Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Pumpkins Finally!!!

Last fall I planted a pumpkin vine in the hope that I would have a beautiful fall display on my front porch. The vine did well and did in fact produce pumpkins, however I planted it too late in the season and the frost killed the vine and the pumpkins before they had a chance to mature.

Fast forward to this summer. I planted my vine in late June. I have had a gorgeous, healthy, blossom-laden vine for months, but no pumpkins. I'd all but given up on it when I spotted this beauty:


It's the only one I've noticed but I'm hoping under all that foliage are a few more. Hopefully they will have another eight weeks to mature and I can start decorating away!

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Updates

It's been raining and hot here in the southeast, a combination which makes gardening next to impossible. After a very full day (nay, weekend), I finally ventured outside around 6pm while the DH and kids were happily watching a movie in the air-conditioned house.

First task was watering all the potted plants with found water from the HVAC unit. Five gallons later, I began repotting several plants that had been forced to wait on me for far too long. I also did a little cleanup in the veggie garden area, mainly trimming vines and a little weeding. Finally, I ended the evening transplanting a volunteer crape myrtle that sprung up near my fire hydrant. (God really does have a sense of humor as he saw fit to multiply a tree that I have unsuccessfully tried to for years.)

There's one change inside, being the absence of a 50lb bird of paradise plant in my entryway. I was gifted it by a co-worker a few months ago and have been trying to nurse it back to health. I repotted it and tried to make it work in the entryway, but alas the lighting was not right. After little to no success in coaching new leaf growth, I did a little research and learned that these plants are best left outdoors when the weather is warm enough. The DH was kind enough to transfer it to the patio, which I hope will be just the fix I need.


As I type this, I notice it's raining outside my office window. Again. But as I think about southern Louisiana's devastation, this is nothing to complain about. It will dry up and I will once again find a small window in which to tend to my garden.