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Wow a sprinkle again in the night. It cooled things off a little, which is nice. It was a little warm yesterday. We had to quit mowing about half way through and finish later. I wanted to mention something about watering as well. Lots of people have been mentioning leaves turning and dropping. Tomato's, beans, potatoes, peppers, holleyhocks (to mention a few) are all very susceptible to sunscald. Watering with a sprinkler when the sun is overhead provides a very scalding situation for some plants. It doesn't normally rain when the sun is overhead is what I am saying. Watering down on the ground with a bubbler or putting water down a row won't scald the plants, a soaker hose etc. The leaf drop may be the results of sun scald rather than any plant fungus or bug/thug. I mention it because I have changed my watering habits, and things do better. Sometimes just very lightly dusting plants with dry dirt (potato plants) will also chase away bugs. This is what the doves and some birds do to get rid of mites. The diatomaceous soil appears to have helped this year, as I am seeing very few slugs. I try to keep things as close to the natural setting as possible. When you water just the garden, the bugs will go where the water is, so watering the area around the garden also helps if you set your sprinkler in the evening. We can't spray everything, but we can lesson the choices bugs make. We make the gardens so appealing they just can't resist our produce. Have a great day in the garden/yard or whatever you are doing :)
Such dainty lovely lavender flowers, such a wonderful food. No sign of any potato bugs, thankfully. Have several 30 foot rows of potato's, after all the purpose of my garden is produce. The rows are mulched with straw, plants are about 2 1/2 feet high and filling in. No room for weeds. heading for a high of 88 today with a breeze, the air feels good. Lawn mowing day, the grass cuts nice with a breeze. Picked a couple of buckets of strawberries this a.m. Sprayed the apple trees yesterday. No lack of things to do, but still find moments during the day to sit, enjoy the coffee, and watch the birds. There is cotton flying, coating the edges of the lawn, it's just a beautiful summer day.
Here is another of Sweet William's relatives, just hanging around the all the blonds, oh I mean sedums. The saga of yesterday's wedding was born a few weeks ago. I was mulching around the potato patch, just behind the wedding scene when I found the little heart shaped rock. It was then that I knew a wedding would take place in the bliss of the garden, under the lovely cherry bough that was over the wedding scene. As the sedums take their gorgeous place in the garden, a ray of sunshine in the green, that other garden work must go on. Alas the lilacs had only 1 little spray left yesterday. It is time to give them a haircut this morning. The weather is perfect, we had a lovely .40 of rain last evening. When I prune the lilacs, I always soak them afterwards to give them a chance to really set on the leaves and buds that will come again next spring. Mother nature helped me out on that one, what a blessing. So while the turkey soaks in it's herbal juices on the grill, I will be in the shade getting my chores done. Have a great day, I look forward to your blogs and garden pictures. JJ
Wise owl married Sweet William and Blondy Sedum in the afternoon of June 24, year of our Lord 2009. They were attended by a younger cousin of the groom Red William and Sweet Alyssum. A butterfly hovered overhead. A heart shaped rock attended to offer steadfastness to the setting. May their young grow in the garden and live happily ever after.
Personally, I like shades of red in the garden. They add interest, depth, contrast, color, and the bee's and birds love them too. We can't have people drooling over their computer keys, but I find red foods with lycopene exceptionally good (strawberries, tomato's, watermelon, cherries). Even though that is the purpose of my garden - produce. So today I will share Shades of Red with you...double red petunia and Wave Rose (when they fill in), and Kitty tails (acalypha hispida).
We celebrated summer the beginning of summer yesterday. I picked the berries and hubby made us a pie. He loves strawberry pie, a priority on his list of chores yesterday. The taste of fresh berries is marvelous. Later in the day we received 1.2 inches of rain. Our largest and 2nd rain of this season other than a couple of sprinkles. It really helped. I could hear everything gasping for water before that. Plants should really take off now.
Resistant, rugged, acclimated, full of tenacity and willful. Yes, the lovely peony is all of those things. I originally planted this one on the edge of a large strawberry bed, then a building was going up, so I moved it. Then the strawberries had to be moved again, and the peony had to be moved yet again. After 3 moves and much flopping, I just dug the thing up and got rid of it, I thought. For the last 3 years I have been pulling off the stems and trying to get rid of this plant. This year, I let it have it's way. The peony of survival is on the edge of the patio and provided 3 gorgeous flowers this year. Don't mess with mother nature, if it wants to grow now, well I'm not going to question it anymore.
Planters take daily watering usually. In April, I healed in about 6 sprigs of sedum from my main patch of sedum. Now it has filled in nicely, has lots of buds, will be green all summer and requires watering about once a week or when I put the sprinkler on all the plants around it. Next year the Honeycrisp apple tree will be large enough, the planter may be emptied and moved. One year I found a little snake living in the toad house, but they eat bugs too.
A couple of days ago, I watered the lawn under the bird feeder, forgetting to take it down, yes it makes a mess, and some started sprouting. Dumped it on the driveway and the birds have been having a great feast anyway. The doves like it along with the nut/berry mix. The birds have quite a pecking order and it's always interesting watching them. They are really pecking around the strawberry netting getting as many berries as they can. Yesterday, I was picking a few berries and found some dropped ones with teeth marks, about a dozen. No Mr. Mouse did not eat the whole thing, just a bite or two. I must have scared him, he came running out of the strawberry bed, and all I had was a stryrofoam bowl in my hand. Well he ended up under my wet slippers, so I had to air them out all day, and then put them in the washer. And to think I had garden shoes at the back door to put on which I neglected to do. Always in a hurry when it comes to anything in the garden. It's not like this is the garden of Eden, but I try.
Ground covers are a special part of my garden. I look forward to the golden heads waving in the breeze. These sit beneath the cherry bushes. Neither one is bothered by small pests usually. The flower heads last quite awhile then can be left. I find a good headtrim, and some of them reblossum. It also thickens up the plant. These are in the sun and obtain water only if I am watering the cherries. They provide some shade for the roots of the cherry bushes and both seen quite happy with their living arrangement. They encircle the tree at the left. At some point the tree may shade them out and they would have to move to a sunnier location. I have some sedum in at least 3 other places, providing continuity in the yard and a bright sunny patch of color about 6-8 inches tall. This plant is pretty drought resistance, so would need good drainage in a moister place.
Looking out the kitchen window, this is what I see, the lovely lady columbine looking back at me. It seems like it takes years to get the look you want in the garden, then you accidently get something right. I didn't dream the columbine would get this tall. The pink/yellow and the purple columbine are not quite as tall, so I can't see them from inside. But the yellow one is beautiful enough, till I go out for the vitamin D treatment. Have fun in your yard/garden/patio/balcony today.
Soon to come, the marriage of Sweet William to ? Ah the saga begins...have to wait and see :)
60 degrees early this a.m. not bad for an overnight low. The plants will continue to do well. Heading for about 80-85 today, great weather. Watering heavily, soaked raspberries yesterday, as they are in flowering stage. Plants are nice, but produce is there purpose. The columbine under the kitchen window is about 5 feet tall, I can see it from inside the house now. I still didn't know it would get that tall, but I am very happy that it did. Covered in blossums. I don't know how long it will bloom, but appears to be more florid than the peonies, which I love. The lilacs are slowing down. Pruning time is around the corner for them. I will miss their fragrance. The Phez called again, just as I stepped out the garage door this a.m. taking garbage to the curb. He doesn't miss a thing. Hubby went to an auction yesterday. I had to stay home and get my chores done. He found a piece of real slate with holes drilled for hanging. It was in his Grandpa's old garage. When he was little Grandpa put the dates on it of when he changed oil and things. Well hubby loved the memory of watching his grandpa, so the piece of slate will hang in a special place in the garage now, another reminder of special people and a touch of the past. Just like the memory's of the fragrance and color I have of grandmother's yellow roses.
A few days ago, I posted a picture of Irish Moss. Today, the little buds have opened into dainty little white flowers all over the carpet of green. The garden changes daily, and looking closely, one will see the many changes that always provide the joy of new observances.
Oh what a beautiful day to garden. 50 degrees and heading for 70 + today. We are looking forward to cramming the day full of vitamin D coverage. Yesterday, needed a new sprinkler, the water here is crummy and ruins them. Wouldn't you know it, a few more bulbs jumped into the cart too, screaming "take me home". So home came some glads and elephant ears. I fear for the glads, the wind here is awful some days. We will see how hardy these are. There is just no protected sunny place to plant where I can see them from the house, and of course, the reason for planting them is to enjoy them. Bless you all in your gardens, as we exercise today.
I enjoy the look of Irish moss. In a couple of weeks it will sport little white dainty flowers across the top of it. I like the natural look of the way it carpets, between the flowers and the drip line. It doesn't go into the lawn and it keeps a clean carpet in front of the flowers as they fill in, providing a lush look later on. Some people don't care for moss, but I find it tidy. It's easily removed if one doesn't care for it. Ground covers are important, and I love this natural one. 45 degrees this a.m. Thank you all for the rain dances, could you repeat that next week :)
Walk abouts are very rewarding. I keep checking the 2 doves nests for young, still sitting on eggs for a couple of weeks now. The doves tolerate my checking, I walk within a foot of them, if I stop they fly, if I keep going they sit tight. Putting a little food down on the driveway keeps them checking on me several times a day too. It has been very intersting to watch the pine seedlings take hold and become favorite nesting sites. I planted them in a snow storm several years ago in April, my only day off work, and they needed grounded. Today isn't much warmer, 45 degrees, but they make a great windbreak.
45 degrees this a.m. really cool, but the perennial flowers, shrubs and trees seem to love it. With no rain again all week, that makes 5 weeks of no moisture, it's amazing how good things look. Yesterday we had 4 days of rain lined up on the computer weather, they took 2 of them away. Maybe one of the other 2 days will let some fall. Yesterday, we watched a mama robin teaching her baby to drink at a water dish. She got him to sit on the edge of the dish, then she would drink and chirp and dip her head, drink, chirp and dip her head, she had to drink about 12 times before he copied her. But she continued to drink chirp and then dip her head like she would drink again. Well he/she knows where the water dish is now. One lesson at a time. Well as it's cool, it's a great day to turn on the oven, and the rhubarb is waiting.
We love spaghetti, a very satisfying meal with fresh bread. Full of flavor, the taste of the garden. Oh yeh, that's what I was going to tell you....it's one of the reasons we garden. Homemade spaghetti sauce, and even if you don't start from scratch, tomatoes, green peppers, onions can give a can of spaghetti sauce that home made chunky flavor. A little extra basil or rosemary is great, or italian seasoning. Hubby likes parmesan cheese on his, a half-dozen sprigs of fresh chopped chives tastes really great. I usually take a frozen pak of green peppers from the freezer and add that to the sauce. One of the uses for the dozen pepper plants I grow. If the sauce is thinner than you like, add a couple tablespoons of quinoa to absorb the tomato juice, add protein, and not change the taste. Oh, there is nothing like it, in the dead of winter, the taste of spaghetti with your own sauce. This the flavor of all your hard work in spring and summer. About time to mulch the garden. Have a great day.
L
Last spring I wanted some flowers on the north side of the house, near the patio, that would attract hummingbirds. So I planted 4 lovely columbines. They seem to be coming into their own this spring. The hummers, well, only 1 that I have seen so far, are supposed to like them. When it warms up, and the impatiens and petunia's fill in, they will be around one day, checking out each flower. I also planted some 4 o'clock seed , they like them too, and they smell so good. I let a few come up volunteer in garden every year, for a little color, polination, and so the garden isn't all neat rows. Form is good, but I also like a more natural look. 43 degrees this a.m. heading for a sunny 80. The garden will love it. Have a great day.
I love I love the taste of fresh chives in soup, sprinkled on salad, bread, hamberger. When they are a perennial in your garden they are handy to have around. They come up early, last a long time, and they return if they get mowed off a little. They are supposed to help keep some bugs, thugs, and slugs away from apple trees, but the slugs don't seem to know that. 57 degrees this a.m. cool. Another row of beans to plant. Another beautiful day to garden.
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