Who Has A Green Thumb?

This might be worded "Who Likes to Putter?".  Green thumb I am not.  But do like to putter in the garden.  My weeding is not much of a task with the addition of landscape fabric and bark atop my beds.  And pruning for a trainee is wherever the shears can cut.  I suppose there is a method but I haven't gotten to that. 

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We built a new garden bed a few years ago. 

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So I'm learning about annuals and perennials - one lasts a year and the other for more than that, they say. 

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I'm hoping to find some plants where the blooms can be cut to make a bouquet (not there yet). 

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I'm learning about slugs - they don't eat my evergreen shrubs. 

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I'm learning about how things grow: from rhizomes or bulbs or seed. 

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And I laud the miracles of Miracle-Gro!

Where should I plant these?

I've gone to many garden stores and pick out the new and unique.  Learned that "new" does not mean it grows good.

Bleeding heart sits with the ferns near my fountain - seems to like it there

Flowering Maple - not a maple

The pot has a dracena (the spiky plant) that has been recovered
from the compost pile from last year - must be a perennial, huh?

Look at this - Red Hot Pokers actually living! Hummers love them

Black eyed Susan vine - just starting to reach

Blue captures my attention but not the hummers too much

I've gone to a class to learn about fool-proof perennials (we'll see about that). 

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Went to the garden club sale and bought 5 plants I've never heard of for $3 each!  3 are blooming.  Hoorah.

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I have strawberries (ground cover) and raspberries (1 plant) making berries!  The blueberry plant looks sad.

Strawberries and Sprinkler Man

And now I have a pick-up bed trailer full of bark to spread.

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We have attracted so many birds this year.  Many hummingbirds.  Many butterflies and bees. 

poppy

May was a beautiful month here.  Record breaking for very little rain.  A few days in the 80's.  But mostly great gardening weather.