Thanks! Mona, I LOVE the modern Tall Bearded Iris. I like big flowers and ruffles. And I want my iris to have a lot of impact.

I pop over to the Iris side sometimes but I drool so darn much that I don't go often. If I did, I'd spend all my daylily money on Iris. They are so hard to resist!!!

I am out of room. If I did have more room I would add more iris.

Have you started planting in your neighbor's yards yet?

Too funny. Honestly, the one neighbor in back of me whose backyard butts against mine has no idea how much I covet his backyard lawn space. I sure could do fantastic things with that space!

I was planting some annuals today, still have a flat of zinnias to do. But I planted a flat of marigolds, a flat of snapdragons, two six packs of Victoria Blue Salvia. I planted a potted Dahlia plant I bought yesterday. Can't grow dahlias from tubers for beans. I have tried so many times. All is ok if I cheat though and buy already potted and blooming plants! I also planted a six pack of Snow Peas and set up the stakes and ran string for them to climb up. Never grew Snow Peas before, I usually grow Sugar Snap Peas.

Now I just lugged ten bags of compost from out of the car (that I bought yesterday) and dropped them out in the lawn between the terraces garden and the tower square garden. Need to arrange the will be new tomato planting space, put bricks to outline (which I have) and drive stakes which will be every two plants. I have 8 tomatoes going there. I want to plant them tomorrow so I will just be happy if I actually make the gardenbed today.

Has anyone ever called you 'obsessed'?

I am worse than obsessed! I have all sorts of garden crazies and I know there is no cure.

I need my vegeables back. I used to grow a fair amount but then took over the backyard veggie patch and made it into daylily beds, an iris bed and lilies. Past two years only had about 15 tomato plants. Not happy. Also want my peas and beans and cukes and what not back. Planted cukes but have another four pack to plant. Will definately plant pole beans next week. I don't much like the bush kinds but I like my greenbeans to climb. I want more peas too but I am running out of time. Used to grow all that stuff and peppers, lettuce, beats, cantalopes, radish, lettuce and more.

Well, the area in front of the Little Tree Garden used to be the Lupine Garden but mostly the Lupines there died and only three left. I did not replace them this spring. The actual Little Tree in a pot (it is a Mulberry tree) had daylilies around it. So I planted Snapdragons there, red in the first row and yellow in the second. Well be planting more FRUIT PUNCH POPPY plants in back of the Snaps when those plants arrive.

Then the area immediately to the left is the area that started out as the annual garden. Slowly I got permant plants in there. Now I just plant Marigolds in the very front for color there as I have daffodils, poppies and lilies in that section.

I was planting those annuals (snaps and marigolds) there today and I think it looks nice with the addition of that extra color.

The last pictures is taken from further back so that you can see the tomato garden section that I fixed up last week and that is already planted.

Oh yeah. I am going to have tomatoes up the yazzoo this year what with planting 49 plants. I must be crazy.
I got too tired to finish on the new tomato garden area so I quit. I need to finish putting the bricks around. Pound in posts and then layer newspaper over grass so I can dump out those bags of compost. I am going to be planting in the compost, sorta like the lasangua method of gardening. But so far only have it laid out and centered were I want it.

I do not know what kind of go juice you take but would you please share!!! I got so tired today that I had to stop. My head started hurting(I don't get headaches), my back and legs just stopped, and I felt like I needed to sit and just be. So I ended up inside at 2pm and took a nap. I haven't had a nap in months but my body just shut down.

I'm better now but I sure did blow it today. I had so much that needed doing. I'm quite sure it'll still be there tomorrow.

Rita, your garden is so beautiful. I love all the beauty you have grown in you garden. Thanks so much for sharing all your hard work.

I would be interested in seeing how you plant those tomatoes in the compost. Not that I'm going to do it, just interested.

Dot

Tall Bearded Iris GOLDEN PANTER.



Iris HIGHLITER blooming in front of Columbines.

I so enjoy your enthusiasm and plants Rita!

And all of those that everyone shares.

We are 'one' in our garden passions, aren't we?

My enthusiasm is gone for the day and all I managed was to do that new tomato garden. I never had time to start planting the zinias. More work to get it done than I thought it would be. But it is all done and planted. I am so very, very pleased with it.

First picture after putting all the bricks around and starting the posts. I pounded them in enough to stand up here but I finished pounding them later.




Next picture it already looks like a garden. Pounded it the posts until they are all even. Put newsapaper on top of grass and dumped each bag of compost in each section were you had seen it laid out in the first picture. Then leveled it all out and set white plant stakes were I will place each plant.





Last picture tomatoes all planted. They are actually just in the compost and on top of the newspaper laid over the grass. So if your planning to do this, you have to use the small plants in those cell packs, not the big plants in the single bigger pots that you can get.

Done and it looks sooo good to me. In case your wondering about the weaving the plants are too small to start the weave. But basicly looking down the long way of four. Tie twine to end stake and pull tightly. Go around the outside of the first plant and then run the twine along the inside of the second. At the stake pull tightly and wind around twice then keep going and then come back along the opposite way from that already done. So each plant ends up being held by the two sides of the twine.






I have this set up so that I can put low early season veggies like radish and lettuce in the middile there between the two rows of tomatoes. They will be harvested by the time the tomatoe plants get large. I should have had lettuce and radished planted already but what can I say. I am doing the best I can.

Of course I don't have any lettuce plants or radish seeds but no big deal. The nurseries have plenty and I will get some. Also want more peas and pole bean seeds. I always start my own beans. It is so easy. Peas are easy too but I will go with more plants because it is late already. Also going to put some dill seeds to make dill plants.

I am so happy to be veggie gardening again even if my veggies are planted all around the garden in various places instead of in one plot like they used to be.

That yellow and white Iris is gorgeous

Love your Iris.

The tomatos are very interesting to me. My daddy grew his the last years of his life by simply laying a 2 cf bag of Miracle Grow on the ground. He punched a few holes in the back side before laying it down to allow for drainage. Then he cut a split in the center of the bag. Planted the tomato in the split. Watered it in and that was it. He kept it watered, but it took very little water. He had many many tomatos this way. He did stake them, if I remember.

Mona, I know that is an excellent way of growing tomatoes. The reason I didn't do it that way was only because of looks. This garden is near my back door and I would have to look at it all day. The bags just aren't that attractive!

I wondered about the shallow root system. Tomatoes usually like deep roots for strong, tall plants.

I will be anxious to see how yours grow Rita.

I plant mine in added compost each year at least 12 inches deep!

I do however suggest the paper over grass, compost on top for plantings. Just never did it without a foot depth.

And no plastic!

The Iris are just beautiful. Love them with a passion.

Bobbi, It means either waster lots each day and make sure they have fertilizer or just pile more compost on top. I usually do a combo of the two. By next year, the soil underneath becomes nice and workable. The shallow debth is not ideal for tomatoes but I was too lazy to dig and do it the "correct" way. But you can just grow a tomato plant in a compost bag on its side with slits cut in and plant. No deeeper than what I have set up. So it can be done.