Smith Family Weblog

Remember that previous post where I boasted about our two new “really gorgeous” lantana shrubs? Yeah, about that…substitute “gorgeous” for “dying.”

I’m thinking that our west entry way is just a little to steamy.

Any ideas?

It’s been a rough couple of days–nothing is working out. I made another cherry pie yesterday, and despite using the same recipe all four times, this one was soupy and just awful. (I’m guessing it was under baked–I took it out after I found it boiling over into the bottom oven, creating a fair amount of smoke and a dreadful smell. I think I might have to start over with a new oven at this point.)

Also, I tried to wash a spot of chocolate off my face this morning, only to realize that I haven’t had chocolate in days and the spot wasn’t going anywhere. Could it be an age spot at 30? So much for that daily SPF. How do I get rid of it? What if it reproduces? Maybe a few more and I’ll finally look tan.

My friend Lori commented on my perfect life a couple of days ago, and I thought it was only fair to show that things (and people!) are far from flawless around here. Call it truth in advertising.

Bryan was really, really thrilled to find the first red tomato.

Really.

It’s hard to tell where the garden ends and the trees begin. The tomatoes are easily six feet tall!

There’s a good chance this is actually a green heirloom tomato. Either that, or it’s just not ripe. I have no idea. I really should have labeled the plants.

I do know that these are yellow pear tomatoes–my favorite.

I planted the dill in an underground pot to prevent spreading, and I really should have done the same with the mint. It’s already taking over.

Sweet million–tiny, delicious cherry tomatoes.

After producing exactly one squash, the zucchini plant succumbed to pests and had to be removed.

On the bright side, the cucumbers have a bit more space.

Despite the cool, wet spring, the pansies in the pots on the front porch were at least two months past their prime. This was the first weekend we were at home in about six weeks, so I finally had time to replace them with something more seasonable.

But, if you’ve ever checked out garden stores this time of year (at least in Kansas), the selection is limited to a handful of leggy petunias and burnt geraniums.

I did find a couple of beautiful salvia, but I couldn’t really locate anything to plant with them. Fortunately, though, I stumbled across two really gorgeous lantana shrubs.

A benefit of buying plants late in the season is that they look like they’ve been flourishing in place for weeks on end. The size of these single plants was perfect for our large pots.

And, I found a sunny spot (and a sunny pot) for the salvia.

Now, if these transplants can just handle our first few 100 degree days, I’ll be in business.