Tatyana, from MySecretGarden invited bloggers to show the imperfect, or real parts of our gardens. I was pretty much ready, because when I took photos for the veggie garden update, I was thinking of doing a theme called, "The good, the bad, and the ugly." I had too many photos to do that, so I didn't include many "uglies" other than the powdery mildew on the squashes. Go read her post, because it is as fun to read as it is to view her photos.
I exported these as soon as I read Tatyana's invitation, and started this post. Well, I pushed something that caused the post to go away, so I wasn't sure if I was going to do it after all, but then, when I did a scheduled post for Wordless Wednesday, I saw I had a draft, and there was my start to this post! I added the last photo, which I took today, of a closer view of rotting tomatoes that I haven't picked because my knee hurts. I meant to go back out and pick them, but it is fall, and the days are getting shorter and shorter, and I ran out of light! Maybe tomorrow. I also forgot to take a picture of my compost pile. I may go get one and post it alone, as the 2 piles that were finished are pretty much dug out, and the unfinished pile is getting good sized, and has lots of nice semi-rotted material in it.
Oh, I also found some photos that didn't make the cut for bloom day. This coreopsis bloom was looking a bit bedraggled, and maybe munched on.
I need to tend to the hostas behind the house. I'm not sure if the slugs are back, or what.
The squirrels have taken most of the sunflower heads.
This is the messy area next to the compost pile, where there are lots of hollyhock seed heads that need to come down.
Cucumber leaves with disease and insect damage:
A closer view of the tomatoes that fell down cage and all:
Some weeds and moonflower (datura) seeds:
Dying sweet potato leaves:
Powdery mildew, sumac, and other weeds:
A tomato plant that fell, and was hidden by the squash:
Spanish needle weed seeds:
Orange oxeheart tomatoes, rotting, because birds or other critters nibbled on them, and they didn't get picked, next to another cucumber plant that is near death:
Aw, gee! Such is life!!
ReplyDeleteI don't want to see this.
Bring back your gorgeous bloom pictures...please.
Susan, I have the same situation with my wire tomato cages. They are not strong enough to hold heavy plants. I need to get something better for the next season, since too many tomatoes on the ground got eaten by slugs.
ReplyDeleteI planted two small sumacs recently. Do you think I should get rid of them as soon as possible?
Maybe I'm the odd duck out but I didn't find any of this ugly. I see it as garden in transition and that is actually beautiful in its own way. It's sort of like the end of a party, all messy and blown out but there is still the warm heady glow.
ReplyDeleteI'd much rather see successes than failures, the same as you'd rather see my grandchildren being cute than to see them in a tantrum. Well, maybe just one, but not a whole series of children (or plants) acting bad.
ReplyDeleteI understand showing senescence as part of the life cycle but diseases and insect damage just ain't pretty.
I've been visiting the blog of a woman whose daughter is dying. She describes a lot of unpleasantness, but her pictures are of mannequins, statuary and art symbols rather than violating her daughter's privacy in the last stages of a debilitating illness. Occasionally she adds a photo from happier days so vistors can know the young woman as she would like to be remembered.
I'd like to remember your squash when they were just at the ready-to-eat stage.
Tatyana, I don't know much about the sumacs people can currently buy and plant. Garden Joy For Me loves her sumac. I'm not sure if they all sprout up like the one my neighbor has.
ReplyDeleteLeSan, it looks like you are in the minority in your view of my photos. That was sweet of you. Urban Green and NellJean, I'll take your advice to heart, and will limit the seamier views of the gardens.
Bravo Sue! It takes a very courageous gardener to expose all the things which are not going as they should in the garden. I doubt whether I would ever be able to do this though the ugly happens here too by the bucket-load.
ReplyDeleteIts all because of the bugs and slugs, of course! ;)
I swear, Sue, ten of these photos are taken from MY garden! The dark side of gardening we usually keep hidden..haha!
ReplyDeleteahhh, reality!!! I will have to check out this link also:)
ReplyDelete(not that i have ugly-ness in MY yard;)