Gladiolas are blooming

July was starting out with the typical Missouri heat in the high 90's and dripping humidity, then one thunderstorm later we have been enjoying cool & dry weather. The highs are now only 80F/26C followed by the luscious coolness of nighttime temperatures around 58F/14C. The energy intensive AC is off and the attic fan draws in the lovely night air keeping the house a delightful 72F/22C. The rain barrels have still been filling from the occasional thunderstorm, so garden water consumption from the tap is minimal.

I successfully finished my two online university courses and am now enjoying some down time before the Fall semester starts. I received one scholarship and two grants to utilize in the completion of my degree, so as long as my GPA is in the accepted range, I don't need any more money for school. What a blessing! It is such a relief not to have to worry about school as well as household finances! I have started to feel like I am indeed, on the right path to forging a new career. This time next year I should have my Bachelor degree in hand, if all goes as planned...

Anyway, many household chores were neglected due to the intense workload from both of the month long online classes, so now I am slowly catching up. The garden is a bit weedy, especially the mailbox one; grass has grown through the lasagne layers of compost I laid down over the lawn two years ago. Thought I would share pix of the current bloomers, those wonderfully easy to grow Gladiolas. The bulbs are a quick plant, and if you do some plantings every two weeks, spring through early summer, you will enjoy a succession of blooms. They are considered annuals and I do plant bulbs yearly, but most survive the cold winters here. I have some bulbs that have been in the ground almost three years now and they continue to bloom. They do need some support because of the their heavy flower load. I have accumulated many bamboo garden stakes that I push into the ground near the tipsy gladiola, then I twist-tie the long gladiola stem above and below the blooms with the craft supply item called chenille stems. Works great and if you buy green or brown chenille stems, then the support system is visually unobtrusive in the garden.