The time has come, my friends, to check out the front garden. Summer has arrived (and most likely, left) by now. We saw 80 several times this year, and the garden flourished on those days. I’ve never seen plants grow so fast! It’s almost as if they knew that this was the only warmth they were going to get, and it wouldn’t last more than a few days.
Hello, bushy tomato plants. These guys are much bigger than their brothers in the garden. Heh. Perhaps I should re-think the placement of my garden?
Hydrangeas, lavender (from seed!), carnations, and a fantastic “steppable” that smells like lemon and mint when you crush it.
(Knockout Roses, recommended by Pioneer Woman. She was right – drought resistant, aphid resistant, blight resistant. We’ve had four waves of PROFUSE blooms. The roses have almost no scent, and only come in this one color, but they are well worth it. Love them.)
Some fun little daisy ladies that don’t smell as obnoxious as their taller cousins, and a blue hydrangea…because I DO love a good hydrangea!
My poor little lemon tree was banished to the front yard…where she seems to be thriving. Recently, she put out a full complement of blooms, and even managed to hold onto a single lemon (which is now about the size of an almond). This will be the fourth cycle of “fruit”…and the first one not to be thrown right off the bat. Crossing my fingers! She will spend her winter, most likely, under a window in the garage.
Anybody know their weeds? That vine on the trellis looks just like a morning glory…except for that huge flower. It stayed there, gorgeous, satiny and huge, for about two weeks, before a rainstorm knocked all the petals off. Anybody know what it is?
I harvested (most) of my garden yesterday. 6 pounds of cabbage (9 heads, ranging in size from almost-decent to naval-orange. Heh.) A handful of potatoes, including one that looked exactly like a tiny brown jelly bean. A few late strawberries. 5 little yellow plum tomatoes. I have oodles of tomatoes in the garden…all GREEN. If I try to plant red tomatoes next year, somebody stop me, m’kay? This is the second year in a row that I just don’t think I’m going to see a single red tomato.
Anyone still have goods in the garden? Do tell! The end of the season seems like the perfect time to plan NEXT year’s garden…when your successes and failures are still fresh in your mind. Cabbage, broccoli, yellow plum tomatoes…those all did well. The beans were all nibbled, pre-germination, by underground bunnies of doom. The carrots and parsnips never even poked their heads up. The green onions poked up…and then promptly keeled over and died. Live and learn!
I’ve totally given up on growing tomatoes here. My kale practically grew itself this year, though.
I’ll have to tell my sister about those roses since the ones she planted have left her completely disgruntled. Our orange baby tomatoes have been great but, yeah, most of the red ones are still green. We got TONS of zucchini, carrots, raspberries, and strawberries. The sorrel and basil are huge too. My thyme and tarragon totally bit the dust.
Love..
it makes my yearn for a garden..everything in due time. Too many indoor projects to work on first..
I love all the flowers, the trees, the fruit, the vegetables..well done girlie!!