Sunday in the garden

Went to home depot and got a bag of mulch, the economy size of Miracle Grow for hose sprayer (not liquid), 2 quarts of giant lirope ($1.99 for 2!) and a daisy looking thing with feathery leaves and true yellow flowers. I've seen them in the ground and they grow fairly full and high. I've got to keep the labels when I buy a plant. I mulched around the terrace, most importantly bamboo, pulmaria and duranta. I'm  not mulching rhizome begs, I'm afraid in the heavy, frequent summer rains it would promote rotting. I replaced the bamboo grass in the urn (see the picture of Ray in the grass below) with the giant liriope. The bamboo grass had taken a hard hit during the cruise and I trimmed it hard.. too hard. the shoots that are exposed after a prune will often just get burned to hell and shock the plant.. The liriope looks good. The leaves echo the structure of the bromeliade next to it and it looks good with bamboo.

It rained and i got out the hose and tried to loosen up dirt smeared on tile. The neighbors won't know or mind if I wash during a rain storm. We ended up getting a nice hard rain. I hope we get a few sunny ones now so things can dry out.

I planted phoe's cloe in a terracota bowl. The kind used for small cactus or hens and chicks. I went out in the early morning and even though it had rained last night the soil was drying out. I don't think I'm going to use terracotta for it. One, i'd have to be careful that it didn't dry out fully.. it has to stay moist. I guess that's why greenhouses use plastic pots. The larger rhizomatous tend to form a ball of leaves around the roots and it keeps them fairly moist.

A freight train is going by. I bought some sunflower seeds though i don't have any place to plant them. I was hoping they had some perennial climber seeds, but they only had morning glory. I didn't know if it would be a good idea to start them on the railing with jasmine. If they took a hit with the summer heat, it could get messy.

The croton behind the bamboo on the west side is getting EATEN UP by white fly, I have to spray as soon as possible. The tips of the branches are leafless stubs. It needs some immediate attention.