There’s a sea of Annabelle hydrangea blossoms beyond what you see in this picture. Fat, gorgeous flowers. I’ll try to get my act together and get a closeup in the next couple of days.
The glider is just in front of this railing. I love sitting there, hydrangeas at my back, roses blooming (that is, the ones that aren’t being attacked by Japanese Beetles…yes, they’re back) colorful impatiens on benches, on the vintage ladder, on the picnic table.
I also found some mealy bugs attacking my coneflowers in the side garden. I’m ticked off. I’ve been doing some research and plan to buy something organic and safe today (I don’t use pesticides) but if you have any advice, I’d surely welcome it!
We went on a trail walk yesterday. Sometimes, when you’re in the midst of wrestling with decisions, weighing this, weighing that, and you feel completely muddled and talked out – a trail walk is just the thing to clear your head. It worked. And it was lovely, to boot.
We’ve been watching the Olympic Trials for swimming every evening this week. Such dedication, such talent, such strength and persistence! Meredith knows one of the qualifiers because of my nephew’s many years as a competitive swimmer. It’s heartbreaking, though, to see those who just miss out on going to the Olympics, sometimes by hundredths of a second. All that training, all that work – and then you have to wait another four years. I want to jump inside the television screen and hug them.
They’re going nuts, these hollyhocks! It seems to me that there were two stems last year and this year there are eight. Four times the flowers. Hollyhocks are biennials, I’ve learned. So does that mean that these two summers with them are all I’m going to get? I hope not.
Some weed whacking on the agenda for today – maybe some mowing, but it’s been so dry here that the grass hasn’t grown all that much and we’re thinking we should wait a few days.
Happy Thursday.
Love hydrangeas … though they don’t grow here … and hollyhocks … which I”m always happy to see when winter rolls around. They’ve said our temps in direct sun the past couple of days has gotten to at least 59 C (that’s 138). Right now it is a balmy 50 C according to my weather app, 122 F. Ugh!
Oh my gosh! That, my friend, is HOT! Stay hydrated and cool!
I love those hollyhocks! Looks like things are growing nicely but the BUGGS!!! grrrrrr. Carter and Mr Toes will be here this afternoon and I’m going to be glad to have the furry guy back for awhile. I’m doing well but very tired today, maybe a bit too much walking yesterday. I can’t believe that it’s almost July. June has not gone as planned but that’s life isn’t it!
hugs,
Linda
Don’t overdo, my friend! Yes, I found more mealy bugs today! What the heck??
From personal experience, I’ve found mealy bugs HARD to get rid of without the big guns (pesticides) and even then, it’s labor intensive because generally you have to make sure to spray or wipe underneath each and every leaf where they are prone to hide. However, with that being said, for a more natural approach, you might want to try ladybugs. I was told their favorite meal is ladybugs so since I was not able to buy any locally, I ordered 1500 of them from eBay for less than $20 and, according to directions, I released them in batches on my mealy bug infested hibiscus plants over 3 separate evenings at dusk. (Many don’t stick around so that’s why they suggest releasing them in stages rather than all at once.) It was absolutely fascinating to watch all those ladybugs devour the mealy bugs.
I may take your advice. And I’d have to order online because my local garden supply is out!
I was told ladybugs’ favorite meal is *mealy bugs*… not ladybugs. Sheesh! Too many bugs in that paragraph! lol
xo
I love your gardens and your porch.
So peaceful & relaxing. Great setting
for reading or just thinking or whatever.
Enjoy the view.
Monica
Thank you, Monica. I just have to make sure to get out there before it gets too hot!
I love those old-fashioned flowers and they’re just the thing for your cottage garden. The wildlife (in all forms, bugs included) encroach no matter what you do. There’s always something out there eating something you like. As for the swimming trials, my cousin is swimming tomorrow morning and I’ve got my app all loaded up to watch him. Go Chad!
Go Chad! What event is he swimming in, Dana?
Claudia, he’s swimming in the 50M freestyle prelims tomorrow at 10 central time, per his mom. First event of the day.
Very, very exciting, Dana! Best of luck to him!
Hi Claudia. Hollyhocks are one of my favorites for my cottage garden. I will sometimes, when
lucky, get one plant to bloom a couple of years in a row! Then they’re gone, but they leave
many little babies to nurture for another year. The leaves can get ratty looking but I just pick
them off. My flowers seem to be behind yours in blooming, here in Michigan, but some things
are very early to bloom because of the heat. No rain in weeks here. Need to water twice a day.
A nice trail walk sounds good. Maybe this weekend. Take care.
As long as this hollyhock leaves some babies, I’ll be fine. Otherwise, I’ll be heartbroken!
Gorgeous hollyhocks. I had no idea they only lasted two years. I also used ladybugs to get rid of mealy bugs a few years ago. It worked very well. I got the ladybugs at the local feed and grain store. Hope you are able to take care of them. Your porch looks like a lovely place to sit and knit or crochet. :-)
Blessings,
Betsy
I tried my local feed store and they just sold their last batch a couple of days ago. I’ll have to look into another way to get some.
That view from your porch is pretty..I hate when plants/flowers are attacked by bugs..My hosta leaves are full of holes this year and I don’t know what bug is doing it but at least their flowers are still growing…We have a lot of ladybugs here…Your hollyhock is so beautiful this year I hate to think that it might not be there next year..
My hostas always get holes! I’m not sure why. I haven’t seen many ladybugs around here yet, so I just may have to buy some.
Your hydrangeas are gorgeous…and those hollyhocks…wow! Didn’t know they only last 2 years. Although, I’ve planted bi-ennials before…and it seems to me that the 2 from last year may disappear…but the new ones, should spread and come back next year. I think that’s how it works. Enjoy your day! ;)
Please let there be new ones next year! I really love this hollyhock, Donna!
The color is beautiful! Did you grow that from seed, or buy a plant? I’m going to have to find room for a couple next year. I assume they require lots of sunshine? ;)
Neither – it was a volunteer. It just appeared in my raised bed last year! Lucky me!
My hydrangea was suffering in its original placement in my side yard. Spindly, no flowers, but hanging on. The side yard used to be sunny and bright, with a little shade, then the branches of the pines on the other side of my fence grew over my fence and the side yard is totally shaded now. So in my re-do of the yard, I asked the installer to move my hydrangea, and it’s now come back! I am so happy. Maybe flowers the next cycle, it has to get strong and grow a bit first. Your hydrangeas look so lush!
I have three hydrangeas and the smallest (and newest) has a hard time with the sun beating down, so I water it once a day.
In place of Sevin I make a 50/50 mix of flour and baking soda. I do not know if it will work on the pests in your region, but what does it hurt to try?
I so miss having a lot of flowers, but with this drought I am only watering the vineyards (very little water), our fruit and nut trees, and a few established areas with flowers. Most of those flowers are very drought tolerant. It was so sad to get rid of our lawns, but we are replacing all of the lawns with courtyards. The pictures you post of your beautiful outdoor spaces give me more happiness than you could imagine. Being from the East coast I miss the rains and the beautiful garden spaces that are possible there. However, I do not miss all of the bugs, except for the lightning bugs.
What do you do with the mix, Teresa? How do you apply it?
There are a lot of bugs around here, including ticks and mosquitoes – but not too many of them yet, as it’s been so dry. The lightning bugs are everywhere right now and I love seeing them.
Sevin is a dusting powder, so I use this mix the same way. Basically “dust” the plants that are getting bit to pieces with a light coating, similar to putting powdered sugar on a cake top. The bugs eat it and die within a day. It can be used on tomatoes and other edibles as well.
Thank you, Teresa!
The hollyhocks do look very pretty. I may try adding them to my garden next year. The view from your porch is nice. Don’t work to hard! Doris
I’m not. I already dealt with the weeds this morning, then ran some errands. Went outside and watered everything and found more mealy bugs!
Have you read The Boys in the Boat? I think you might like it if you are enjoying the Olympic trials.
I don’t read much nonfiction but Don has it in his TBR pile.
I caught a bit of that swimming, too. It’s definitely fascinating to watch. (I’ve also been mesmerized over diving in other years.) Reminds me of the summer of Mark Spitz when I was a teen. My dad had traded some work for a beach house those last weeks of summer and when we weren’t sunning and snorkeling, we were glued to the TV watching Olympic history. It was fun when the Olympians were largely my own age. I guess that was 1972; wow. I swooned over Mark Spitz at that age as did a lot of teenage girls. For a man in his later 60s today he, of course, looks different as do we all, but I think he’s still remarkably good-looking and don’t you know he probably swims every day so is in great physical shape although in interviews he’s said he has shrunk in height. I was shocked before surgery three years ago (when I was measured from head to toe) to learn that I’d shrunk a full three inches in height over the years. I hadn’t really noticed until I bought my mom’s house (the family home) and realized I could no longer reach shelves I’d had no trouble reaching for at younger ages.
We always watched the Olympics when I was growing up, so I guess I’ve been watching them for over 50 years. I remember when Bob Seagren won the pole vault. He as incredibly good looking and I had a major crush and cut out every photograph of him I could find!
Each and every day I walk the yard I dread the moment I will see a Japanese Beetle. Oh, how I hate them. 3 years ago they devastated parts of our yard. Just awful things.
We had an hour of a very lovely rain this evening. The sun has now returned. How nice as I now don’t need to water!!!! yay!!
Me too. They always seem to arrive when the New Dawn Rose is about to bloom and they ruin it. It breaks my heart!