You Load Sixteen Tons ...

Well, not exactly sixteen tons, but Tennessee Ernie Ford would have been proud of the way I carried the 22 bags of pond pebbles from the farm store to the back yard. I shoveled the pathway smooth, put down weed barrier cloth, and dumped, pushed, and shoved the rocks to form a walkway between the Shed Garden and the fence. The brown lump is part of a flower pot. I cut the bottom off and am using the ring as a protective collar for the trumpet vine planted there. A trellis will be added to the fence for it to climb on. I used the larger pond pebbles with the thought that they won't migrate as fast as pea gravel when stepped on, and won't start sinking as fast when the weed barrier rots away in a year or so. This was done a few days ago. I'm playing catch-up in the blog.
We're in a HOT spell this week ... upper 90s and humid. My friend NJ brought over four crape myrtle sprouts from her yard. I planted the biggest one in the front of the house, where it will get some morning sun and a lot of afternoon sun. As it grows, it will screen the length of the yard to create some privacy. I can't think of any other place in the yard for a crape myrtle, so I've listed the remaining three on Freecycle and the Midmogardeners lists. I marked it with an arrow, as it blends into the shadow. It was 82F at 7:30 am, when I finished watering it.

While I was outside the fence taking the photo above, I snapped this one of a daylily. It's one that I got at the master gardeners sale. I have no idea what its name is, but isn't it pretty with that little ring of orange in its throat?

On the way back into the house (where I plan to spend the rest of the day in air conditioned comfort!), I snapped this picture of the gladiolus bed. They were planted June 3, so they are 19 days along. You can almost watch them grow!