In the Garden

My mom and I spent about an hour yesterday doing maintenance in the garden: trimming back the herbs, clipping dead stems back, sweeping out spider webs, and saving a tree from an invasive vine. My Basil plant is getting huge! (Actually, there's 3.)  At the end of every planting year I tell myself that next year I'm not going to buy as much Basil. They always seem so small and helpless when you first buy them. Then they get gigantic and bush-like. For perspective, the Basil is on my mom's right. This is after we cut it back. Also, I've always been told that you're not supposed to let herbs go to seed, because it ruins the flavor of the leaves. But The Complete Guide To Basil  says that you should cut back the blooms in order to keep the plant growing. Plus, I really don't want it to reseed itself. I know some people are comfortable with a very wild, untamed looking garden, but I have a slight case of the tidies with mine. 

 On a more positive note, I thought I lost this Thyme after our last heat wave. Yesterday I went to cut back the dead stuff, and there were tiny little leaves underneath. :D I squealed and did a little dance! I like thyme much more than oregano, and the flowers are so pretty! I also enjoy the way it starts to climb over the edge of the wall like it's trying to escape from the Tarragon.

 Here's a shot of a bee in my sunflowers... He kept moving, though, so it came out blurry. I really enjoy watching bees, and don't mind getting very close to them. I love to see them with pollen covering their hairy little legs, because it means more flowers, sweeter honey from the local beekeepers, and an overall healthy garden.

 I'm not sure what this is, but it has pretty leaves and was in our wildflower mix that came from the Wildseed Farms. Mom and I visited once when over in San Antonio where my brother lives, and every year we order flower seeds from them. They have quite a variety for all over the US, but I particularly like some of the Southwest varieties.

 This is a Laura Bush Petunia.

 And best of all, my Bougainvillea plants are coming back! It took forever, and I thought the frost killed them, but they started to send out little shoots from the roots about a month or two ago. Now they're about 18" tall, and starting to flower again! I planted them because they reminded me of cool summer evenings in Greece.

 Here's a close-up of the Basil leaves.

 And a close-up of the moderately large but extremely scary looking spider that was hanging out near my hand while I was taking the previous photo. I have an extreme aversion to spiders. It makes me a bit of a bad gardener, but if I see a web, there's no way I'm putting my hand near a plant. Which I feel is justified in a desert where nearly everything is poisonous, especially Brown Recluse spiders and Black Widows.

The healthy Thyme (can't remember which variety) with pretty pinkish-white blossoms on it.