Seeds of Wisdom from Dad

Rhode Island hydrangeas

Hi, friends! How was the weekend? The wedding was absolutely beautiful and it's tough getting back to reality. I wouldn't mind spending a week longer in Rhode Island to enjoy the beaches, history, and amazing food. One of the beautiful things about Rhode Island is the abundance of hydrangea bushes. They were everywhere! I considered bringing some back in my carry-on, but they didn't quite fit :)

While we're on the topic of plants, I thought I would share some thoughts and advice from my Dad:

For those settling into their first house, one way to spruce up the yard/garden, is to ask family/friends/neighbors to share some of their (and your) favorite plants.  Most gardens and perennial plantings need to be split periodically, and rather than toss them out, they can find a good home elsewhere. 

OR (and we'll be doing some soon), when renovating a garden or planting area, sometimes specimens just don't fit or work anymore.  Why not give them to someone else that can use them?  Don't encourage taking every piece of junk or castoff or orphan plant.  If it doesn't fit in your yard, then don't bother.  But for those that are starting with nothing (someone we know), something is better than nothing.  If it doesn't work out, you didn't invest anything in it other than some time, care, and water.

Thanks for the tips, Dad! We definitely appreciate the rose bushes and transplanting/splitting help from a month ago. How about a status update on the rest of the plants?

"before" from May, "after" from June

Current "after" in July



Everything seems to be doing well, except for the peppers and oregano. No peppers yet and the oregano isn't very big. On the other hand, the watermelon is about to take over everything! The basil is getting bushy since we've used it for pesto, salads, and sandwiches. And of course the zucchini plants are giant! We even have some pretty good sized zucchini. One tomato is ready to go, and hopefully more are on the way.

I can't wait for juicy watermelon and zucchini bread and cake!

How's your garden doing? Have you been able to enjoy anything from it yet?
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