Garden Tour Thursday

AYLA:   I asked Iza iffen I could show the plants on the deck, since thats where I spend most of MY time outside, and she said that seemed good. 

The planter pot plants are starting ta fill in and bloom.  This one of Pinwheel Zinnias have many colors.  Two different yellows, an orange, a red, and on the left is a cream, but its not blooming right now.  But there are lots of buds, so it should really look good soon!

The middle pot here has Caladiums and Yellow Marigolds.  The smaller pots have Orange Zinnias.

These Yellow Zinnias were blooming when planted, but when they got put in real dirt, they switched over ta getting bigger.  Which is good, cuz now they have lots of buds all over.  

These are a differnt Yellow Zinnia.  They are growing lots, too!

The Marigolds all seem a bit sprawly, but iffen they all drape over the sides, that should like nice eventually.

Our funny tomato plant is growing and there is even the first little tomato starting.  The flowers are Orange Zinnias, but there is 1 Red Salvia in the middle that will get taller.

This is another Caladium pot with Marigolda draping over the sides.  That curly thing is the watering hose.  It is easier ta drag around the deck than a regular one, and it kinna puts itself away when not in use.  TBT read about those an some had problems with leaks, but he saw which one Home Depot was using and figured they would know which kind was best!

IZA:   Well, pretty good job, Ayla, Thank You!  Now lets go out in the yard and look around...

The Black-Eyed Susans are doing nicely.  They are native here, so they are used ta the droughts and heat.  You'll see patches of them scattered around the yard.  TBT dint plant them all over, they just find the spots they like best.  Smart plants!

 Next ta them are 2 Star-Gazer Lilies.  This one is fragrant, so TBT has them next to a path.

This is a pretty sight.  Black-Eyed Susans growing up through our Nip Patch!  

This funny thing is a Crocosmia.  The flowers are small, but the plants are finally spreading and they dont need any care.

The Impatiens are starting ta bloom and fill in...

And next ta them are Coleus.  They are filling in, too.  They and the Impatiens are under the shade of the deck.  AND they get extra water from when the deck pots above are watered.  They like staying moist.

 They are really fancy seen close up like this!

And I have a couple of insects ta show...

The Tiger Swallowtail butterflies are enjoying the Butterfly Bushes.  There are lots of small orangish ones I think are called Painted Ladies, too.

This is just a picture TBT took earlier today (because they have certainly moved away by now), but I wanted ta include it cuz we might see some around during the tour.  But they probably wont be doing THIS!

TBT saw the large Praying Mantis walking over some viny plant, and THEN he noticed the smaller one following it around.  The larger one is probably a female and the smaller one a male.  So he stopped ta watch cuz he thought they were gonna mate and he had never seen THAT before. 

They kinna act like some spiders do.  They mate and then sometimes the female eats the male afterwards as a big protein boost fer her ta develop her eggs.  This male dint even get THAT chance though.  Apparently she wasnt in the mood.  She just pounced him and started eating.  He seemed really unhappy about that!

Well, I like a nice crunchy buggy now and then, too.

Speaking of food, lets go up on the deck now that it is shady and have some snacks.  We are keeping it simple this time.  We have minced chicken breast and water with Nip leafs crushed in it.  And of course, there is fresh Nip at the bottom of the deck stairs.  Feel free...

Thanks for coming on my our Garden Tour!