Today is all about my favorite plants of 2020, a few lessons I have learned during the COVID pandemic, and a couple other tidbits sprinkled throughout.
This week has been a blur. Why do short work weeks feel the longest? With that being said, I struggled with what to recap. How do you recap something when you aren’t even sure what happened?
It has been hot & humid in southern Indiana this week, so I haven’t spent much time outside (plus mosquito’s swarm me the minute I walk out the door). I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t already been dreaming about next years garden season. I thought it would be fun to review the plants that I definitely want to repeat for next year, my favorite plants of 2020.
I also thought I’d mention a few things Covid-19 has taught me. A sort of serious, sort of tongue-in-cheek summary.
Oh, and if you are curious what the stink was from last week…I think I figured it out!
What COVID Has Taught Me
- Face-to-face interaction isn’t as necessary as I once thought.
- I love working from home just as much as I thought I would.
- Focus is just as much of a problem while working from home as I thought it would be.
- Basic hygiene and sanitation are not as commonly practiced as I once thought.
- Getting dressed for the day is important even if I don’t plan on leaving the house.
- Whether I leave the house or not, spending money is easy.
- I really enjoy spending time with the little family I have created.
- It’s more important than ever to make your home a place you enjoy being.
Favorite Plants of 2020
As summer 2020 is drawing to a close I have already been thinking and planning for Spring/Summer 2021. My fairly young garden is starting to take shape and I am really excited to see what it does next year.
Expanding my vegetable garden by adding 2 more raised beds is on my list for next year. Possibly even 4 more beds if I’m feeling saucy. This was my first year growing vegetables and I learned A LOT! I also plan on doing a fair bit of seed starting indoors.
Sleep, Creep, then Leap
Have you heard the saying “first they sleep, then they creep, then they leap“?
It is in reference to the growth habit of perrennial plants. The first year a perrennial is planted it “sleeps.” During this time it doesn’t put on much growth. All of its energy is spent producing roots. ‘Creep” refers to the second year a plant is in the ground. It will start to bulk up and put on a bit of vertical growth. The third year is when the plant “leaps.” This is the year the plant really starts to come into it’s own.
Most of my garden is in the “sleep” or “creep” stage. I am excited to see what it does next Spring.
10 Favorite Plants of 2020
My favorite plants (zone 6b) in no particular order…
- Zinnias (annual)
- Easy to grow from seed.
- Can be sown outside.
- Beautiful blooms all summer long!
- Last a long time as cut flowers.
- Snapdragons (annual)
- Beautiful flowers.
- Need to be started as seeds indoors.
- Great for cut flower arrangements.
- Little Lime Hydrangea (perrennial)
- Gorgeous blooms.
- Grow 3-5′ tall & wide, so not gigantic.
- Supertunia Vista Bubblegum & White (annual)
- AMAZING bloomer – will bloom all summer long!
- Hummingbirds love them.
- Coleus (annual)
- Gorgeous foliage.
- Easy to propogate.
- Heucharas (perrenial)
- Lovely foliage.
- Available in a variety of colors and sizes.
- A great addition to containers.
- Marigolds (annual)
- Easy to grow from seed.
- Can be sown outdoors, but I started mine from seed inside.
- Host plant for aphids.
- Bloom all season long.
- Purple Fountain Grass (annual)
- Wonderful thriller in containers.
- Sweet Potato Vine (annual)
- Vigorous grower.
- Easy to propogate.
- Great in landscape or containers.
- Black-Eyed Susans (perrennial)
- Beautiful late-summer bloomer.
- Look great in flower arrangements.
So, What Was That Smell?
Well, the answer is “I’m not sure.” Last week I mentioned an unidentified smell in my house. At that point I had looked EVERYWHERE! The sink had been cleaned, the pantry inspected, the drawers sniffed…nothing!
I decided to clean the sink again. I poured a ridiculous amount of baking soda down the drain then poured vinegar on top. You can truly clean just about anything with vinegar and/or baking soda. Before it got too bubbly I stuck a dish rag in the hole to keep the bubbles from getting out. I then rinsed it with hot water and ran the garbage disposal for a very long time. That seemed to do the trick.
So, I don’t exactly know what smell was. All I know is that if you ever have a funky smelling house, check the trash can and the garbage disposal first!
