How Does Your Garden Grow?

The gardening bug has taken firm hold of me now.

My forget-me-not seeds. I'm so proud.

We had a massive week-long heat wave right after school got out. Several days of temps well over 100 degrees left my garden gasping for relief. I had to water twice a day just to keep everyone alive, but, aside from my cosmos and my marigolds, everyone made it to the other side. It's still been hot, but hovering between 95 and 99, for the most part, which is much more manageable.

I keep my fuchsias in the shade, and they are happy there. All of the blooms are gone, but I can see more coming up.  

I move things around to keep them happy--if they look sunburnt, I take them down a shelf to give them a break.

After a couple weeks of no blooms, my lantana went wild on me. I found the little Welcome flower in a box of stuff I was going through, and stuck that in. 

The heat would leave my daisies slumped over, but they always revive after being watered.

The geranium cuttings Mom gave me are finally starting to take hold in their new home.

Yesterday, I bought two new perennials and a succulent, and waited for the heat to die down before going out to plant them. I did some dead-heading and marvelled at new growth on one of the other geranium cuttings that hadn't been showing a lot of promise.

As the sun started to set, I finished up and settled down on my chair with my Kindle and some ice cream. It wasn't too hot, and it's actually quite peaceful.

One of my new additions--more lantana.

Apparently petunias love the heat. They've been going wild.

My other new addition--lavender. It smells heavenly.

There is something so soothing in digging my hands into the soil, and seeing my garden grow. I have struggled with it, learning to navigate the needs of my plants as we go along. Even when it is too hot to sit outside, I can see them from my living room, and enjoy them from the coolness of inside.