I'm Afraid of My Garden

It finally rained the other day. Not like drizzle, or even a reasonable shower, but it rained, it thundered, it lightninged, and it actually even hailed. It rained all through the night and gave everything a really good soaking, which is quite a relief because it's been so hot here lately that the plants are starting to think they're desert plants. My sunflowers are about 4 feet tall, which is so rewarding since I've had troubles growing sunflowers (I know I know, long story).

However, there's one small problem. With all of this heat, regular watering, and the occasional storm, the plants are a bit out of control. I grew a lot of cucumbers and squash this year, and now they've formed something of a carpet over most of the veggie garden. The beans come up to my knees, which is unusual, and the thai basil (which I thought were ground cherries, but that's another story) is so prolific that I could start selling it. I practically need a machete to get through the vegetable garden and some plants have started making a break for it, threatening to climb the fence and start down the other side.

The perennials are doing super well too, at least most of them. The wedding flowers are still lagging behind. Ha ha ha Mother Nature, you're so funny, I get the joke - you can let up now. They've only got 2 weeks to pick up their socks and start blooming. If anyone's got tips here, please feel free to share them with me; I'll try anything at this point. Ah well, my neighbor (whose garden has won awards, I should say) has offered to let me come and pillage her yard for flowers so I'll at least have something. There's always Queen Anne's Lace and ferns.

I didn't count on the weather being so incredibly hot this year, so everything's blooming early. I have these beautiful buttery white lilies in the garden which would have been totally perfect, but they're almost done; I doubt there'll be anything left in two weeks.

So there's the update - I don't really have anything more interesting to say, though if you want some wisdom about weddings, I have these tidbits to offer so far:

1. You fight a lot more leading up to your wedding;
2. Don't try and do it all yourself;
3. Wine is your friend;
4. Get lots of sleep;
5. Let your husband pick his own tie.

Check back regularly for more nuggets from Genny as the next three weeks unfold...