gaura and fig bags

Just a few random pictures for this post. My gaura is starting to bloom, just a few at the moment but soon the stalks should be covered with these dainty little blossoms.

I should also mention that I've decided to try a different tactic to saving some early figs this year. The first crop gets eaten by the birds, in fact a few are already half-eaten when they're still way too unripe to enjoy. So this year I bought a pack of cheap little bags and tied them over five figs. So far they haven't been touched, but they're only just getting the first purple blush. The weather's been fairly cool so I don't think the first crop will be ready for another week or two.

And finally, I put in cuttings of plectranthus Mona lavender between the ajuga. I had to cover them with bird netting the next day because the blackbirds had already kicked the bark over them! One cutting has already died, I think it was too small and dried out, but the other two are still there and I'll replace the dead one. Gardening this way sure takes a lot longer than just buying the plants, but it costs a lot less. At around $14 a pop, I don't mind taking cuttings from the one plant and being patient.