Garden Failures

 The heat and humidity are oppressive. I have a small window of time in the morning and another in the late afternoon to tend gardens. I feel a little guilty complaining after all the footage on the news with people losing everything in the floods. I am thankful not to have to deal with that, despite my grumpy attitude.

My vegetable garden looks like a huge failure. Looks like a deer ate all my bean plants. There were in the only part of the garden unprotected by fence or netting. I do have 4 butternut squash looking good, but the yellow crookneck bloom, then do nothing else. One tiny okra withered before maturing. I saw one watermelon about the size of a quarter and then it disappeared. No cucumbers, one tomato that was rotten inside. Green beans, zero. The bushes are vining on the fence, but not producing.

My flower gardens aren't much better. I planted a packet of zinnia and none came up. I thought they were coming up, but it turned out to be tall sunflowers! How? No idea. I have been known to plant things and not label them, only to wait and see what happens. That was not the case here.

My hydrangea I planted last fall are finally putting on a show, along with the hibiscus. I got just a small showing from my gladioli, but sparce. They will do better next year, right? The daylilies have stopped blooming. I know from experience that I can prune them back and they will bloom again. The tiger lilies are done with their tall stalks turning brown. I will collect the stalks to use for a fairy house's thatched roof. My roses did bloom, as well as the hollyhock. So, I suppose this is a lot better than my vegetable!

I captured another mouse in my house. This one was tiny, and I cringe to think he might have tiny siblings wandering around in my house. This means that the spray foam efforts on the part of my husband were useless, or he was left behind by the parents I already trapped. Time will tell.

I will update you on the raccoons tomorrow.