Garden goods and bads

I could say a few bad apples have grown in my garden this season. But when I say "apples" I mean my veggie plants. It's time to take off my gardener gloves and show you more than just pretty pictures this time. But first, a happy story ...

A few years ago, I read about the candy corn vines in our local newspaper. I absolutely loved them. They boast a punch of color and furry flowers — not to mention that candy corn is one of my favorite fall sweets. But I was too late to the greenhouse that year to pick up my own and for years afterward, I could not find them ...

... Until this year! I was scoping out the clearance flowers at Stein and there they were. Tons of them! I wanted to buy a cart-full but I restrained myself with two. They are labeled as annuals so I wasn't going to get much more out of them this year. Sometimes growers can get them to come back so my fingers are crossed. I'm trying one outside and one inside — the out is winning so far.

So from here on out, let's keep it honest and show you a pretty for every pathetic. The following is why I call myself an amateur gardener.

The white hydrangeas turned peachy pink in August.


My onions never got bigger. I thought I did better with spacing them apart this year, too.


The bees are indulging in the the front-yard sedum.


My cucumber plants are a bit stunted. A few of them have been "growing" since July.

The exotic toad lilies are still popping and the two other varieties are about to do the same.


Blight is hitting my peppers hard. I don't think we're getting a second sweet pimiento one.

What I thought looked like weeds throughout the summer finally bloomed! The turtlehead chelone is producing tons of pretty pink flowers per stem.


At least the oregano is happy in the crate. The spinach never looked awesome enough to pick. Now some mystery chives and a strangler marigold are poking out.

Good tomato.


Bad tomatoes. Well, the Early Girls in the sad hanging container are. Just below it, the Sugar Shack cherry tomatoes from last year somehow planted themselves into the rocks and RUG. The sprawling plant doesn't look pretty but it's certainly producing.

Let's get back to the all good. More specifically, check out this delicious strawberry in my first set of greeting cards. You can buy a 6-pack now in my Etsy shop. And a new set is coming soon.