Everything is coming up Flowers

The wedding I was part of was held at my best friend's backyard. She has grown some amazing dahlias. They were so beautiful and added so much to the wedding decor. It was amazing to be able to cut in her garden. She did a wonderful job of growing so many beautiful ones.  I know she poured so much time and energy into this project. The one below is one of my favorites from her garden.

We used the majority of them in vases on the tables for the reception.

How is my Gardening/Yard growing

The yard is less tragic than last year. We still are on the hunt for goat heads. Doesn't everyone send a picture of a goat head bouquet to their husband? We literally pull goat heads every day.  They have terrible thorns and spread literally overnight

My favorite Dahlia seedling. (top picture) I will probably be keeping this one to grow out again next year. All my seedlings have bloomed. My gifted tubers are just starting to bud.

I have two varieties of black-eyed susan's. I love the burgundy one and the yellow centered one looks almost fake. The yellow center one is prairie sun black eyed susan.

I have two types of sunflowers this year. My best friend sent me seeds for Cherry Rose Sunflowers and I have two mammoth sunflowers. 

Zinnias are Floret's Victorian Wedding. Mine are really small. I don't know if I would grow again. I do love the soft pastel colors. The stem length is great too.

This is my cone flower. This thing is hardy.  I would like to grow more cone flowers next year in different colors.

This is a tradescantia which can also be an indoor houseplant. I got it off of the discount rack. It is doing great.  Please see plantswithkrystal and her repot on this.  

I do use a rain barrel. The water from my ac goes in my gutters to this rain barrel. We do get some rain occasionally. I use this to water some of my garden.

I have had failures as well. My patio tomato has yet to produce any tomatoes. I killed a rose bush and since replaced. It isn't looking that hot either. I also killed two sets of zucchini starts. I thought that was impossible.

 I also added Russian sage and some Lavendar to my rock borders. The Mexican heather isn't doing great. I have never had any luck with heather other than it is my name. 

My butterfly bush is alive but burnt on the top. We have had some hot days and that is the challenge of gardening in southeastern New Mexico. I don't think this summer is as hot as last summer.

Weekly Roll

 

first bouquet of the Summer

Linky Love

What Happened to Flaco The Owl Remains - You know I can't help but link a Flaco Story. I like the proposed Flaco Laws for Rat Contraception

It is time for Summer Reading Challenges I thought I would share a few different ones. I have to say usually I have less time in the Summer to Read but I get a lot of inspiration from these

Summer Reading Bingo 2024 - This is from Beyond the Bookends

Summer Reading Challenge - I like the approach from The Literary Lifestyle

The Modern Mrs Darcy Summer 2024 Minimalist Reading List

Everyday Reading Summer Reading for Adults 2024 - Everyday Reading also has a good Instagram to follow

Inappropriate Thoughts

Pictured above is my microphone. I was influenced to get it a few years back. I used it at my house to speak to my son on the 2nd floor while I was on the first. My kid should have of really answered when I called him the first time. I get a lot of flak about it. If you are going to have a microphone for personal use, make sure it has reverb and rose gold. I just consider it a mom tool. I showed my niece, and she thought it was obnoxious. I was reminded that I needed to practice with it for my upcoming officiating. I couldn't find it, so I automatically thought my son had done something with it. He reminded me I hid it. This is why we have kids.

Deep Thoughts

I have been working on two different writing projects. I have been working on a 52-ancestor research/project about a crime that was committed, and I have been working on a wedding script. These are two vastly different things.  I enjoy writing.  I don't usually share what I write so this is a stretch for me. These are also two things I feel I need to get really right. 

Trash Talk

This past week was literally the cleanest this park has ever been. I don't know if there has been an increase in policing but whatever they are doing is working. We picked up a lot of small stuff and a piece of a motorcycle panel. We even expanded the area we picked up.  We did find 3 socks.  Some mom somewhere is wondering where some socks are.

Weekly Roll - Mother's Day Edition

Happy Mother's Day!  I am so lucky this year to be able to spend the day with my MOM.  

Picture Above is of a discount dahlia for $5. Never pass up a $5 dahlia. That thing retails for $29.99 and all I did for rehab was cut off the broken blooms. It will bloom again

Mistakes Beginners Make Growing Dahlias Oh, I have made some of these.

12 Books People Say Are Life Changing Reads I haven't read many on this list. 

George Strait New Country Album I am so excited about this. George Strait is the GOAT

Inappropriate Thoughts

I missed the memo. I am supposed to be in Hawaii.  Two of my friends on separate trips are in Hawaii. Someday I will go. It is on the bucket list. My husband went back to work this week after retiring in February. I am so grateful for the long vacation, but the time has come.

Deep Thoughts

I am in the era of my friends losing their parents. Most of my close friends have lost one or both parents. I know that time isn't promised to us that is abundantly clear the last couple of years. I just want to spend time with my loved ones. I myself personally am not a Mother's Day fan but I do love my people.

Garden Update

 Finally got things planted in the planter boxes. My husband made 2 giant planter boxes.  One planter box is full of Floret Zinnia Seeds. I did starts and seeds.  The area in the ground is for sunflowers and celosia. We will see how that does.

My best friend gifted me oodles of dahlia tubers.  So, the other planter and containers along our shop hold dahlia tubers and some dahlia seedlings started from seeds from last year's dahlia. I still have some tubers to get potted up.  It is a challenge her in Southeast New Mexico to grow dahlias. They like the afternoon shade and lots and lots of water.

Growing Dahlias in High Heat

Well growing Dahlias in my zone 7a/7b is a bit of a challenge. I live in a high desert region, and it has been having record breaking over 100-degree weather.  I grew some of my dahlias from seed from Floret -Bee's Choice Mix.  I have been growing in a plastic barrel container.  It isn't ideal and I have been watering a lot, but the plants have produced some blooms. I think they are a bit heat stressed. I am going to move the container to a shadier afternoon location because I am not getting the production.  I have heard that shade cloth can help to make plants less stressed.

My Walmart had on clearance a lot of their plants. I got 3 dahlias for 4 dollars apiece. I can't buy a tuber for that price.  They are a little shaggy, but I think I can keep them going for a bit longer.

Triple Wren Farm and Heat Can Affect Dahlia Color

How Does My Garden Grow

 Well I have moved to the high desert basically. What I did in Western Washington is probably going to be less successful here.  Though I live where there is water but high heat.   I also have dogs that like to dig.  I am doing mainly container flower gardening. This is what I have been doing.

It started with my Janky Seed Set Up. Below are pictures of my containers

Dahlia's - Bee's Choice Mix Floret

Thunbergia which is being over taken by Starfire Marigold's

Thunbergia 

Zinnia's from Walmart and I seeded with Zinnia's

Teddy Bear Dwarf Sunflowers

Feeling Inspired

Zinnas

I wasn't able to grow any flowers last year because I moved.  I have been watching Growing Floret Season 2 and I am just so inspired as usual to have cut flowers. I am a huge fan of Erin. I thought I would share some of my previous cut flowers. I started with Calendula and gifted rose bushes from Nanna.  My neighbor was really into Astilbe so I tried some of that. I later grew Zinnias.  My best friend started me on Dahlia's. I saw someone else growing bunny tails and  I grew those one year too.

Zinnias and Astilbe

Rose, Dahlia, Zinnia, and Astilbe

Dahlia, Astible, Zinnia, and BUNNY TAILS

Janky Seed Set Up

Well I decided to do some seed starting. I am using Nonna's old folding clothes dryer for shelving and even some plastic cups to scale up the seedlings.  You don't need a fancy set up to start most seeds.

I am trying my dahlias in a pot. I have digging dogs so I thought a pot would be a better idea.

The Dahlia seeds are from floret. I planted some seeds and the pot and also have some seedlings I started earlier planted in the pot. 

Dumpster Sunflower

 Our new house has an alley, and we share a dumpster with several neighbors. There has been a sunflower growing next to the dumpster. It finally bloomed. My husband captured the photo above. I have been missing having a cut flower garden. Kind of gives new meaning to grow where you are planted. Dumpster flowers are way better than dumpster fires.

Weekly Roll

 

Linky Love

Roses - Floret's Series on Heirloom Roses is a must read.  PLEASE READ #4 for sure- Erin's interview with Anne Belovich - A Rose Story  This is about more than growing roses. I believe in a long ago weekly roll I shared floret's Instagram picture of Anne's overgrown rose garden.

***Picture above is of some of my roses.  They were actually gifted to me from my Husband's Nanna. I was gifted 5 bushes and 2 have survived. They even moved with me from San Diego to the Pacific Northwest

Inappropriate Thoughts

Weirdly  this is a creepy photo of a face reflection from a floor mat. Is my house haunted? 

Deep Thoughts

I saw this quote on someone's instagram. I know another Desmond Tutu quote.  

Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.   Desmond Tutu

How does my cut flower garden grow?

I haven't put much effort into my cut flower garden this year.  There are a lot of reasons but even with very minimal effort I had blooms.  The collage above is a few of the bouquets this year. 

I grew zinnias, dahlias, calendula, bunny tails, daisy's and roses. Of course, the calendula, roses and daisies are perennials 

I 100 percent grow these for my own pleasure. Having a vase of fresh flowers on my table makes me happy. I do give some away but the majority are for my table.

I love how much positive energy Floret has generated with their show on Discovery Plus and their show Growing Floret. Erin and her team are frankly amazing. I love how much they share about cut flowers.

Definitely going to grow bunny tails again next year. I started mine from seed. I would plant in the ground next year. They are fun!

Weekly Roll- Dahlia Edition

 It has been a challenging technology week. Have you ever had one of those? Sorry in advance for the stereotype but you find yourself talking to someone in India to solve your tech problems. That is quite clearly when you have hit rock bottom. We had phone problems, internet problems, printer problems. I think things are sorted out but I seem to have the tech kiss of death. So now I bring you flower news because it is the cure to technology problems.

Way earlier at the beginning of summer, my bestie helped me score some discount dahlia tubers. So I have a little dahlia patch. 

Santa Cruz Dahlias who I follow on Instagram has a new Dahlia Breeding book out that is getting a lot of buzz. Floret Flowers has a dahlia book coming out in the spring called "Discovering Dahlias". I am lucky to live in an area with a lot of small flower farmers. 

Random Thoughts 

Made a large Goodwill drop off.  I still have some more to donate. They weren't taking any furniture at my location. I also have been inside of my Goodwill recently. It is probably the cleanliest I have ever seen it. I also noticed how parred down the selection seemed. I wonder why that is because I waited in the donation line longer than usual and it looks like they are getting lots of donations. ALSO why would you wait in the donation line to drop off one little bag. 

Weekly Roll Father's Day Late Edition

Happy Father's Day!!!

Friday was the last day of my youngest son's Junior year.  We celebrated with 2nd Breakfast at our favorite breakfast place. It was nice to dine in.

I don't think I have shown a picture of the cut flower/vegetable garden.  We had a lot of rain but things are growing. Below is a picture of my little bouquet for my table.

purple cosmos and first Shasta daisy

Loaf Update

The loaves keep getting better and better. I didn't make as many total loaves this week. We continued our Sunday sourdough waffle tradition.