Senna Alata Update

My little Senna Alata (the Candlestick Plant) is growing by leaps and bounds.  Soon I think it will be large enough for me to plant it in my parkway.

I'm told it will be a 4-5 foot plant by the end of summer... wouldn't that be amazing?

Seed Giveaway: Cosmos Diablo

Last year, a neighbor gave me some seeds for the little orange wildflower called Cosmos Diablo. http://my1929tudor.blogspot.com/2010/07/neighbors-who-share.html   I planted them, and they took off.  I gave some seeds to a friend who lives in an adjacent neighborhood.  I mailed some to my friend in Minnesota.   They continue to be very prolific -- I can gather about a tablespoon of seeds every couple of days.  So --!  If you want some, let me know and I'll be happy to mail some to you for free.

They like full sun, and the bees love them!  Once they sprout they require very little attention, and they spread easily.  I'll be planting some in my backyard soon.

A few garden notes

Eight of my 10 asparagus plants are up!  A couple of them are as high as my elbows!

And I have a few baby cucumbers!  I found them this morning.  I was getting worried that I was once again going to have a plethora of blossoms that just don't produce -- my cucumbers, yellow squash and zucchini are positively covered in blossoms, but so far no fruit -- until I saw these -- so maybe I'm just impatient!  (Yeah, whatever, keep those comments to yourself... lol)

This is my first year of trellising my cucumbers -- not exactly sure how it is going to work if the fruit gets really heavy.  I'm contemplating slipping knee high pantyhose over them and tying them to the trellis...  Have you trellised cucumbers before?  Did you have any issues with it?
And, my sunflowers are now officially taller than I am.  No signs of the heads yet, so presumably they are still growing taller:

The birds will love them...

Speaking of birds, this week I've found 2 baby birds in my yard who had shuffled off their mortal coils*.  They look like they probably fell out of their nests, because there is no way they were old enough to being trying to fly.  One was a sparrow, and one was a blue jay.  Sad to see.

* http://my1929tudor.blogspot.com/2009/08/living-with-nature.html

More on Rue...

You are probably weary of reading about the giant swallowtail caterpillars on my rue, but --!!  It's shocking to me how many there are, and how fast they are growing, and, well.... how unattractive they are.  That's terrible to say, isn't it?  I'm just gonna say -- they look like bird poop to me!  They do turn into beautiful butterflies, though.

I'm also still just sort of amazed at how true to form it is that this plant is a host for the swallowtail.  I seriously didn't have it in my yard more than a couple of days and there were eggs on it.  Just sort of blows my mind.

How many can you see?  I counted 8.

A Friendly Face

My best friend in Minnesota sent me a yard ornament -- I can't recall the occasion -- and I've been waiting for the perfect place to hang it outside.  I was going to put it on my fence, but my next door neighbors say they are going to replace the fence, and I didn't want it to get broken.  Instead, I decided to put it on my potting table.

It will be a happy reminder of my friend every time I see it!