I just kind of fake it in the landscaping department.....but once we bought a house, my mom brought 2 or 3 transplants from her garden every year until finally, I can pretty much identify 10 or 12 things in my yard. I still have a hard time knowing what's a weed when it begins to grow...so you'll find some weeds growing in my yard until I finally give up on them turning into something beautiful, and pull them. This Spring, my mom brought 5 or 6 huge pots of things for me to plant. Honestly, it was a little overwhelming, but I want my yard to look nicer, and the stuff from my mom is free, so I planted everything, watered diligently, and have waited for the colorful show to begin!
Now, I really have no reason to distrust my mother. She's never really led me astray (though I'm not buying the whole, "eat a leaf of poison ivy in the spring and you'll build an immunity" thing)....but I'm starting to wonder about these amazing daisies she promised me.....the ones I planted and watered and watered and watered.....
Um....after about 5 weeks, they're looking an awful lot like weeds. No flower buds in sight.....and these are now planted ALL OVER MY YARD.
In other gardening news, we experienced one of my life-long dreams this week, as my children and the neighborhood children picked grape tomatos from our very first organic garden and popped them right into their mouths....of course a couple got spit back out, but for the most part, it was a great moment...next come the green peppers, and the green beans!!
I love the fact that I have beautiful flowers in my yard (next to the beautiful weeds I'm growing), so I decided to cut a bouquet for our dining room table. A little while later, as my nose started to run, my eyes water, and I began to sneeze continuously, we decided that they looked great on the front porch...sigh....I'll have to enjoy them from afar!
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Jen planted a whole slew of goodies back in March and we are now reaping the benefits at each meal. Tomatoes, green peppers, green beans, carrots, and more!
(I really can't wait to get them off the deck, though!)
:)
Are you fertilizing at all? If you're not getting any blooms, you might need a fertilizer with a higher phosphorous count (the middle number). Basic fertilizer (like Miracle Grow) is generally 10-10-10. Fertilizer to encourage more blooming in flowers would have a higher middle number. Of course, if they ARE weeds, you'll just be encouraging the weeds to grow more if you fertilize ;).
Oh, also. Illinois is the land of evil clay soil with almost no nutrients. You might need to amend your soil with compost or something if that hasn't already been done in the past.
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