Last year I had my first ever deck garden. Due to all the wedding plans and chaos of the summer, I didn't get much of a chance to sit out and enjoy the atmosphere of the flurishing flora, and I only had minimal opportunities to harvest my herbs.
This year has already been different! Robert and I enjoy sitting out there with breakfast on the weekends or taking a break for a few minutes to get some fresh air. So far we have our rosebush from last year, which is bursting with buds and smelling heavenly, two kinds of sage, Italian parsley, cilantro, basil, marigolds, petunias, a begonia, a fuchsia, some catnip that my non-junkie cats avoid, and Rob's Japanese Maple.
I've already managed to use the herbs already in caprese salads, focaccia bread, and a homemade balsamic vinaigrette.
The only downside this year is that my plants are getting ravaged by insects ... particularly aphids. Late this winter I also had an indoor aphid outbreak, which ended up claiming more than half of my most robust plants and really jeopardized a few others.
Even though I loathe insecticides and chemicals, I felt like I was running out of options. I tried to get the most environmentally friendly product, and then I staged an aphid apocalypse.
All in all, it seems to be effective, and my little bundles of joy are really blossoming in the late June sunshine we've finally been blessed with.
All these hobbies and crafts in the summer! My goodness, I think it's time for a cat nap...
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