Hello all!
I very much want a garden. I waited for years to finally do something about it, set a couple raised beds, and then we moved. 
My new house is a bit limited - not a ton of footprint like my previous acre. Also, neighbors have big dogs constantly getting in our yard.
I am in NC - can anyone advise if itâs too late this year? Maybe a few small plants that are high producers and idiot proof for someone like me?
Thanks to all who read 
Thereâs so many follow up questions like:
Are you on an incline, how much sun/shade do you get, how often do you get rain/how much are you willing to water, howâs the soil and how quickly does it drain? Do you want perineals or annuals? Are you wanting showstoppers or something more like growing tomatoes and lima beans?
I think this is a good start.
Nevertheless, if you want blooms all day/night:
A vining combo that looks lovely (and fragrant) is morning glories, 4 oâclocks, and moonflowers.
Some other hearty plants are Russian sage, silver mounds, and Mexican heather.
Iâm a big fan of lavenderâŚplant it for luck!
You canât go wrong with azaleas, rhododendrons, and knock out roses.
I hope this is a good start! 
Imma be honest, I just decided to get a couple tomato plants from Walmart to do something this year rather than waiting to do a full blown garden.
I want to grow veggies - my motives are culinary first, inner peace second. I have yet to track sun well on the property we live at. I have a decent amount of space for some raised beds (I am thinking something in the area of 2 4x6 beds⌠possibly more), but I need to know where to place them.
Before moving, I had mapped out everything and had 2 raised beds ready to roll for the new year. I think I had decided on Squash, Okra, and Bell Pepper. Honestly, I donât even remember now⌠and it hasnât even been a full year lol.
If nothing else though, I will grow some tomatoes this year. I think itâll ignite the bug in me to do more next go round.
How fun! Tomatoes are a great choice. Just keep an eye out for hookworms. 
Busy morning. Watering day. It was already 106°f in the greenhouse at like 9am, so had to unpack and fire up the cooling system for the first time of the season. Try to keep it at 110° or less. Was flirting with that line yesterday so knew it was time.
Got a new system altogether actually, been sitting in the box waiting for this. Identical unit to the last, just new since the electronics get fried by the sun after a few years and my old one was getting glitchy when I tested it in anticipation of this summer.
Bought me another oreocereus trollii. Usually not big on duplicates when I already have a nice one (had my other one ~2yrs) but this was like half the cost they usually are at this size, and itâs already starting to branch/cluster at the base, which my other one shows no signs of doing. Some are solitary, some arenât. Heftier spines, thicker woolâŚ.overall too nice of a specimen at too good of a deal to leave it.
One of very few species I glove up forâŚas used to spines as I am, these ones HURT.
These grow in the Andes around the Argentine/Bolivian border. The wool is both a protectant from the intense sun at high altitudes, and it also traps condensation as a water source as fog rolls through the mountains each morning.
Careful repot processâŚany dirt/gravel/potting medium that gets stuck in the wool can be a bitch to remove cleanly.
Extra special helper Waldo for scale.
My other one is circled back there. Eventually would like them grouped side-by-side. I think they can sense when a familiar friend is close by.
It was sold to me as a one year-plant, and now itâs itâs fifth (or something) year coming back to life in spring. It isnât that pretty, it hasnât flowered (yet), it doesnât yield a huge amount of leaves. But I love it. Its lemon like fragrance makes me feel happy. Just pinch a leave to double the experience. Love my verbena 
Those branches look pretty hefty for an annual; it looks more like a little bush. I canât see the leaves so clearly, but verbenas with a strong lemon scent are often Aloysia citrodora, which is a perennial.
Wowza! Do the flower appendages fall off after their blooms wilt or are those new knobs on the structure?
Theyâll fall off eventually. It flowered for the first time last year, and I canât remember how long they hang on for. The edges of the petals are already starting to wilt a bit so I think these might be 1-day flowers, and if memory serves correct itâs how it was last year, I think.
The âappendagesâ hold on longer but theyâll fall off in a week or two after the buds do. I usually end up helping them with a little twist-and-pull.
There is definitely a more scientific term for the appendages but that is what they looked like to me. Nature is rad, thanks for sharing. 
You are correct - there probably is - but I donât know it, and I actually blanked on you using the word appendages and naturally opted for it myselfâŚ.so I guess thatâs what they look like to both of us!
Possible options: structures, knoblettes, bloomy bits, purty parts.
