Emotional Blooms

I don't always say nice things about my morning glories.  If plants are sensitive to human emotions at all, I'm pretty sure the morning glories have received some pretty nasty vibes from me.  These vines sprout up in every bed, so I'm constantly weeding them from where they don't belong.  They must only pick up on the joy I get at ripping them apart, though, because they haven't held it against me and are repaying my irritation with some of the most beautiful blooms in my garden right now.  Of course, more blooms means more seeds, which means they are going to be even harder to manage next year, but I'm going to try not to think about that. 

You will have to excuse all the flower pictures lately, but since we have been spending so much time at our little farm house, and making more and more progress, I've become nearly sappy about my plants.  I've been known to roam around the yard mumbling to my flowers and trees and dreading leaving them.  Even if it's still a long while before we move, and even if I take as many of them with me as I can, I'm going to miss my yard.  

Not that everything is exactly the way I wish, but even the plants that I wish I had never planted, like the terrible morning glories, I know personally.  When we bought our house ten years ago, it was just grass with a chain link fence.  Not even nice grass, really.  And because I prefer plants with a story, many of them have been transplanted from friends and family, gifted to me, or salvaged from abandoned gardens or work projects.  

I have tried to incorporate as many native species of trees, shrubs, and wildflowers as I could, which isn't to everyone's liking (they're not weeds!).  And based on the responses of the men in my life who have tried to mow the grass or use the trimmer, I've made lawn maintenance a very difficult job.  Pruning and trimming all the shrubs and perennial food plants, like the blackberries, asparagus, strawberries, pear trees, and herbs, is a very physical job that would only be enjoyable to someone who is really into it.  So, I'm trying to brace myself for when the next person who cares for this yard just cuts down all the weeds wildflowers and trees to make it easier to mow.  That's why I keep taking pictures of everything now, in case it's the last time I see them at this time of year.  sniff.  

The morning glories are seriously out of control!  This corner of the garden normally has semi organized food plants.  It always has it's fair share of weeds too, but this year I've completely surrendered to the morning glory vines.  I was gone so much this summer, that I decided my gardening strategy was to do all maintenance on the things that were already growing before I could plant more things.  No planting unless everything was weeded, watered, and harvested.  I'm glad I didn't over extend myself, but I have no idea what to do about all these vines.  I enjoy the flowers, and the chickens like to eat the blossoms too, so I will wait until they are finished putting on a show, and then tackle them.  

The under appreciated tomato blossom.  Cute, huh?  

Do I dare take morning glory seeds with me to the farm?  What if they completely take over, and I have ten acres of morning glory vines?!  I think it could happen, so maybe not.  

But they are so pretty.  But so bad!  No, Rain, no morning glories when you move!

Not everything in the garden is flowers.  I make so much almond basil pesto tonight that we should be able to have pesto pizza's all winter, and I still have basil ready to be picked.