How long has it been?
The correct answer is “too long”.
Sorry.
I dipped my toes back into the blogging pond last summer only to disappear again and for that I apologize. I’ll go ahead and make the assumption that you missed me. Or maybe not. Out of sight out of mind, amirite?
Oh, do we not say “amirite” any longer? My bad.
Am I right?
I come armed with no promises upon this return. No big future plans or announcements or any sort of promotion of work outside of here. I missed this place and missed you all and wanted to say hi and share some gardening pics.
How’ve you all been?
How’s your garden looking and how’s it treating you?
Do we still read blogs or is it only You Tube now?
You’ll be happy to know I’m still struggling to keep up with the mess I’ve created in my yard over the years and have sworn it all off more than once over the past few months only to return with vigor and a massive dent in my bank account.
Truth is, I still ADORE it. I continue to cherish the struggle and the ups and downs. I may ache more the next day (FYI, turning 49 tomorrow, HBD to me) and I may continue to make the same mistakes (of which you won’t see) but damn it’s still rewarding.
Having said that, here’s some pics of what I got going on.
Now that the cicadas have calmed down and lowered the volume a few decibels, maybe I’ll share some videos here.
Shit, there it is, a promise I promised not to promise.
I better go before I ramble and do it again.
Heyyy, good to see you posting! Garden looks lovely as ever! And YouTube? Who has time to watch hours of videos?? I can’t even keep up with the blogs I do read!
Happy Birthday to you! I was happy to see your email as I do read your posts and always find them amusing! Glad to hear your doing okay. You asked how the garden is going. In Maryland, we have a boatload of humidity which has brought powdery mildew with it as well as those mites! My butterfly and baby Joe pye weed bushes aren’t looking so good. Tomorrow it’s supposed to be 97. How do these plants 🌱 survive! I think I’m going to plant more native perennials!
Sincerely,
Lisa from MD .
Happy to see you! I rarely blog anymore myself. The world got so crazy i had to create a bubble and live in it to try and stay sane.
Great to see your garden! I used it as inspiration in my own garden which is finally about where I want it after 9 years. I love those darn grasses! Hope to see more posts again going forward.
Welcome back – good to hear from you! Keep it up with the garden photos and I will be here!
Happy 49th tomorrow! I’ve missed you. Your yard looks absolutely stunning. I’ll admit my younger self did not care for grasses, but I’ve come to appreciate them and have developed an addiction to Carex and plan to add more to my landscape. I wish I could grow nine-bark, but it’s apparently not a happy camper in my zone 9a. It’s beautiful in your setting.
By the way, you once recommended the Atlas gardening gloves. They are the best! During the course of all-day gardening sessions, I get multiple pairs dirty and wet and throw in the wash, and they’re still fabulous many, many, many wearings and washings later.
Good to hear from you John. I especially liked the first picture. The new growth on the evergreen looks like little out-facing hands presenting the pink astilbe to the world. I jumped back into gardening after a move and a multi-year respite. I’m trying to keep the new beds manageable since I’ve got 15+ years on you! Love you pictures. Hope the family is good too.
Nice to hear from you and see your lovely garden!
Looking good! I was just referring to your book yesterday to see what was the Amsonia you recommended, and was missing your updates. And then here you are! Great timing. Don’t go away again. 😊
As always, great reading your words and seeing your photos and some laughing my butt off. Great green yard! I came to Pittsburgh to see their Botanical Garden. Yes. Pittsburgh. And it’s worth it. Green and lush here just as Atlanta was last month and Oklahoma City the month before. Back to the West, fires and smoke. Not so much green in Western Colorado even during a good year. Add Severe Drought and you’ve got a pisser of a mess. Take care bud.
Welcome back. Always good to hear from you and see pics of your marvelous gardens.
I did miss you! Happy Birthday. I love your garden. And your blog.
Stunning! Love!
I was so happy to see a post from you. I love your garden and you take great pictures. I still love to read gardening blogs, along with YouTube videos.
Nice to find that you popped into my inbox, John! Thank you for keeping in touch and sharing/providing those wonderful photo’s.
Every thing is filling in so gloriously. LOVE IT!!
It’s great to see a new gardening post from you. I have missed you. Happy birthday. You’ll be 49 while I’m out here at 69 working in my garden every day so I know about aches and pains. I’ll be looking forward to more posts from you.
was that Midnight Duchess hydrangea I saw? I love the dark stems and have reconciled myself to the not blue flowers. (for me, they are light pink and sometimes mauve!). I find they really do best in shade- to-bright -shade. I had them in a location where they got too much sun, grew too big, really didn’t bloom, and had to be relocated. We decided to divide them — we tried power tools, but ultimately had to use a hand saw. Not easy! Would be great to do a blog on dividing old(er) hydrangeas.
Hey you. Nice to have you back. Happy Birthday and happy gardening. I enjoyed your photos today since our garden is now in the desert and looks very different from yours. Turns out plants don’t like temps of 110+ any more than humans.
Take care and hope to read you again soon.
Missed your gardening posts and pictures. Your blog got me into grasses which I am loving.