lemon chiffon and mango

No.... we're not talking fruit salads or desserts! These are the names of some wonderful plants I brought home yesterday. It was another nasty, rainy, windy, ugly day but I headed over to Landscape Alaska to see their new shipment of plants and came home with quite an assortment. Not a lot of color, yet, but I have hope. Let's see, I got a couple Linaria (mini snapdragons), Nemesia (a great container plant), Dahlias (one of my favorites), Geraniums (another favorite), a couple varieties of Verbena, Snapdragons, Zinnias, and a few others. Three flats.... and $188 later.... Yes, gardening is expensive here but I figure it's my only vice and, besides, my husband lets me! He knows my passion for this and he lets me.... because he loves me.... as he should..... :)

Sorbet Lemon Chiffon.... a yummy yellow viola.... and Mango .... a peachy color Verbena. What a lovely combination they make! I have them sitting on the bistro table on our front porch so I can see them every time I come and go.

Also sitting at my front porch are my old work boots. Sometimes I fill them with hens and chicks but this year I put pink impatience in them. I think they'll look lovely once they grow into the size 10 boots.

I think I have all my nooks and crannies filled with bedding plants. All we need now is some sunshine and warm weather to help them grow.

One of my frustrations today is this picture. Can you guess what it is? Of course you can't!!!!! BECAUSE OUR DOG, SADIE, IS EATING ALL MY PLANTS!!!!!! This is a Hosta. It's supposed to be a Hosta. Hopefully one day it will grow up to be a Hosta. IF OUR DOG SADIE STOPS EATING THE TOPS OFF OF THEM!!!!! Yes, I saw her do it! I was standing right there, exclaiming how things are finally starting to grow. And I watched her do it! I know I'm not her favorite person, but I give her cookies and treats and belly rubs! What does she have against me???? grrrrrrrr As if I didn't have enough strikes against me gardening between my neighbor's raspberry plants invading my yard on one side, my other neighbor's overgrown wild foliage invading the other side, lack of sunshine, Juneau summers, and now Sadie the Sod Hound! Yes, she eats dirt too.... and ashes from our fire pit.... anything she can get her teeth into.... She's a Labrador and a sweetie so it's hard to get too mad at her.

Tomorrow I return to work at LA. They've asked me to be grounds manager on my work days.... Not certain I want that much responsibility and having to train people who ask "what's the difference between an annual and a perennial......" I just want to go to work, play with the plants, and talk to people about plants. That's all.