Thank goodness finals are about done. There's so much to do in the garden. When I started the garden, I just had to trial everything. How did I know what would do well, unless I've tried it? I figured that I could just edit out the things that didn't do well, and leave the things that did do well. Was I really fooling myself into believing that load of crap? Now the garden is a mish-mash collection of things, since I haven't the heart to remove things. What I do instead is put the new things in between the old things, somehow convincing myself that it will work. Needless to say, it doesn't. I've got to get out of "trialing" mode and into "editing" mode. I've decided that the best time to do it is in the winter, when it doesn't hurt so much to yank things out. It's a heartless task that I've got to stop berating myself for. I've also got to stop buying ("trialing") plants. The madness/addiction has to stop.
But right now, the seduction of a flashy flower, the passion of vigorous spring growth, has got me in a spell. Here's what's blooming now. These I can't rip out. Ever. Really.
Penstemon pseudospectabilis has lost the red leaves, but put out these richly colored blooms on stalks to four feet.
Echinocereus reichenbachii var. caespitosa got partly shaded out by the monstrous Penstemon palmeri, but is still looking mighty fine.
Just a few flowers on the Eriogonum umbellatum, but I grow it for the leaves, not the flowers.
My favorite Penstemon linarioides is beginning to bloom. Perhaps its the weather that's making it grow so sluggishly. The flowers are a bit darker this year. I've had two plants rot out from all the water this past year.
No philosphizing for a while. It's time to take a break and enjoy the pretty flowers that are so hated by my instructors (after all, flowers don't make for design).
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