No end to the slump in sight

Still nothing fibery going on here. I am designing a scarf so maybe that will get me out of the slump. So far it is only imagi-knitting though. I thought, instead, that I would share what I have been up to.

I have spent the past few weekends planting. Here is my rear vegetable garden. There is basil and tomatoes and thyme and rosemary in the back along with salvia, begonias and a pot of bee balm that I need to plant in the ground. I had planned to plant it last year but the rabbits were nibbling on it. To protect it, I stuck it in a bigger pot and kept it on the patio. I'm hoping that it is strong enough this year to resist the wildlife attacks.

I had pretty good luck with tomatoes in pots last year so I am amping up the volume this year. Better quality seedlings and better cages. I put compost in each pot and added new soil along with some timed release fertilizer pellets. Tomatoes are heavy feeders so one has to make sure the soil is in good shape.This is one half of the front vegetable garden. More tomatoes and a chili pepper with the begonias for color. I also have begonias in the front by the mailbox. The bottles are my watering system. They have an Aquaspike on the end. I fill the bottle with water and invert it into the pot after inserting the Aquaspike. The water flows to the roots. I wish the flow was slower but it works. It is faster to water the plants this way.

Chili peppers are very successful in the front. It faces west so they get the nice hot sun all afternoon. I used to plant 3-4 plants but always ended up with way too many peppers. This year I am trying just two cayenne pepper plants. I hope I get enough. My goal is to grow enough to last me through to the next harvest. I chop and freeze them for use.
The second half of the front garden. Tomatoes, another chili pepper and oregano with the ubiquitous begonia. The oregano has come back every year for a few years now.
By the garage I planted dahlias for color. Also in a pot.
This is the first year in a long time that it hasn't rained as soon as the peonies bloomed. The tree peonies, lilacs and crab apples came and went really fast but the herbaceous peonies are hanging around for me to enjoy. They are by the driveway so I can see them coming and going.
This is an interesting plant. I got it from my daughter's violin teacher. It has pretty blue flowers which last one day each. It spreads quite readily and I am pulling out volunteers. If anyone wants some, just ask.
The mock oranges are also blooming and flooding the air with their perfume. This shrub produces a double flower but I also have a single mock orange shrub.
Last year I added irises. The bearded iris only put up one stalk of blooms but the Siberian iris is blooming profusely. I love the color.

Another peony. Close-ups of flowers seem to look best. From further away, you don't get the impact of the form and the color.

A very pretty lilac rose.

This was another acquisition from last year. Lamb's ears. I love the fuzzy softness of the leaves. I'm not hot on the flowers but the flower spikes are interesting. I had some in my previous house but hadn't planted any here.

I have some hydrangeas and grasses on order for the back. We got rid of our deck and built a patio last year and are planting around it. If my knitting slump doesn't end, you'll see more garden pictures.