We've created lots of vertical green space this year. I feel like I'm doing my part for the environment--creating green space where previously there was none.
We have a Morning Glory which took all summer to make up its mind to flower. Now it's gorgeous along a section of our back fence (it's blooming better now than this picture shows).
Also along the back fence is a Trumpet Vine which took all summer to make up its mind NOT to flower (and hence I didn't include a picture of it). Bummer.We planted Cyprus Vines to grow up the pillars on our front porch, and then I created lattice work with string. They have happily taken over the whole space. These vines are crazy, crazy, and grow (I estimated) about 5 inches a day. And that's each shoot, and there are about 20 shoots at once. But they're beautiful and we love them. If we are here next year, it is on our list of things to re-plant.
Then, growing up our house in the back is Virginia Creeper, which we didn't plant at all. It was just there a few years ago. This plant, tiny at the time, with huge leaves that commonly is mistaken for Poison Oak. We verified it wasn't Poison Oak and then let it grow. This is year 3 or 4, and it's finally taking over. We love it, but we have to keep track of it or else I'm sure it would grow in through the windows and doors. These pictures don't do it justice.
The last of our vertical green space includes our two trees:1 - The Red Bud tree in the front yard is now colossal compared to the baby tree we planted 3 years ago. It's now big enough that you actually notice it's there when you drive up.
2 - And the Oak tree in the backyard. This poor tree got eaten down to a stub during a dry summer 3 years back when the deer were out looking for things to eat. What better to eat then a young Oak tree? We moved it to the backyard to make space for the Red Bud, and it continued its pitifully small existence. (We had to tell people it was a tree.) This year, however, it woke up and grew over 3 feet. Not kidding. Before it wasn't even up to my waist, and now it's over my head. We're happy that it's decided to grow.
Then we have Sweet Potato vines which are trying to take over our sidewalk and porch. Probably they're trying to eat that banana Elijah left there.
And one of the rose bushes, our Sheer Magic one, suddenly grew another foot or so. It now looks like it's towering over the other rose bushes. ... I love my rose bushes. They're my babies.
And random flowers. We planted various things that met with various levels of success. We planted wildflowers between the lilacs on the side, and that was a mistake, cause the wildflowers are HUGE and wild and crazy. Who knew they would grow to be 3 feet tall? (We would have, probably, if we'd read the package.) But they're pretty and seemed to grow well enough there.A grasshopper on one of the wildflowers that I don't know the name of:
We didn't plant marigolds under the Red Bud, they came back from last year's planting. We also have marigolds surrounding the Trumpet Vine in the back. These we grew from seed and they're HUGE. And also more beautiful than the ones we purchased half-grown from the nursery last year. I don't know why our marigolds from seed were so much bigger and prettier, but I'm not complaining; for the first time in my life I like them. This picture is of the marigolds under the Red Bud. It's a little blurry, cause Rob was really taking a picture of the bee:
I will stop going on and on about my garden. To conclude I am going to say that I'm glad Rob also likes plants, and genuinely likes them. Cause as we talk about our garden, and I get so excited about these plants, and talk about my hopes and dreams for them, I start to feel a little uneasy, like I might be crazy, since they're just plants after all. I look at him sheepishly and say, "Do you really like our garden?" And he'll hug me and laugh and say that yes, he really does.And that makes me feel better.
