To the Dahlia Thief

Dear Idiot:

I am so glad you liked my dahlias enough to want to take one home. Next time, please just take the flowers, and leave the plant, instead of pulling it up completely. That way I can share blossoms with others who pass by my garden.

Thank you.

Garden in High Summer

The garden seems to be doing quite well this year. It helps that we've had nicely timed rains, so that my lax watering has gone unnoted by the plants. The tomato vines look fabulous. I even have a little box of herbs that are holding their own, even looking quite good.

I have decided I need more daylilies. They emerge from the green this time of year with a lovely burst of color, bringing out the textures behind. My yellow daylilies are scented, but on the right side of the garden, the perfume is overpowered by great-grandmother's rose. The front daylilies are also unnamed, I got them from my mom. She had bought one of those big collections- I think from White Flower Farm? some years ago, the kind where they send you a mish-mash of types they've decided not to market, so you can even name them if you wish. Late next month I should have some very dark, spidery-looking rebloomers from them, but for now I just have the sharp orange one and the rich apricot. Love them. If I find myself with some time this fall, I may even order a set for myself. I need more daylilies. Really.

The dahlias in the front are also looking splendid. I even have some mums blooming, which came back from last year. When we first moved in, we had a whole bank of them, and lots of black-eyed susans, but they're al gone now. I may reintroduce the susans. These new dahlias are smaller than the ones I planted when we moved in (those aren't blooming yet), but the intensity of the red is amazing. I use dahlias as annuals, and count it a bonus if they re-appear, which they tend to do in the front garden- the house protects things from frost.

We are also quite proud of our little vegetable patch! The boys planted sunflowers, zinnias, and pumpkins, and all seem to be growing fine at this point. it was put in a little late, so I don't know if we'll get any real results. I also lined some tomatoes down the side. We bought a lot of tomato plants this year. When I was young, the Perrygos all vied to have tomatoes by the Fourth of July, but we are not even close this year. Again, things got put in late.

Hopefully, though, I'll have pics of sunflowers and pumpkins in a month or two!