Jessie, those herbs will do well in a flower box in a sunny spot. You are so lucky to live in that garden zone where rosemary thrives and doesn't have to be bought and planted every spring. I've tried bringing it in but it gets powdery mildew and croaks. You could also grow a bay tree in a pot. Have fun! Parsley and mint are also good "potager" herbs.
I hate parsley (I think I must be the only person ever!) but mint and bay are great ideas!! I may be tracking you down, Ruth, when I get them planted!(That is, if it ever gets cool enough to go outside again!!)
My gardens are not spectacular but sure look better than last year's non-event when I was really limping and also dealing with my DH problems. The front perennial bed is much improved although still overgrown with a pink Malva forest. I do have shastas, roses, daylilies and oriental lilies in bloom out there and some annuals tucked into the bare spots left when I dug up the overgrown daffodils.
The veggie garden? Well, things will be coming in late but they will happen. I've been eating sugar snap peas, lettuces, onions, chard and herbs and the zucchini is in blossom so stand back! My beans are very late - just blooming now - and the tomatoes are real slowpokes this year, even the cherry ones. I planted pretty late and the weather did not cooperate. And then we have the deer problem! The 7000 garlic plants are looking great!
The Dog Garden has some bloomage but also has four foot tall sow thistles that need to be turfed out. The Girls have established a traffic pattern through the perennials that have survived so that garden will be redone next year - if I ever finish the front beds! It's a good thing I love gardening!
I don't have a vegetable garden but I have a nice flower garden. I'll try to take some pics and post them. My hydrangea is beautiful this year. I planted it about 3 years ago when we moved in and this is the first year that it has bloomed! I'll take some pics. It's absolutely gorgeous. Also, I have Black Eye Susans (tons of them), a few glads (which are now blooming), a miniature rose bush, and some 4 o'clocks. They're nice but they seem to overtake the garden. I have to dig them up and split them up this fall. I have a clematis. It hasn't bloomed yet (this is my second year with it) but it grows like crazy! Maybe next year it'll bloom.
beachgal - I read that there is a type of wasp that can be used to keep caterpillars under control. I never did anything with mine but it was just the red pepper plant that got eaten. I'm having a real problem with my garden because of the heat and the fact that we can't run our sprinklers but twice a week. I really need to start hand watering but there just is never enough time! Yes, I normally do two plantings. It is still too hot to start the second. I think that is normally done in August. My herbs come back year after year since they can tolerate the cold well. And the mint just grows wild!
I am SUCH a gardening amateur! We can only water once a week using our sprinkler system and I don't get out to hand water enough.
My garden is super basic- I have a flat of Vinca planted that I actually bought at Walmart. Those are doing wonderfully! I also have some Lantana planted, which I love. (That is what my avatar is showing). Then I have several Petunias planted. Pretty basic, but it is better than last year, which was nothing!!!!!
Hey, water-conservation chickies...being a CA girl at heart, I hear you about not being able to run the sprinklers often. I don't know whether it'd be allowed or useful for you, but being I'm lazy (and hate what water on the leaves does to my roses and tomatoes, etc.), I put in a veggie garden irrigation system. Sounds super complicated, but I could have put it in within an hour if I weren't slapping mosquitos every five seconds! I got it at Wal*Mart for about $15, I think. There's a main solid hose that goes down the middle, then thin (1/4") soaker hoses that go off to each side. It's really easy to hook up the hose to one end and leave it for an hour...the water just seeps through the soaker hoses, so it uses very little water, and delivers it just to the base of the plants, so it keeps the weed issues down a bit, too. Might help you bridge between sprinkler times without having to hand water up a storm.
Ruth, I can't wait to see pics of your garden! You are so great with plants...and composition, too. Sorry about the weather!
Babz, my hydrangea bloomed this year, too! I'm in love with it...I just stare at it dreamily for what seems like hours! Seriously, it's my sixth try at getting a hydrangea to live and the fact that it survived was enough...that it also flowered (profusely!) and that the flowers were blue, just like I wanted, seems an utter miracle! I'd love to see pics of your garden! I enjoy black-eyed susans so much!
Barb, that's so cool about your mint! I don't think it comes back here, but I've heard it can grow wild. Sounds like fun! Sorry about the caterpillars! Cultivating wasps seems extreme... I wonder if you could put any kind of spray (organic?) on the leaves that would convince the caterpillars that the plant isn't tasty.
Here are some pics of the garden:
My Hydrangea...just one of the five flower heads. <happy sigh>
Our Veggie garden, tomatoes in the front are getting huge!
A close-up of our individual spaghetti squashes. I'm so excited to try them!
So, found out that the problem with my tomatoes is blight. The guy at the local farm store recommended an organic spray from Cornell. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping it does the trick...especially since I sprayed it yesterday and it poured today.
We've got tons of zucchini, a spaghetti squash and a cucumber, lots of green tomatoes and a couple of ripe grape tomatoes, and lots of green beans (which I hope we will have tomorrow?
My hydrangeas grow prettier every day. I'm in love!
That sounds good, Laurie! My peppers and okra are still doing well. I'm still getting a little eggplant. But my tomatoes have mostly succumbed to the heat and lack of water. I can't remember a year when it was this dry.
mo - I have a deer problem too. They've eaten my rose garden every year I've been here. they eat everything from my flower boxes......they ONLY thing I found that worked was letting the dogs free at night. But that's a risk I don't take too often. The last time I did for the night (I live in the country) maggie brought home half a deer carcus and got parasites and had eye problems for a good while from it.
So - long story short. I've tried most everything and finally decided to just give in and join them. I bought corn and I feed the darn things now!!! They love it and I'm not mad anymore. They aren't eating as much of my flowers now either.
I am a fellow, avid, Green-thumber wanna be.. Does that make sense? I don't have a garden (DH thinks they are ugly????), but I do have tons of perenials. I order all my plants online. This is my third year and I am really starting to get into it. I still don't think I am that good, but I certainly do enjoy gardening. On day I was at Home Depot and I had one of those HUGE flat carts full of shrubs, checking out. They lady behind me in line said, "Oh, that looks like soooo much work!" I turned and said, "It's not work, it's therapy. Gardening is like raising children, but easier. Every year, they come back bigger and better, but you don't have to pay for college and they don't talk back." LOL. I will have to take some pictures and post them. Does anyone have any Liatris planted? They are my new favorites and I wondered how hard they are to keep alive!! I am so glad I found this thread!!
Jalene
Welcome, Jalene! Where are you upstate? I'm in the Finger Lakes region. Liatris is really easy to grow, IMHO. I planted mine two years ago and it's come up faithfully every year. I water it a bit and it gets lots of sunlight...that's about it! I love the way you look at gardening. It's a great metaphor!!! I always loved that saying, "One is closer to God's heart in a garden than anywhere else on earth." :
Little Grasshopper, what a great way to deal with the deer! There are some repellents out there, but they seem costly. There are also guides for flowers that are 'deer proof', but I have to admit that our deer seem to have not gotten the memo on those flowers.
Well, the Fair is over and I am back to my summer Love - the garden. The tomatoes are late but are starting - especially the cherry tomatoes. I could eat them just like candy. I've a had a couple of beefsteak 'maters and my burgundy beans are starting to produce. Things are very late this year because I planted late.
My front perennial bed was just lovely this year and I am slowly adding perennials (the way to go!) and trying for late summer colour. Right now my pink oriental lilies are the stars. Here's a picture from last year as I can't find my camera at the moment! The Sweet autumn clematis is in bloom too - I think I have a shot of the flower somewhere.
I need to water, weed, split stuff and generally get organized but it's too darned how! I do have to soaker hoses on right now though and worked a good two hours on the garlic harvest. Now to find those pictures.
Here's the Autumn Clematis. I didn't take this picture but my pergola is completely covered with fabulous frothy blossoms that smell heavenly!
Drat! My pink lilies picture is too big. (The new version of VB Bulletin will resize our pics for us! ) However, here's a picture of annual Lavaters "Silver Cup" that I grow from seed and just love!
I am south-east of Binghamton! I was just reading another posts and saw your stats!! What an inspiration!!
Thanks for the info about the Liatris. I get my inspiration for adding new perrenials by looking at other people's landscaping. I saw them in pretty purple the other day and knew I just had to find out what they were!!
Right now the star of the show for my perennials is a toss up between my beautiful pink bee balm, bright purple tall hybrid phlox, and my black eyed-susans.
I actually have a funny story about my annuals I planted this year:
I went out and bought the very expensive planting flats, with the very expensive soil, and the very expensive seeds (you get the point right, it was too expensive). Planted the seeds and took all of the leftover seeds and discarded them in my back (unweeded, horrible looking) garden. Well after a month all of the flowers that I grew inside were DEAD. Don't know if it was overwatering, underwatering, or ????! Well two days ago, I decided to finally head out back to weed the back garden and decide what to do with it AND LOW AND BEHOLD!! FLOWERS!! EVERYWHERE!! LOL Big, Huge, Healthy, Beautiful FLOWERS. And not one scrap of hard work.. So my task this week, is to dig them up and move them out front LOL
The Girls have established a traffic pattern through the perennials that have survived so that garden will be redone next year - if I ever finish the front beds! It's a good thing I love gardening! 
I got it at Wal*Mart for about $15, I think. There's a main solid hose that goes down the middle, then thin (1/4") soaker hoses that go off to each side. It's really easy to hook up the hose to one end and leave it for an hour...the water just seeps through the soaker hoses, so it uses very little water, and delivers it just to the base of the plants, so it keeps the weed issues down a bit, too. Might help you bridge between sprinkler times without having to hand water up a storm. 
You are so great with plants...and composition, too. 
Sorry about the weather! 
I'd love to see pics of your garden! I enjoy black-eyed susans so much!
I wonder if you could put any kind of spray (organic?) on the leaves that would convince the caterpillars that the plant isn't tasty. 
I am so glad I found this thread!!
:
The Sweet autumn clematis is in bloom too - I think I have a shot of the flower somewhere. 
) However, here's a picture of annual Lavaters "Silver Cup" that I grow from seed and just love!
