Garden notes

The zinnias growing along the Village Green's fence are glorious to behold. I think I've finally got a handle on growing great zinnias. The trick is to get them in the ground as soon as you buy them. Leave them for a day or so and they will start to wilt and never live up to expectations.

We've gone from drought to intense tropical storms and sweltering heat, with humidity, so thick you can almost swim through it.

So I didn't make it up to the Yell at Voinovich and Bush 41 Fund Raiser yesterday. The weather was extreme enough that I didn't want to get into a gas-burning vehicle and drive to the swank party to join in the fun. I hope a bunch of people showed up -- I was with you in spirit!

There's been no quality gardening time due to the turbulent weather. I've got green and yellow beans in abundance, peppers and eggplants growing rapidly and a few more squash. I've harvested exactly three tomatoes. There are multitudes of green ones everywhere, but none are turning color yet. Drat!

I have seen two grasshoppers in my yard. I have never seen them in my yard before. How very odd. Some friends are having Japanese beetle invasions, but by some oddity of nature there are none feasting on Dolly's pink rose bush. Dolly was the woman who owned and lived in my house from the early 50s until the 90s when she retired to Florida. She left me some very special garden delights, including the strawberries, the pink tea rose, and a fig tree! The latter is more like a bush and the figs never ripen all the way, but it is very pretty and it survives the winter without my doing a thing to help it through,

Today I wrestled and tamed a 9 ton pile of limestone and transformed my old rutted driveway into a charming gravel drive. Two neighbor kids helped me out and we were drenching wet in mere minutes from the heat and the intermittent storms. The wind kicked it up at one point later, after we'd finished the drive. Some major storm damage south of here. Nothing damaged here, thank dog! All gravel remained where it was placed.