You Grow Girl™

This morning I went out and cut back the spent sage flowers. I don't know if it was the right thing to do (I've never had sage flower before) but I'm not worried about it. Sometimes you just have to go with what seems right rather than pouring through books looking for the "correct" answer. If you're wrong... well it's no big deal really. I can't keep up with the abundance of sage anyways.

Once the pruners came out I got scissor-happy. I cut back everything that looked like it needed cutting back and then I proceeded downstairs to deadhead old flowers. Then I did something I've never done before -- I cut off a lily stem. Every year at this time the lilies come up. They're beautiful, they're gorgeous, they smell amazing! But I feel this bizarre sense of obligation to the garden and to the community to leave them there. Let everyone enjoy them! Blah blah blah. And every year some jerk gets the idea that they want the lilies for themselves and they rip the flowers off with their bare hands leaving sad, ravaged stems in their place. I suppose I should be happy that at least they don't take the bulb as well. So this year I said "Screw the community" I took one for myself. I made a nice clean cut with the pruners, removed lower leaves, placed it in water, set it on my desk and now for once I get to enjoy the fruits of my labour for my selfish, greedy self! Ha!

As an aside these suckers smell STRONG! I just may pay for my selfishness yet with a big ole headache.

I took another 95 photos this morning. I take approximately 300+ photos of plants a week during the summer! You may be wondering how many pictures are possible with the limited space I have. This is no acre plot I'm dealing with here. Yet I do manage to fit a lot of plants into such a small space. I tend to take the same photos repeatedly, but I never seem to grow tired of the subject matter. New things are flowering and changing everyday. One day I'd like to go to the bother of putting these photos into some kind of book to document what I've done. Not only has my gardening improved, but so has my photography skills. I take so many closeups you can probably call me a plant pornographer.

The Borage

The first borage flower came out yesterday afternoon. I wish I'd bothered to take the camera out when I saw it because it was a soft water-colour-looking mix of light blue and pinks. But this morning when I went out to photograph it, it had transformed to mostly blue. I love how the flower is delicate, yet covered in prickly hairs. Apparently it tastes like cucumber (a number of people have substantiated this) but I can't try it because I am allergic to just about any plant that is prickly or hairy. I'm not bothered to take the risk of a scratchy, itchy throat in order to try it.

Basil

The basil is growing larger by the day. I did a count this morning and it turns out I am growing 13 different varieties of basil!

Here's a running list: