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Thanks for sharing in my enthusiasm sis :) Thank god I got the pink yarrow moved to the back corner before the roofers annihilated the perimeter. The moonshine yarrow was not as lucky, but I did clean it up as best I could. <3 u.

Awe, I know mom. I'm so sorry for what you're going through it's all consuming, emotionally difficult and just hard in general. Be sure to get out into nature to counter all the stress ok. It's really important. Glad you liked this little yarrow vid. I'm working on a video with life snips from April till now and then a little garden update. I'll share it with you when it's done :) Sending hugs. Love you mom. xoxox

I love this comment Heather, thank you! I'll be excited to see yours when she blooms. And yes, Yarrow is just a powerhouse of medicinal uses. I too hope to someday make tinctures and balms :) That makes sense about the color varying depending on region and soil. Do you think it's possible that this light pink is actually the medicinal white?

@@LauraLea1978 I do think that it's the medicinal one! It will look so pretty when you have all those yarrow blooming in all those colors along your house! Did your yarrow bloom it;s first year?

@@heatherfoley4945 Thanks Heather! So I was watching Rosemary Gladstar's video on Yarrow (czcams.com/video/QiVymj446dg/video.html) and she says that the light pink is just as medicinal as the white - I'm thrilled to hear this! As to your question, no...I started the light pink last year from seed (thinking it was white) and it just put on it's lovely leaves. This spring it bloomed for the first time, but still not in all it's entirety. As they say...the first year perennials sleep, the next year they creep and the third year they leap! Can't wait for next years showing. Something about this plant is so dreamy, I could stare at it for hours.

Technology is great...when it works :) Glad you eventually got your mail and I'm so happy you enjoyed the video. I enjoy making and sharing them :) Gardening would definitely not be the same without my best buddy Bobo. I'm most excited this year for having started some queen cherise yarrow from seed. Of course it will take a few years for it to reach it's full glory, but then it will just become the gift that continues giving. I envision a lot of different shades of yarrow on the south side of the house, it's one of my long time goals. So far I have established white and yellow so pink will be a nice addition. Love you too mom <3

You're the best for even watching Annie. Thanks for sharing in my world :) Love you sis <3

Not only is lemon balm a perennial, but it's a tough perennial. I can't believe the little pots of it survived the winter in the garage. Last night I just about used up the last of my dry lemon balm in a cup of tea so I'm excited to replenish my supply. Yes, I love that sound of the rain too, it's so nice right. I newest pink yarrow variety that I started from seed won't bloom until next year I think, but this year I should have yellow & white, I'm also super excited. Funny you should mention the cart color. I had my heart set on blue, but the yellow was so much cheaper so... yellow it is :) It's grown on me for sure.

So glad you liked it Heather! I really enjoyed making it :) You're so right about lettuce being pretty it really is! I always get a kick out of how sturdy lettuce seedlings are when the seeds are so tiny and delicate.

It was a pleasure sharing my experience, thank you so much for your comment :) Yup, low temps are very important for exactly the reason you mentioned. Enjoy those walnuts!

PS will send photos via text message love!

That's awesome Heather! Way to find the silver lining :) Isn't that mother natures way...nothing goes to waste. I love that idea of roasting the last of my cherry tomatoes, I think that could work! The flavor is there, although muted a bit and they are just a yucky consistency from all the rain and maybe also the cooler nighttime temps? Roasting just might be the ticket. Billowy cosmos forest, I like that :) They are full on slumping and completely out of control haha.

Thanks for sharing in my enthusiasm :)

My pleasure, so glad you enjoyed it :)

Hi Eric :) It took me a minute, but I get it now! BOBO!!!! Haha, love it. How's Grapes of Wrath?

Why Ma here says take them plants o' yourn & sell 'em in the market. Why a fella can get two bits a plant. Git you somepin to et hamburg potatoes, fifteen cent loaf a bread, coffee, maybe some sugar. Ma I tell her out west they's a grapes a just a hanging over the raods & fruit trees pears n peaches n oranges why I hear the way one fella tells it they's a whole pile a pears n oranges n peaches why you can't go nowhere without the fruit just a droppin into yer lap.

@@LaterGator1446 Haha, nice reply, very creative. Dave loves Steinbeck and has read a lot of his novels. He got me into East of Eden, by reading it aloud to me. What an epic story, it really transported me. Steinbeck is an amazing writer, enjoy!

Thanks for sharing in my enthusiasm for the garden, and my relief about Bobo, Heather, you're the best :) I appreciate your broad knowledge of gardening and all your great suggestions, thank you! The season has definitely changed here this last week. I relocated most all of my potted plants to the south side of the house where they can still get sun. The biggest issue at the moment is the squirrels who keep burying their nuts in all the pots and disturbing the plants, haha. I added some larger rocks to the pots after work today, hopefully that deters them. Cozy winter tidings right back at cha :)

Absolutely! One of the hardest gardening tasks for me is getting the soil in my raised beds ready. The high clay content makes it incredibly difficult. The last couple years I've been working on amending the soil and each year it gets easier, but not as easy as just filling up a small container :)

I'm thrilled you enjoyed it. Thank you so much for watching!

This year I started using sulfur powder, which I apply with a little puffer duster. It saved our roses this year from the dreaded black spot fungus and it's kept the powdery mildew off my zinnias completely and it's almost mid-September. I highly recommend it! You do have to be careful not to breath it in and it will make your clothes smell so be sure to use it safely if you go try it out. Also, you never want to apply it right on the flowers (just the foliage) or it will kill the pollinators, and I don't use it on my edibles either. We have our fair share of pests, and in my opinion they are one of the most difficult obstacles. Hell, there really are so many aren't there. Right now Dave and I are dealing with wasps and hornets, it's been stressful to say the least. Good gardeners (and really, just successful people in general) are people who have the perseverance and determination to learn from the setbacks and find solutions. I know you fall into that category mom and I know your upcoming season is going to be amazing.

I read all the comments and saw the info about sulfur powder! Looks like I will give it a try as my zinnias ALL had horrible leaf spot fungus! And the zucchini were white with powdery mildew.

Yes, I highly recommend it :)

You're knowledge of plants is amazing Heather, thanks for sharing about the long leaf plantain. It's a strong little plant that really wants to live and I'm growing quite fond of it :) My sister Heather's birthday is in August too, what a cool coincidence! Hope you had a lovely day. I've been using a little powder duster with sulfur powder on my zinnia leaves this year and it's really kept the diseases, particularly powdery mildew, at bay. It can make your clothes smell a little if you get hit with the cloud of dust, and you gotta be careful not to breath it in, but it's been a life saver in the garden this year, especially for our climbing roses this past spring. I have off this week for a "staycation" and I think I'll work on getting my perennials tucked into larger pots for the winter. If I can do that now I agree I think they'll make it :) Thanks so much for watching and sharing in my enthusiasm. This particular video was a real labor of love.

@@LauraLea1978 Enjoy your time off! I hope your high temps break soon too. I looked up sulfur and it's interesting. I'll look into it some more. With all your success I think adding some cactus flowering zinnia would be fun, maybe red ones! Maybe you could even experiment with overwintering your peppers. (If you have the space) You really are getting skilled with editing. Take care! =)

@@heatherfoley4945 Thanks! You take care too Heather. And yes, that really hot weather is behind us now... Autumn is officially in the air =)

We have Stellar Jay's in this area, but that nest is Scrub Jays. They're both really stunning birds and yes, they were definitely sounding the alarm. Probably because of Bobo... who is indeed the very sweetest garden companion. Hmmm, a favorite zinnia? Hard to choose, but at the moment I'm really loving the yellow one. Second runner up would be a light pink one that almost looks salmon. I'm thrilled I'm getting some blooms, I wasn't sure if it was going to work out this year.

Bobo is doing great. He takes a lot of naps in a day and I always recognize when he's in search of a place to curl up. :20 was just one of those times. However, with all of the other cats that come through the yard, he often finds it difficult to figure out a "safe" place to go to sleep which is why he moved along. As for me, I'm doing great too. Aside from being chronically sleep deprived which is partly my own fault.

Haha, yes! And great suggestions Heather, thanks :) I definitely need to move that bushel down to our basement when it's nice and cool.

Yeah…then you could replicate Paneras Fuji apple salad :)

Yes thanks, it's really looking lovely this year. I'm especially fond of the foxglove corner and my corn volunteer. Still waiting on all my zinnias, but at least some of them have started to bloom. So excited for more flowers!

Awe, thanks Heather! I agree, that purple is definitely sizing up to be awesome :) Orange and white eh. That tells me I have been incredibly lucky with the colors I've gotten over the years. The teddy's are indeed ridiculously cute. Thanks for the tip on the onions, I'll look into that! And thanks, I'll do my best to stay cool and hydrated :)

Thanks so much Heather, you're a wonderful plant mom too :) That is so exciting that you recognize the mystery yellow flower! And you gotta be joking, that is too funny on the corn. It must have been planted by a squirrel or bird. I love it <3

@@LauraLea1978 I see a patch of corn in your future...next year maybe...hahaha!

@@heatherfoley4945 LOL, I hope so :) Thanks for the tip on shaking it when the tassels come on! I'm thrilled to have such an epic volunteer.

I love your positivity Heather :) I hope you guys are right!

They are like little miracles :) It definitely gives me purpose, and gives me a reason to spend the best part of the year outside. Minus the fn mosquitos!

Thanks for the feedback Heather, I will rub the leaves and see if I can smell a lemon scent. I sure hope so, I was bummed on the zero germination rate. I'm super excited about the black eyed susans, and yes they're adorable already. And thanks for the name of the annoying frothers...spittlebugs... that's the perfect name for them.

@@LauraLea1978 As a kid we called them spit bugs. You are so patient with growing so many herbs from seed. I'm going to get some red yarrow seed inspired by you and your success!

@@heatherfoley4945 I'm stoked to have inspired you :) I need some red yarrow too! Maybe next year. Spit bugs, haha - but in all seriousness that's what they do. They're so funky, what the hell.

I usually don't have the heart to cull either. However this year I did pluck a few sickly zinnia seedlings. It was easy because they really did look weak and I had plenty of other viable plants. So if you're going to cull go for the weak ones. If you still have too many you could prick them out and respace them :)

I"m so pleased you liked it mom, thanks for watching! Yes, you're right about the Russian Red Kale. Oh my god, the calendar...I seriously had the best feeling wash over me when I flipped the page to May and saw the blank slate. It was a mix of elation and peace...a very nice combo :) Much love your way as well. I don't always email you guys links to my videos so be sure to keep tabs on my channel for all the progress reports. It's at this link czcams.com/channels/lici7Gj5XmBaBlfHLtv77w.html

Aww, thank you so much Heather :) And me too! I hope I can deliver on those = )

Awww, thanks Heather :) He's our neighbors cat who spends a lot of time in our yard. Even though I've been inside and he's been out it still feels like we've been chilling together. He was there in that spot almost all day today again. Oh my goodness, you've got 6 cats, that is a more than a handful! When we babysit Bobo I get a taste of all the work it can be keeping a cat happy. He's got me wrapped around his little paw so I'm always super eager to please him. I can attest to the fact that they don't always bring peace into life, haha.

I'm speechless, that is such a beautiful comment (mom or Eric). Not sure which of you wrote that. Thank you, that's spot on! Love you guys <3 xoxox

I was so moved to receive this message Heather, thank you so much. It went well today. I'm feeling a peace I haven't felt in a long time.

@@LauraLea1978 That's fantastic! Healing will come and this too shall pass.

It felt great, like I was coming out of hibernation :)

I'll send you a proper copy :) Had to get a shot of me and my Teddy's :)

Thanks for sharing in my enthusiasm mom, I love sharing pictures of all my babies. What a crazy season this was, I honestly can't believe I pulled it off. You know how much harder it is to raise all your plants from seed. The moonflowers have been queens of the garden this year and have added so much beauty into the mix. I'm so glad I had more than one plant, they are the best. They took forever to germinate, in fact I thought it wasn't gonna happen and then just when I gave up on them they broke the surface. Someone in a gardening forum told me to file or nick the seed to help with germination. I'll be sure to share seeds back with you :) Rainy season...oh yuck. We had torrential rains all the way into July so I am not ready to even think about rain again for awhile. It's coming though...you can feel that September chill in the air already. Love you <3 xoxo

Thanks for sharing my enthusiasm sis :)

That catnip experience was wild. The cat was literally putting his whole body all over the plant - mauling it really. Bobo still could care less, what gives? I need to look into why some cats react to it and others don't. I know Bobo is fixed and that may be why, but I am not 100% sure. Annie, the basil is so amazing. The goal was to grow and dry as much as I could for the winter. I had such a small yield last year, but I did dry it and it was like a flavor explosion. I was super impressed and a little sad when we ran out. I need to harvest a bunch this weekend and get some more drying. I'm out of fish emulsion so I want to pick leaves while the picking is still good :) That's kind of you to say that about my flowers. I still think this year's zinnia's have nothing on last years flowers, but you know what, the Teddy's are better this year. Those freakin Teddy's are my fav. I'm not sure if the bees can gather pollen from them though and if that's the case I may need to switch to something that can feed the sweet little buzzers. Hell, who am I kidding....I'm addicted to Teddy's :) And the moonflowers, oh my god! I'll probably make a video just about them so I can showcase some of the amazing footage I've gotten. They have been absolute queens of the garden this year. PS: Zucchini #3 is ripening. I think it will be the last one, but that's an improvement over last year - which was basically zero.

He is a sweet cat indeed. We are lucky to have each other :) His meows are funny. You should hear him when he concedes to munk after a face off. He meow talks and it's real whiny and loud. We can hear it when we're inside sometimes. Usually you'll look outside and see him walking home looking defeated. It's funny, but also sad. I'll run out to console him if I have a minute. It's usually nothing a good pet and a little quality time can't fix. However, when him and munk actually go at it Bobo is traumatized for days after. He gets so skittish and jumpy - he basically can't relax. That breaks my heart.

Hey Heather :) No actually, they are no relation. Lol about the collar, it "is" so goofy. His mom puts that on him to help make him more visible to the local birds. And everything else for that matter, haha.

@@LauraLea1978 He looks cute...I wonder if it actually helps. I have a hunter cat, Wilder, I've tried collars w/ bell but they're break-away and he looses them quickly. Unfortunately butterflies can't hear bells =(

Hahaha

@@heatherfoley4945 I'm not sure, but when he loses a collar his mom replaces it right away. She must be convinced it works to be so consistent. It would be worth a try for your hunter :)

Oh mom, I'm really feeling for you. What a brutal double whammy. I'm so pleased that this little video brought you some much needed pleasure, and how exciting that you found some seeds! I still plan to mail you some more, but I move at a glacial pace so I'm stoked you have some on hand. Speaking of hands, yours will be back in the soil soon enough and this blip of hell will be a distant memory. Hang in there <3 xoxox

Thanks sis :) With the main blooms done and dead headed on most of the Teddy's, the remaining blooms are smaller and the plants totally have different heights and overall looks in general. They're cool little plants, albeit stunted a bit this year, but still adorable :) Yes, I am so glad to have gotten those last two stragglers into the ground. My motto this year has totally been "better late than never".

Glad you enjoyed it mom. I'm loving' it too :)

Beautifully said mom :)

Not pudding??? Duh! Footing!