comfrey & bleeding heart

This past weekend was an excellent one for gardening. The mornings were cool, and the sun was bright. I finished up the rest of the planting, which wasn't much. A few tomato plants, a cucumber mound, and one each of yellow and green squash. All of those went in one tiny back corner, behind the perennials that need a bit of water. That way, I can water everything that needs it, at the same time.

My husband and I decided long ago, that we were going to concentrate on plants that did not need to be watered. That was years before I started reading about xeriscape or waterwise gardening.  We just wanted what would grow the best, the  most naturally.

Here is a list of what I started with;

flowers
yarrow ( many kinds and colors)
coreopsis
day lilies
blue hyssop
cone flowers (many varieties and two colors)
silver mound
silver king
all sorts of poppies
speedwell (blue veronica) does well here, too

herbs
sage
rosemary
lavender
marjoram
oregano
thymes (several types)
lemom verbena
lemon  balm
borage
tansy
comfrey
lupine

included with the watered vegetables
basils
parsley
dill
chives
garlic chives
shallots

I have tried lots of other plants over the years, and regularly add new ones, but these  seem to work well in my dry sand soil.

I took this ladyslipper shot this morning in the woods. This one, growing in a patch of light, was one of the first.

My sister in law made this quilt this past year. It is a McKenna Ryan pattern, and it fits their house beautifully. She hasn’t been quilting long, but you can see by her work, that she does a great job. We are actually a family of quilters. My mother in law also does all kinds of great quilting projects, including full-sized quilts.