extras in the garden-

the plants I don't eat, here for decoration, insect control or lovely scent. Cosmos! There's more white ones, but I like the pinks.

Rue is still lovely- blue color, pungent odor

This limelight coleus is near the deck stairs, across from tomato bed.

Other bright coleus is in corner behind the beans row

Clematis is blooming again! but some of the flowers look rather sorry

Seedheads of the pink one have gone from golden to fuzzy

More sweet peas!

So pretty- and the scent is even lovelier

Some of them are forming seed pods.

I cut down most of the borage in the bed of sugar snap peas and pole beans. Missed this one and now it's trailing over the edge.

Marigolds filling in their spot

In one area off to the side, I pulled up grass from a patch of moss, and planted zebrina seed in the gaps. I think this is one of those seedlings coming up. It's Malva sylvestris 'Zebrina' aka hollyhock mallow, another new one for me this year.

I also finally planted seed for cardinal climber several weeks ago- rather late in the season but tried anyway. The seedlings came up funny pointy shapes-

Week later- now sending out true leaves and tendrils to hang on

Here's two in containers that are kind of odd couple- 

semi-succulent ice plant with its flat, round, light-colored leaves

and narrow-leaved, tall aromatic hyssop

I like to brush the hyssop with my hand as I go around it back up the stairs. It's scent supposedly deters some pests from the garden- the squirrels have stayed away from my tomatoes so far this year, and maybe this is one of the reasons.

I'm starting to feel bad about Laddie

I looked back through my journal, and his symptoms are very like what Perry's were- listless, slightly swollen appearance in the belly but very little appetite, pale color. For long periods, then having one or two good days, then just hanging at the surface again. He doesn't even notice the guppies swarming around him to grab food. He only eats if I offer garlic-soaked flake and even has trouble getting that down now. He's been doing poorly for over two months now. I just kept hoping every time I saw him suddenly acting lively and spry again, that he was finally improving, but it doesn't last. I suspect it's a virus- especially because there's viruses that gouramis get that aren't as contagious to other fish species. That would explain why the guppies and white clouds dart around looking totally normal while Laddie is so unwell.

I am starting to wonder if I ought to be kind and euthanize.

frog!

I was saving more photos for tomorrow but saw something new in the garden so just had to post a picture. I only saw this little guy because it leaped away from me. Can you spot it?

A frog!

Different from the tree frogs I usually see. I think it's a leopard frog.

around the yard-

Mostly the back half. My echinacea are so thick this year, and pinker than the photos manage to show. I've had to pull some young ones up from between path stones, and cut back others that lean over the walkway to compost bin.

Wall of monarda (bee balm):

Echinacea in various stages:

Center whorl

Them behind the row of hellebores and liriope.

From further off- behind the liriope behind the pannicle hydrangea. Closer up a few white stars of nicotiana floating, and flowers from the variegated hosta- much taller scapes than I expected!

That bed from the rear side- the borage have kind of faltered in the heat and fallen over in rainstorms, but nicotiana is really coming into its own now. Looks almost like a planned growing area, not just some random stuff on the edge of the lawn.

The aguja is filling in a ton.

I'm very pleased with its progress. And I love the foliage color.

Tithonias are up to my thigh in height

and a few are starting to flower

Up the sunny side yard, the sedums I moved are starting to bloom

Swamp milkweed is done flowering- disappointed I haven't seen many monarchs. I've looked- though not super close or meticulous- to see if there's any caterpillars. So far only found aphids.

Blue flags of black-and-blue salvia are stunning.

The lamb's ears I planted in a row flanking gladiolas looks just like I envisioned. Can't wait to see them fill in even more. Glads are flowering now! I am going to cut my first arrangement tomorrow morning when it's cool.

angelfish thoughts

Well- I sought advice for my angelfish on the planted tank forums, and was asked (of course) for water parameters and if there had been previous illness in the tank, and reminded "I dont think bacterial septicemia is something that a fish can "live with" for an extended amount of time. It is usually a late stage indication that the external bacteria has gone septic, which then leads to shutdown of internal organs... Once internal, it is very hard to bring this weakened fish back."

Tank temp 79-80
Ammonia- 0
Nitrite- 0
Nitrates- 10
pH 7.6

If it's some other kind of bacterial infection, will kanaplex continue to help? Checked back through my journal- I first saw the redness on the pectoral base back in January 2019, when I moved the fish her fins got caught in a net. I had forgotten about that! Don't recall any illness in the tank, but lots of fighting between the two angels- and they used to startle very easily and run into the walls...

If it's just an old physical injury, I suppose the best thing I can do is keep the tank cleaner. I feel bad it has been so long and never really healed. I had thought of and dismissed septicemia before, until I saw somewhere online that a person knew a fish that lived with it for years. Probably that wasn't what thgat other fish really had- and I shouldn't have doubted my first conclusion that this isn't it.

plants on my deck

All my herbs in the row- left to right: chocolate mint, bay laurel- on the shelf three basils, tarragon in the white pot (which died), thyme, ginger mint, chives, wild mint, summer savory, one pot of coleus. On front deck level: two pots of dill (now gone to seed), pot of mixed basil, rosemary, chervil (which flowered and just died back this week) and parsley.

Closeups on some of those- chocolate mint isn't as prolific as last season- I think because I didn't dig out the runners circling the rim of pot earlier. I'll have to upend and divide this coming spring.

Bay leaf looks really healthy- almost has a glow

Basils- have yet to taste the ruffly one

Purple amaratto is just for show

but we are eating the sweet basil!

Here's ginger mint and unnamed one, chives and other pots behind.

Other side of the deck has some coleus, marigolds and figs in corner:

Fenugreek is growing well now

but it doesn't smell as strongly as I remember from last year

Citrus geranium- pleased with this one again

We aren't eating the kale anymore, but I still water it and will cut down end of august to have fresh growth for fall.

My lime-and-orange coleus is very red and yellow now!

Sweet potato vine is doing great considering how far gone it was this past winter.

Nasturtiums are all in flower. I like these deep orange/red ones.

Other fig shares a corner with 'gay delight' coleus.

Nicotiana is stunning. This was a week ago-

and today:

the flowers started out peach colored, 

but now are white.

It's almost too big for its pot!

One of my favorites is still the lime geranium. 

Before

and after a bit of cleanup.

Delicate flowers.

fry update

I culled another 10 white cloud fry this morning. Scooped out the smallest ones- There's still about twenty left- so must have originally been eighty hatched! I think I will quit culling now and grow these out another few weeks, then give half to a fishkeeping friend who's asked for some, and grow the remaining ten to adult size before introducing to my window tank.

I've found it's easiest to remove fry from the tank with just a plain plastic soup ladle. I scooped them all into a small container and then added one more guppy fry that just showed up in the 33L. The guppy must have been only a day or two old- and it's twice the size of the three-week-old minnow fry. That's how small the white cloud fry are.