Picasso's answer to Van Gogh's irises

This brand new petunia variety is called "Pretty Much Picasso." It has very unusual blossoms of a bright magenta with a definite lime green edge around each petal. One plant covers a whole lot of territory. I had a hard time finding it this year, but hopefully, it will be widely available by next spring.

Before I forget, I want to tell you that I did find out the name of the little perennial with the "blue roses" flowers. (It was pictured blooming in the wheelbarrow last time). I suspected it was a type of campanula, so did some research on them. Sure enough, it turns out to be "Campanula Elizabeth Oliver." It's so hard to find plants that bloom in that pretty sky blue color. Makes it a real gem. Plus easy to grow.

We have a pair of green tree swallows who nest in our backyard birdhouse every summer. True to form, they raised babies there again this year. I was hoping to see the three little guys fledge. No such luck. As usual, they left somewhere between the time I saw them in the morning and then nothing but an empty nest an hour or two later. Those parents must have been exhausted by then as had they spent all day, every day for weeks, chasing down bugs and stuffing them into always hungry mouths. Us humans can at least take a nap once in a while!

The true lilies, (not daylilies,) have been very pretty this year. The asiatics are done, but the orientals are showing off their finery now. They have such huge blossoms and their fragrance is hard to beat. They are not difficult to grow. Just requiring a fairly fertile bed in morning sun and afternoon shade. The soil should never get completely dried out. I lost a very pretty red and white one called Dizzy because the big pine trees on either side sucked up every drop of water.

Speaking of lilies, my Easter lily is in full of blossoms right now. This is the normal time for them to bloom. Greenhouses trick them into blooming in the early spring by changing the hours they get light so they think it's summer. Guess no one told them that It's not nice to fool Mother Nature!

Be sure to mulch your beds this summer. It really cuts down on the watering bill as well as the weeding. Finely ground bark can be bought by the bag and always looks good. Put it down a couple of inches deep, but be sure to keep it away from the trunks of shrubs and trees. You don't want to give Mickey Mouse and his family a place to nest.

The first week of August was a hot one. Luckily week two is a lot cooler. This should give us gardeners an opportunity to get some of those chores done that we've been putting off. I'm busy digging, dividing and replanting some of the iris clumps. Don't wait any longer to do this chore. Being so shallow rooted, irises need to get a good strong root system established before cold weather arrives.

Any time you find a yellow leaf on a plant, whether it grows outdoors or is on one of your houseplants, pull it off. Once a leaf turns yellow, it will never, ever turn green again.

Remember when you deadhead annuals such as petunias to be sure to nip off the little miniature leaves where the blossom was attached. That's where the seed pod will develop and the whole idea is to keep the seeds from forming. Once they do, you can kiss your annual plant goodbye. It's called an annual for a reason. It completes its lifestyle in one season. The sooner it can set seeds, the sooner it can stop producing more flowers. You plant annuals to enjoy the flowers all summer long. Let them know who's running this show, you or the posies!

Elaine Cerny has gardened most of her life, starting in 4-H. Since then, she has always kept a garden of some sort, growing everything from fruits and vegetables to flowers and house plants. She has belonged to garden clubs in three states. She is an active member of the River City Gardeners Club in Post Falls.