just before

the freeze, I took these pictures. My older sister sent me a packet of wildflower seeds (deer resistant). It was late in the season, but I scattered them in one of the empty garden beds. And some grew! They came up a month or so ago. This is definitely a marigold- and one of the few left still alive after the chill.

These I think are alyssum

and this one came up in the middle of something else, looks like a monarda

I don't recognize the others- and it was hard to tease out the small weeds from among some of them

but they're all done for now anyways, from the cold

remembered plants

Some pics from last year, that reflect this year. I lost one of my pink geraniums (it died) but the two looked so similar, I shrugged it off.

Never grew nasturtiums this year, so I look at this photo with nostalgia.

Right now my bay laurel (which comes indoors on the coldest nights) and basil (fading fast) look just like this. But what strikes me about this picture is the madagascar palm houseplant behind them on the other side of the window. Look how lovely the foliage! It's all dropped. The plant looks like a cactus stick now. It just barely started growing leaves back a week ago, but they're very small. I don't know if it's temperature not right for that plant in my house, or lack of direct sun.

I'm sad about my rosemary, too. It looked pretty good last year (this pic). Now thinner, needles anemic and yellowish. My first thought was: not enough sun, but I also suspect an insect pest might have gotten to it.

Sigh. Another plant I miss is the pretty, diminutive alyssum. I didn't grow any from seed this year- hoping a few might come up of their own accord in the front bed. Nope. Not a single one- or if they did, got choked out by the mock strawberry and sedums. This purple one was from the year before:

out front

In the front bed, my sweet alyssum plants have grown into decent clumps and flowered after all. Pinks:

and purples. Still not very visible from the sidewalk, say- but enough I'm encouraged to try growing more next year.

Also pleased well the chrysanthemums look, since their move forwards- the additional light has helped. Even though think I forgot to do the second pinching, I'm hoping the flowers do better now (not so leggy).

Also doing better is the row of 'main street rodeo drive' coleus. So bright!

The sedums are looking grand, though deer have started to eat them- I need to put out deterrents. Columbine are still green behind the coleus, peony foliage nice, cranesbill filled in, and I've started trimming the small creeping stonecrop to spread around the edge- but didn't take more pictures of all that.

the front bed

Filling up, but still has a ways to go-

Both cranesbill are doing better since moved forward into more sun- 

I moved the nepitella here from the herb bed

yellowish stonecrop is starting to creep along the edge

Remembered to pinch my chrysanthemums

Curious how these two columbines next to each other, are a slightly different green

Maybe a few of the alyssum will make it after all? this one has grown a bit

Mountain laurel bloomed for a few weeks, and it was lovely. They're just starting to fade now.

failures

I'm giving up on some plants. They're just so stunted from the poor soil I used when seedlings, when I couldn't buy the ProMix. Some I have repotted in better soil, or am hoping they might recover when planted into the ground soon. Others I've already thrown on the compost heap, think they'll never get over the lack of nutrients in their youth. Like the fenugreek, so pale

and all arrested in growth. My basils have okay color, but haven't grown any. The peppers have remained this size 

compared to the bought ones

Of all the alyssums, only the white one has grown any at all- every single pink and purple is stunted. Even those I planted out in the front perennial bed weeks ago, haven't grown at all.

One of my dill pots is decent

the other pathetic

Chervil also stunted. Cut a bit of it to toss into a soup but it wasn't much more than a garnish.

All the second set of marigolds have been this size, with oddly upfolded leaves, for weeks and weeks

while the few I planted earlier (decent soil) are ready to go in the garden

At least my tomatoes seem partly recovered, so I hope they might do better once in the ground

A few have little tomatoes on them already

That's not the end of it, sigh. Benne, amaranth 'calaloo', thyme, summer savory, tithonias, zebrina flower (hollyhock mallow), asters are all arrested in growth. It makes me feel ashamed, to look at all these tiny halted plants compared to same kinds I saw at the nursery just a few weeks ago. 

some planted out

The alyssum- so small, but smell so sweet. I kept the white one for the garden- and one of each purple and pink as reserve against any freak cold spell. Planted the rest across the front flower bed. So small hardly can see them yet.

Also kept as reserve a few coleus cuttings 

and these in pots 

the rest went into the front bed- 'gay delight' behind the sedums and heartleaf brunnera

'main street rodeo drive' in front of columbines

A few others went into pots

Separated out the little stonecrop and planted across one edge of the bed- also doesn't look like much yet

some florets

in the mini greenhouse, the sweet alyssum already blooming- pale pink

darker pink 

purple 

and the ubiquitous white

in the garden, last year's tokyo bekana bright yellow