Mint redemption
Every spring we get an Association letter informing us that we’ve lowered our neighbor’s property values again. But maybe not this year!
Now, normally I have the blackest thumb around. Once I gently clipped back a large patch of mint after consulting all the neighborhood garden experts—who assured me, by the way, that I could burn my mint patch down to the ground and it would come back because there is absolutely nothing you can do to hurt mint.
So I clipped that mint in confidence; gently, mind you, but confidently. And not only did my mint immediately curl up and die, it expired so fast you could practically hear its minty-fresh death rattle out there in the back yard: “Oh! She was worse than a fire, she was! Worse than Roundup! Aieeeeee!”
Of course, this made all our neighborhood garden experts look pretty silly. It also gave me a bit of a local reputation for herbal mayhem: “There goes Bonnie! Killer of the Mint!”
So normally, you see, my gardening efforts don’t turn out that great. But this year doesn’t look too bad. Here’s hoping I absorbed some photography skills from looking at all of Michelle’s lovely photos.
The pink flowers are ranunculus, the same flower grown in Carlsbad’s Flower Fields. I’ve got yellow and white ones growing alongside the pink. The little orange blossom in the right is California’s state flower, the California Poppy.
I planted poppy seeds in the front bed, but that little guy leapt across the lawn to join the ranunculus party, presumably because he heard the chicks were hotter and they had more beer.
Lovely.
Says it all.
Comment by Bernita — 4/19/2006 @ 3:21 am
Spring – sorry unfamiliar w/ that term – we have hot or cold – no in between. Dead grass from cold or dead grass from heat – ahhhh, gotta love Texas!
pretty flowers!
Comment by Dennie — 4/19/2006 @ 5:17 am
Beautiful flowers.
Hail to another black thumb gardner!
Comment by Kait — 4/19/2006 @ 5:36 am
Very pretty. All kinds of things that won’t grow in the desert.
I’m rather astonished by the mint murder, though. Here in the desert southwest were the air sucks the very life from plants, mint is impossible to kill. My mother-in-law gave me a small plant a few years back. I plopped it in the yard in an out-of-the drip system location. It did okay and was spreading until I forgot to water it. Crispy, crunchy dead mint.
Feeling guilty, I watered the dessicated remains. A week later, it was back and taking over the yard again.
Egads, but your thumb must be pitch black!
Comment by pat kirby — 4/19/2006 @ 6:55 am
Egads…I’ve been trying to kill a plot of mint for the last eight years! Wanna’ visit new York for a couple of days…LOL
Only daffodils and snow bells are up…here! But my magnolias are almost open, maybe by the weekend I can get pictures!
Comment by Bonnie Calhoun — 4/19/2006 @ 7:39 pm
those are some great pix
im green with envy….i guess that means i should get out in the yard, so much for another weekend pigging out on doritos and watching movies
Comment by Laurie — 4/19/2006 @ 9:42 pm
LOVE your photos, what stunning flowers!!!
BTW, every time I feel like I’m running dry, I read one of your posts and find something to inspire me! I, too, am a frequent recipient of HOA letters and lover of wildflowers – see my post!
Thanks for the laughs and the inspiration!!
Comment by Elizabeth — 4/20/2006 @ 6:53 am
Wow, i am in awe of those gorgeous yellow flowers
, they are just glorious. Spring has sprung at the Wren Estate 
)
Comment by Michelle — 4/21/2006 @ 3:02 am