Holidays and Hollyhocks

This past week I went on my first ever full holiday without the kids. Yes, I left them to fend for themselves. They are old enough to be left on their own at 19 and 16. They are responsible and honest. I have great neighbours to look in on them, their father was on call, I left a fridge full of food, emergency money (i.e. pizza) and a detailed list so the cat would be fed and watered and so would the garden (or so I hoped). The cat survived (thankfully), but the garden did not fare as well. In their defense it was an extraordinarily hot dry week. They swear that they watered… “really we did Mom”. The plants tell another story, they were not looking too happy.

I watered a bit (so as not to shock the plants) when I got home and I got up early the next morning and gave everything a good soaking. Looks like most things will pull through, but time will tell. The trash can potatoes might be roasted potatoes by now and the peas are looking decidedly unhappy.

Meanwhile, I had a wonderful time away amidst some of Ontario’s most spectacular scenery and I fell in love… with Hollyhocks.

How I love these magnificent old fashioned blooms. I could not drink in enough of their beauty nor could I take enough pictures of them. They buzzed with the sound of bees and hummingbirds in a life of their own. In every light they looked gorgeous. They will definitely be part of my garden plans next year.