexican sunflower crowded it out last year (and at 10+ feet high and as big around as a small tree, no surprise!)

This is the working when I wasn’t at work. I finally got my summer clothes properly situated in my closet! That and doing tasks that I’d largely neglected took pretty much all of Monday. I’m okay with it; the house was starting to look a real mess!

Spider mites (little fuckers) pretty much toasted my mini rose, but it was going to bloom again, so I saved the bud. Pretty little things. Fuck spider mites.

Didn’t finish the laundry or get the concrete done, but we did the lawn, I spot-cleaned the carpet where it needed it, and I cleaned up and watered my houseplants, so I’m okay with today’s accomplishments. Blob on floor beside chair is Miffy, newly emerged from thunder-induced exile.

This one is definitely a Common True Katydid.

I think this is a Silvery Checkerspot. He was drying his wings on the zinnias when I found him.

Butterfly bush is almost there!

Blue Fortune agastache looks like it’s going to bloom!

The dwarf bachelor’s buttons and red coreopsis I planted around the light post are finally blooming.

I technically found this guy last night…on my leg. Silk background courtesy of my robe. 🙂 I think it’s Stenopoda spinulosa; the “shoulders” look too sharp for Narvesus carolinensis.

We didn’t do it last night because the radar showed rain was imminent. We got up and started preparations this morning at 0800h, but I think the sky saw us and decided it was time to do this for 2h (still hasn’t completely stopped).

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My flowers needed water, not to be flattened, FFS, and the holes that were dry this morning are almost full of water. Argh.

The rosemallow doesn’t seem to mind, but it is, after all, a swamp plant.

I also found a friend. I think this one is Chinese. He wasn’t very interested in posing.

Freshly showered, in my lounge with tunes via WiFi and Bluetooth,  a Chi Chi’s Skinny Margarita and new Riders sandals that probably won’t be white for long, paid for with Amazon points. Waiting for the rain that kept us from doing concrete, but needed by my flowers, so it’s okay. It’s all good.

Also found a beautiful mama wolf with her minivan of kids. <3