Now, the gophers are gone, the roses are blooming again, a few Dahlias have sprouted.  Now is the season of dead Alyogenes (blue hibiscus) and my time of painting rubbing alchohol on the branches of my one tree to kill the white  scale. Here is a picture–the scale looks prehistoric. You can take a toothbrush and dip it in alcohol to rub off the bugs, but it takes time and patience.

Some happy things: lots of yellow squash from the vegetable garden, green beans, eggplants and sunflowers, too.

Diseased branch

Well, this is a little late, but spring was beautiful in my garden. Easter was the best time with Austin roses blooming so much that I got sick of making bouquets. The lavender was thick and the bower vines blossomed. Everything was beautiful. For the first time, did not plant Sweet Peas. That made me a little sad, but I ran out of steam, I guess. I’ve planted them for eleven years. My sweet pea patch grew shaded so it wouldn’t work for planting and I had no will to find another. It’s a pattern of these years, to be so passionate about something and then drop it. Anyway I got sad at the end and bought a six pack. They were measley little things.

But I still love roses. They lasted until May-ish. Then died in a huge way with caterpillars, rust and wilt. Not sure if the copper spray did much (but maybe I didn’t put it on right.) This was the first year for that. I revived them and have blooms now in July. First with Ada Perry’s Magic Formula, then pruning, then a fertilizer and Grow Power. Two died, though, when I went on vacation. I think the Ada Perry’s was too much for the type of watering my housesitter did (spraying not soaking.) They may have also died from the gophers. We had an infestation and my husband tried to gas them out. Gasing them is not a good idea for your plants–they can die instantaneously like the poor little gophers!