The June Bloomers

Delicate looking geranium flowers . While these petite flowers may look delicate, geraniums are pretty tough perennials.

Of course, all the annuals, like this ageratum, are happily blooming.




The horse chestnut is beautiful.

Wisteria at Red Butte Gardens

All the columbine is still going strong.

Lambs Ears (Stachys byzantina) with Catmint (Nepeta)

Crab Apples

These are the real crab apples with the golf ball sized fruit that rot on the walkaway and make a terrible mess. Are these trees worth all the maintenance? Right now have to say yes!

Edible Plants-Basil

An annual herb in the mint family, basil is a must grow for any gardener. Basil loves warmth and is frost sensitive. If you want to harvest the leaves around the time the tomatoes ripen, direct sow seeds two weeks after the last frost. If you are going for dry basil leaves, make sure to harvest before the the appearance of flowers. The flowers can be harvested to make basil tea. I can't wait for the mozzarella, tomato, basil sandwiches, how about you?

The Garden is a Growing

Aquilegia from the native plant giveaway. This 3-foot columbine started out last Spring as a tiny seedling. Way to grow!

Gooseberry Bush and Peas
Yummy Salad Greens



Not fully opened Aquilegia


More Peas!



Chives and Thyme

Ikea Pots and Mother's Day Plantings

On a recent visit to Ikea, I spotted these metal, blue planters and had to purchase them for my back cement slab, or more lovingly referred to as the back patio. Most of Ikea's planters, however, do not have drainage holes so I recruited my trusty husband and his drill to make my containers more plant friendly.

I decided to add some rock to help with the whole drainage situation.

Here are my extra tomato seedlings from the greenhouse. I obviously sowed too many seeds; this flat represents my bounty after I transplanted around thirty seedlings in 4 1/2" pots. A rule of thumb is to transplant flats of germinated seeds after their first true leaves appear. The first leaves you will notice on a germinating seedling are referred to as the cotyledons while the next set of leaves are known as the true leaves.

Received some Thai Basil for Mother's Day. I love this stuff because it is so easy to grow and the bees love it!

I also planted some lemon thyme, chives, and greek oregano with a little Riesentraube(cherry tomato) in the center.

April in the Garden

Anemone pulsatilla also known as Pulsatilla vulgaris

Chickens Attack!

I planted my radish, pea and lettuce seeds around March 15th. I kept them covered on the really snowy, cold days and they germinated and already had their true leaves when the chicken flew the coop and scratched up all my lovely plant babies. Chickens!