The garden can wait…
Impatiens balfourii… Poor Man’s Orchid
My friend “Weeder” gave me seeds of Impatiens balfourii last year or the year before and I’m happy to see it reseeds prolifically in my front porch pots. It requires shade here in the Valley and in my experience, its water requirements are average. Now that I think about it, I. balfourii tolerates my erratic watering schedule rather well.
Annie’s Annuals offers it in pots, but it’s super easy from seed. If a friend doesn’t have it, try seed swaps (GardenWeb, Dave’s Garden) or online sources.
While I was taking a few pictures, Emily wanted to see what all the fuss was about. She clearly thinks the fuss should be all about her, not Impatiens friggin’ balfourii.
There’s a slug in my garden…
and it’s me. Weeds are getting out of control (I ran out of clove spray), there’s lots to deadhead, and I still have plants not hooked up to drip despite the fact that I’m leaving for Mendo (woo hoo!) in a couple weeks. On the plus side, there’s plenty to harvest in the way of peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, chard and herbs. Strawberries have taken over two of my flowerbeds. Oh, the horror. I am a little leery of harvesting them in areas the dogs “frequent”. I really want to try growing strawberries vertically. I tried them in hanging baskets, but the soil dried out too quickly. I’ll figure something out.
This morning, I spotted a tomato hornworm on one of my tomato plants! I’m really hoping to see it become parasitized so I can get some good photos. No, I will not squash it or cut it in half, you barbarians. Ew. Double ew. How would you feel if someone cut you in half? Besides, tomato hornworms are amazing looking!
Angela’s Stock Photography
