Just thought I would check in with everyone. The weather here has been totally off the wall this past couple of months. The last couple of days have had flooding diasters all around us. Forutnately, while we received some crazy inches of rain, we managed to not suffer the flooding of areas very close to us. I know others are having extreme heat, which is headed here starting tomorrow. When Mother Nature gets in these moods, it can have some serious impacts on our gardens, our homes and our lives. So I just wanted to check in with all of you to see how you all are doing. I know not everyone is being impacted by these extreme weather conditions, but for those who are I just wanted you to know that we are thinking about you. If there's anything we can help with, please don't hesitate to reach out. We have members in all 50 states and I'm sure if someone can help they would be happy to.🪴

Today is National Red Rose Day! I know a number of you love to grow roses. Whether they are red, white, yellow, or pink - roses are always stunning. Share some pics of your roses with us to celebrate - even if they aren't red.

Have you ever looked around your garden in June and noticed something? The vegetables are growing. The herbs are thriving. But some of the containers still feel a little... plain. That's where flowers come in. Whether you're gardening on a patio, balcony, porch, or deck, flowers can transform an ordinary container into a colorful focal point that brightens your entire space. And here's the good news: 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬. If you have an empty pot or a container that could use a little extra personality, these flowers are ready to get to work. 🌼 𝐙𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐬: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐢𝐳𝐞: 3 gallons or larger 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭: Full Sun 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦: Zinnias are one of the easiest flowers you can grow from seed. They love heat, tolerate summer weather, and produce blooms in a wide range of bright colors. 𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐮𝐬 The pollinators love them too. Bees and butterflies will visit frequently once the flowers begin blooming. 𝐏𝐫𝐨 𝐓𝐢𝐩 Remove spent blooms regularly to encourage even more flowers. 🧡 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐬: 𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐢𝐳𝐞: 1–3 gallons 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭: Full Sun 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦: Marigolds bring cheerful yellow, orange, and gold blooms to containers all summer long. They're also known for helping attract pollinators and beneficial insects. 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭 Try tucking marigolds into vegetable containers alongside tomatoes, peppers, or cucumbers. 🌺 𝐍𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐮𝐦𝐬: 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐄𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐢𝐳𝐞: 2–5 gallons 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭:: Full Sun to Partial Sun 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦: Nasturtiums offer beautiful flowers and attractive round leaves. But here's what makes them unique: Both the flowers and leaves are edible. Many gardeners add them to salads for a colorful, peppery kick. 𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐮𝐬 They spill beautifully over the edges of containers. 🌞 Cosmos: Effortless Summer Beauty 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐢𝐳𝐞: 3–5 gallons 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭: Full Sun 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦: Cosmos thrive in summer heat and produce delicate blooms that sway in the breeze.

Every year in the garden, or container garden has at least one new lesson for me. What is your lesson for the year? Mine: Lemon Grass needs more winter light than I can give it at this time. Even though it goes semi-dormant in cool weather, it needs temperatures above 50* F and bright light to survive. I can give it the temperature, but where I am has no natural light in the winter.

I usually prefer to use smallish transplants so they grow into their space. I also don't have enough light inside to get things going well, so I have to delay seeding in the transplants. But, here are some of the containers that I just planted as a demo video. I'm still editing. 1) Growing onions out for seed with parsley and kale in my random weave basket 2) Chives in a coffee can 3) Garden sage and hen and chicks in a broken bucket 4) Sweet Bay and thyme in a goodwill find 5) Wild strawberries and chives in a refrigerator veg tray. It will be fun watching them develop and fill in.