GARDENING DRIVEL...

 Our newspaper, in the Sunday edition, has a local gardening columnist who evidently thinks that we of the gardening persuasion need to be exposed to the writings of so-called gardening gurus/experts. This latest column featured a book by a male garden writer who exhorted us  to "leave your egos at the garden gate" and to be "socially responsible."
  
What a load of bat guano!

When I'm in the garden, I'm worried about what needs doing and keeping my plants happy. I'm NOT worried about my ego or what the neighbors will think! My garden has the style that reflects ME without any other considerations and I don't call that "ego." 
I garden to get away from thinking about the idiot child in the White House or any other social ills. I can listen to the birds tweet, the dogs bark and the neighbor starting his ancient lawn mower. 

Since gardening is my hobby, I tend to want to enjoy it and also enjoy reading about it. That means some HUMOR should be included! Unfortunately, all we get from our local columnist is lecture after lecture. Obviously she never read any garden columns written by Dulcy Mahar, the Oregonian's garden writer for 28 years!   

Oh, well, on to more important things...like continued plant lust. 

I get tortured daily by yet more garden and plant catalogs. I try to ignore them...really, I do...but this one from Oakes Daylilies found me at a weak moment because I was, at that very moment, wondering about what happens in my garden AFTER the full flush of spring blooms? 

Usually, just about NOTHING happens until the second flush of rose bloom. 

That's due in part to my dislike of most annuals (geraniums and alyssum excepted). I can't abide those stiff little marigolds or petunias that always get worms. So this catalog reminded me that daylilies DO bloom in the summer and could rescue my garden from the summer doldrums. 

I placed an order with Oakes (located in Corryton, Tennessee!) I ordered a collection of shorter ones (18"-24" tall) since I plan to put them in pots and move them around in the garden to their (and my) best advantage and fill in where needed. The colors will range from cream, yellow, pink, apricot, and white with purple centers. Of course they all have names like Miss Tinkerbell, Little Grapette, Happy Returns, Cranberry Baby, and the one above called Pandora's Box. 

Now it's off to the garden center...Let's see, how many more pots will I need?