Portulaca Moss

I try each year to find a flower that will bloom and stay pretty for the longest period during the hot summer months. I love my Spring flowers, but they are here for such a short time, I get discouraged with the time it takes to tend to them, and then  not get no more pleasure from them than I do.

I am finding that the Portulaca Moss is a good plant to fill the bill. I didn't get mine out as early as I would have liked,since the first flat I bought, I took to Mom. I couldn't bear the thought of me having pretty flowers and Mom not having anything planted at that time. She does love to fill her flower boxes early, so I took the first flat to her and that threw me a little later to get my own started.Then, too, I didn't doctor the soil and fertilize mine as I should have.With all my other responsibilities, I just didn't take the time,but hopefully next year, I will do better.That is one of the reasons I have always said,"When gardening, a year is a long time to wait to use what you have learned from your mistakes".Mistakes or not, I love spending time in my gardens. I know Pop thinks it is useless, the time I spend on them, but I think smoking, sitting around gossiping and drinking one cup of coffee after another,and watching endless Western reruns is useless ,too,but who's keeping track.(Sorry,the devil made me say that.)

I have a few other flowers that are doing great in this heat. The Black eyed Susan , for one,is beautiful. I plan to have more of them in my beds next year,also.They grow everywhere as volunteers,except where I want them, and I don't have much luck transplanting them. I suppose it's because it is during such a hot period that I try.I have been putting a few seed heads in special places as I mulch my beds and trees in hopes they will grow there. I hope they do.

The red rose in the same bed, is the last of Dad's roses.Dad passed in 2001.It was the only remaining rose in Mom's yard, and she thought it was a problem for Rita when she does the mowing each week, so she asked me to take it. I have had it a year or two and it is just now beginning to do good. I doctored it this morning with a good dose of  rich compost.Hopefully, it will be even prettier next year.

I got in 2 or 3 good hours of yard work this morning before it got too hot. I don't like to over do, too much in this heat, although it is hard to make myself stop, even when I know I should.I feel my heart flutter at times, so I know it is trying to tell me something. Either I am getting too hot, I need to eat a bite of something for my blood sugar, or simply that I am out of shape.I went for a walk this morning,behind our house in the woods. That is a good work out for me,since it is up hill to Pop's deer stand and that is a good turn around point, when I do walk.I will try to make myself walk each morning for a few days to see if my being out of shape might be part the problem.When I have walked in the past, I don't seem to need a noon nap.We'll see how it goes.I am not ready to die just yet, although I know we don't have a say in that either,but hopefully it will improve my stamina a bit. But if I should die, while working in my flower gardens,I can't think of a better place I'd rather be. I've seen the monument of a local fellow, who worked with my sister,that loved his farm so much, he wanted to be buried right in the middle. Having my monument setting among my flowers doesn't sound so bad,but then you must consider those who'll own the property in the future. They might not care for it there,so let's hope that doesn't happen.