What's on your Thursday Menu?

Yo - Happy Lil Friday. I can't say I am too happy about how quickly time is flying by. Classes start up again on Monday. Can you believe these are my last 2 classes until my Capstone, then graduation? Me either! I think it's going to be a challenging semester, but I am going to scale back my availability on cookies for the summer and try to stay focused on finishing strong.

QOTD: Who are you most like in your family? I am a pretty good mix of my parents. I think my intellect and reasoning is more like my dad but my personality traits are more like my mom.

**EDIT: I just learned that today is National Eat What You Want Day, so I might just throw this menu out the window and eat tater tots and chocolate chip cookies all day. I mean, it's a National Holiday and I'd hate to appear unpatriotic....

B: protein coffee & egg bites

L: veggie burger

S: pirate booty

D: deli meat & cheese

Good morning everyone. We finally got to do some planting yesterday, which is always nice. I have a question for any of you with green thumbs. There is one area, along a stone wall, that doesn't seem to tolerate perennials. Everything I plant there lasts 2-3 years, tops. There are daffodils that come up every year, but every other kind of perennial flower doesn't seem to make it. I've wondered if being close to the old stone wall gets extra cold in winter? I really just don't know. I'd like to avoid putting annuals in every spring.

QOTD: I don't know. I have some similarities to both parents and 3 siblings, but in many ways very opposite to each of them. I think I'm just a mutt.

Not a green thumb, per se, but does your stone wall block sun? Daffies are pretty tolerant. Maybe greener perennials like hostas would work.

What types of perennials have you planted there? How much sun does it get? Have you tested your soil? The stone wall really shouldn't have any affect on the plants in the winter since they are "hibernating". Do you have a picture of the area?

Here are a few pics of the area!

Looks like a partial shade plant is what is needed. I would first test the soil in a few different areas that you two want to plant stuff. Simple cheap test that can be purchased at Home Depot or Lowes. Find out what the Ph of the soil is and then go from there.

I personally would recommend Fuchsia, Bleeding Hearts, or Peonies. They usually do well with part shade especially in the afternoon when the sun is the highest in the sky. Usually most of the bulb type flowers due well in part shade also, but as you know they are only around in the early spring. Morning Glories are another nice flower that literally grows anywhere. I've had them randomly grow in sand, gravel, loam, horse poop and seed themselves to come back the next year. What I like about Morning Glories is they come in numerous colors and they are a vine type flower so you can add something nice for them to climb up.

Those are last years pictures. The phlox does great, and there are hosta off to the other end. It's that other section that's trouble. Some of the plants shown are gone this year.

I've tried a few kinds of dianthis, coreopsis, daisies, blackeyed Susan's, lilies, foxglove, hydrangeas. Right now I have one coreopsis limping along. The lilies get eaten by some kind of critter. Everything else seems to do fine. They just don't survive the winter.

I've thought about just filling it up with hosta. I love a nice variegated hosta. But I have about 100 around the rest of the yard, and was hoping for some nice summer color. I tried to plan a whole thing where different flowers would bloom from early spring to fall. Now I'd be happy if the just return the next spring.

Your yard is beautiful! Wow.

love it. It's beautiful.

I don't have a green thumb (hence the plants crying when they see me at the nursery) but I did have one spot in my backyard where everything died. About two years ago, I picked two types of perennials that were easy care and planted them both, thinking maybe one would survive, something about the combination worked and both have thrived and made it through several season now, including this winter. Maybe try that? I have found my local nursery to be very useful to, they have master gardeners and if you talk to one they can usually give good ideas.