Lettuce Pray . . .

The raised bed garden is full of weeds from the summer so I decided to do some back porch gardening this fall. The only thing that interested me was the lettuces. I brought home Butter-crunch, Romaine and that old standby, Iceberg. Hope to get some spinach too. I also adopted a new rosemary since my transplanted monster rosemary didn't survive. This one can graduate up from pot to pot on my back porch. Isn't that where they are supposed to thrive anyway? At the back door? I went to the garden center looking for crotons for a huge golden yellow pot my husband bought this summer for his container garden, which was the overflow from the raised bed. I found a pretty potted mum too which I thought would go well with the bright colored pot and crotons. I think it all came together nicely and brightens up the porch. I already miss my big mosaic pot but this punch of color is a pretty good substitute for now! All that's left is to pray the Gardening Angels whisper "Grow! Grow!".
Except for the Hibiscus and Spirea, the back yard is barren of flowers and flowering shrubs after ripping everything out this past summer. We lost so many plants to a mysterious disease. All the Knock-Out Roses and the Indian Hawthorne died. The vegetable garden didn't thrive either. That was the first disappointing harvest we've ever had. I think we will sterilize the bed over the fall/winter by putting a tarp over it and letting the sun heat it up. I'll have to read up on that process again and get it started this upcoming weekend. Tony asked me to pick up a Farmer's Almanac. Maybe next spring we will plant on time!

I need to spend some time updating my garden journal. It's stuffed with seed packets and plant identification pokies and ideas. What? What's a pokie? You know! Those little white things the nursery pokes down into the plant to let you know what it is and where to plant it!

Happy Fall gardening!