I guess Broccoli is more tasty than Spinach.

Or at least some kind of pest thinks so.

Killed a new plant already...

This Saliva died within a week of buying it, I'm sure I either over watered it, or didn't have it in enough sun. It's a bummer because it had a really cool purple bloom.

Tulip Fail

So, we've had a really wet spring this year in CA, and while that is great for the ever-low water levels, and spring skiing, it's not so great for tulip bulbs as it turns out.  Today the National Gardening Association posted this on their Facebook page:

The National Gardening Association - Bonus Tip | Control Tulip Blight | During periods of cool, wet weather, botrytis blight disease causes blotchy leaves and flowers that die before opening. To prevent the disease, mulch bulbs so spores don't splash on the foliage and remove diseased plants and faded flowers.

The six bulbs I had outside totally have this. Only of the six got to the point of having a bit of the flower left - and that one probably won't open all the way.

More carnage

Ugh! I am so heartbroken... my Plectranthus 'Mona Lavender' which was was in full bloom and looking gorgeous(even more so than in the photo below which was taken a couple weeks ago), was completely destroyed, and not just destroyed - they took it with them to hide the evidence, so I can't even try to propagate it into more plants from the broken parts...All they left was a short little stump. Hopefully it will come back next year.

Roofing Carnage

Our place is being re-roofed today, and it's stressing me out. I have already spotted some destruction in the garden (my plumeria plant has been snapped in half). I don't even want to go look at anything else that might be destroyed. It's mostly annoying because I specifically asked if I should move some of the plants, and they said no they'll be fine. Clearly that's not the case.

Crushed Stevia Plant

I bought a couch off craigslist, and while we were bringing it in the front door, we crushed the Stevia plant that was in one of my strawberry pots. Three of the branches survived, but about 6 snapped off...I put the branches in a container with water in the hopes that they would spring some roots, but a couples days in, most of the branches were wilting. One of them didn't look bad, so I left it in the container with water, and took one and cut it up to try rooting it in dirt.

Veggie Garden Fail

 

So I'm declaring my Veggie Garden a Fail for this year, The only thing I have harvested from the garden is some super tiny cherry tomatos, everything else has either died or failed to produce, and everything is stunted in it's growth. those sunflowers? they are supposed to be 10 feet tall. The corn is only a foot tall, and the artichocke only has the same 3 leaves on it as it had when I bought it. Clearly the cheap soil I bought did not have the nutrients I needed for a lush veggie garden. and the fertilizer I used was not cutting it.

Stupid Squirrels

They attacked my veggie garden - the part that makes me mad is that they don't actually eat anything, they just chew off the good bits, and leave them there.

Winter Fail

Plants that did not make it through the winter:

 

 

Pentas - I'm a littlr sad about this plant dying, I thought It was very pretty - I think bringing this one inside for the winter might have saved it.

Two of my four Hibiscus - I'm not sure that they are gone forever, but they won't be blooming anytime soon.

Plumeria - I brought this plant in for the winter, and it did well until the end if winter, when I discovered that the leaces were covered in spider mites. the leaves have all fallen off, and I'm hoping it will come back.

Persian Sheild - This plant completely died. This is the second winter in a row, I must need to bring it inside for the winter, or just use it as an annual, but I never see them in the nurseries until late in the summer.

more to be listed...