Walking Around the Yard

This morning, coffee cup in hand, I walked around the yard inspecting all my garden plants. I set my cup down a few to times to snap some pictures to share. I was so happy to see two little baby hostas peeping out of the mulch under one of our big maple trees. We divided a large mature hosta we had and these little guys came from that. So happy they survived and are looking good. Hostas grow so well in the shade and are so lovely all summer long with beautiful patterned foliage. Soon they will be big and spilling over these rocks that hold the soil and mulch in place for them.

Here is the mature plant growing happy in the shade by our porch.

Going into the back yard,  my Unimis vine is finally starting to take off. This part of our house is cinder block. To make it more climbable we stapled chicken wire fence to a thin piece of trim and then screwed it into the block. We also, painted the chicken wire and trim white so it blended into the house. I love climbing vines. I think they add a cozy cottage feel to your home and landscape. Is fast growing and does well in partial sun and can be trimmed back easily. I love how it looks with the rock border Todd did.

My herb garden is doing well. Clockwise starting at watermark is Oregano, Greek Oregano, Chocolate Mint, Cilantro, Chives, and one Basil plant. The kids love nibbling on the chocolate mint. It also tastes so good chopped up and added to brownies. They also love to throw my pretty rocks around.

My Spearmint plant. It is now 3 years old if I remember right (mom brain). Nevertheless, it has spread quickly. When I planted it it was about the size of my basil plant. I love the abundance. My Pineapple Mint is still here, but has not been as productive. Mint is great chopped and added to fruit salads or lemonade. Also a great aromatic added to floral arrangements. It is also very easy to dry and store in homemade tea bags. Mint has been used for centuries to soothe stomach aches and aid digestion.

Have to take a break to catch this little guy,

Ok:)
Continuing on the walk, we come to our roadside ditch.

A lot of people think we are crazy, but Todd and I love to let the ditch grow wild with native plants. Many native wildflowers are actually endangered because of excessive mowing. Here we have Milkweed growing, Cat Tails, and the yellow flowers I have not identified yet, but I think it is in the mustard family. Milkweed is the only source of food for monarch butterfly larvae. We see some every year in our yard. Your welcome little guys! I plan on adding to our ditch orange Tigerlilies, and purple Phlox, two other native endangered wildflowers.

All these plants are giving me some ideas for drawings. Nature truly inspires me. Gods handy work. Beautiful.