May Toes! or tomatoes

Grand daughter spent the night with us this week.
Early that next morning,  she helped me pick her favorite vegetable from our little backyard garden.
She calls them " may toes" and she always says it with exclamation,
Elizabeth is a very enthusiastic toddler.  

she has some crazy bed hair, doesn't she?
I brushed it a little but decided it look cute and to just let her momma deal with it.  

the sad saga of our hydrangeas

In 2007, we bought 3 hydrangeas and planted them in our front yard.

They are all still living but have not bloomed much.  

Manuela 

has been so kind and given me lots of advice on what she does for her hydrangeas.

Water them lots.

Feed them lots.

Don't prune them. 

Mulch them.  

I've consistently done all that.  I was even able to start 6 new plants from the store bought plants.  

I started looking for buds early this spring,  there were lots of nice green leaves but.......

only 2 buds!

total --- 

on 9 plants!  

Both buds turned into healthy looking flowers and I finally cut them to bring them inside to enjoy.  

 I am taking care of the plants all summer and I think maybe last year's hottest summer ever could be to blame for the lack of buds.  

But if you guys don't bloom in 2013,  I am going to dig you up and move you somewhere else!  

Easy plants to grow

Zinnias that are from seeds harvested from last year's zinnias

more zinnias

red and white petunnias
portulacca
and an aspargus fern that has really grown a lot

portulacca,  also called moss rose or dessert rose,  in a strawberry pot.