The gardener's worst enemy

It isn't drought, weeds, aphids or squirrels. The worst enemy is our own impatience. How many times have I bought a fancy new dahlia tuber, planted it, and then 3 weeks later dug around to "check" if it sprouted and in doing so snapped off the new shoot. And do I learn from this experience? Nope! I'm just as likely to do it again next year. Fortunately the tuber usually forgives me.

The weather turned dry and cool this week . After the heat wave, more like our typical Seattle June. So it was a good morning to go out and deadhead and think about things like why I can't seem to grow anything from seed. I admire gardeners who throw a packet in the ground and soon have beautiful vegetables, zinnias or sunflowers. My seeds get eaten by bugs, lost, stepped on, dried up, cultivated out, accidentally pulled when I'm weeding-- or just plain given up on. That patience thing again.

But despite all that, things looked pretty this morning in the warm(ish) grey light, the roses at their peak and the lilies just starting. School is out across the street, and everything is quiet except for the crows chasing an eagle. (no kidding)

With a little sun, we'll have the blue clematis (that green lump in the center of the picture) which is covered with buds now.