No rain!

Today was supposed to be dry. I planned to mow. There are a few outdoor chores I can attend to, like planting the coleus in the flower box on the front porch and weeding between showers. Otherwise, it is yet ANOTHER indoor day.

Here is a pic of my stick-of-a-crabapple tree, Prairie Fire. I'm amazed at its output. (And I see another between-showers chore - cleaning up around the base of the tree.)

The following pic is an "oops". I want to guide the 'Betty Corning' clematis to grow on the redbud trees instead of sprawling across the junipers, but I forgot to move the tuteur on this one before the vine took hold of it. If I like the effect of the clematis blossoms on the redbud, I'll try to do a better job next year... or even move the clematis a bit closer to the redbuds.

Another experiment I am attempting is growing Lonicera 'Clay Hills' in containers on the deck, so they can eventually cover the pergola. Finding appropriate containers has not been very successful, so I planted them in old-but-very-sturdy-and-no-longer-used recycling bins. I plan to surround the bins with bales of straw over winter. If the vines survive, I'll invest in more attractive containers.

It looks like my new neighbor behind me has taken it upon himself to mow "no man's land" between his privet and my privacy fence. Whoo hoo! I wonder if I can talk him into pruning and shaping the privet, too.