We have a large disparity in our hardy hibiscus plants in the front garden. The one on the left in the picture above was planted first, at the beginning of last season and is so happy to be here. The one on the right was planted at the end of the last season, and it struggling. They are different varieties of hardy hibiscus, but the difference in their appearance of health is vast. The one on the right I purchased because of the variegated leaves and dark red blooms. When I purchased it, it looked a little sad, but it was the end of the season, so I thought that explained it. Hm. Nope. I do want to plant another hibiscus in this area, something with a dark or true red bloom. I will have to be wary of sadness. I will not pull the sad plant, but give it another season to see if it can establish a healthy root system, and get grounded.

So excited! The oakleaf hydrangea we planted last year has bloomed! Granted, it has two blooms, but right now it only has two stems, so not many opportunities for more blooms, yet. I’m taking this as a sign that it is happy. As it establishes deeper roots, I hope it will develop more branches and overall size. There is an oakleaf hydrangea in the town gardens that is over eight feet tall. It will take years to get to that magnificence.

I am giving it a regular application of neem oil, peppermint oil, and castor soap to keep the grasshoppers from snacking it to death.

I walked past the bulbs in a jar in the store, then turned around to get one. We don’t have any tulips, and there was an orange one available on the shelf, according to the picture.

My thought was I could reuse the container to force more bulbs, and the orange bulbs could be planted once the flowers were spent.

The tulips bloomed, but looked very strange, not like the picture at all, or like a classic tulip. I believe these are peony tulips, which are still tulips, but they have multiple sets of petals instead of a single set seen in a classic tulip. I’m not sure how I feel about them; it seems they are trying too hard. We have triple day lilies growing out front, and I feel the same about them. Showy, but not elegant.

I’m not sure how the bulbs will do outside once they’ve been forced inside, but we’ll give it a go to see.

Hurray! I was able to harvest strawberries from the garden patch before the other critters!

I’m thinking that planting the strawberries in with the mint was an unintentionally smart move. I have since read that slugs and snails don’t care for mint. So far, it does seem that the mint is giving the strawberries some protection. Or the critters just don’t know there is something to be had yet. Hm.