Adventures in (Pathetic) Gardening
This past couple days were wonderfully coolish days but with loads of sun. By coolish after the wave of early heat we had, I mean upper 70's to mid 80's and little humidity. I could really embrace summer if that was the norm. I used to love the heat, but never the humidity. Getting stuff done outside sure is better when I'm not dripping with sweat after 10 minutes. Fall is my season, but with time on my hands to enjoy being outside, being one with the grass, the dirt, plants, and even weeds, I'm starting to embrace summer again. My front yard is toast. I can't justify using water when we're in drought conditions. It'll come back; it always does
The daylillies bought last year survived and there was actual blooms. The hydrangeas however are not looking great. The peony from the Buy Nothing seems to be growing and thriving, but these don't look like peonies so maybe its sonething else? It's pretty and I like the pop of color.
I was thinking I'm going to get a few sunflowers from last years flower seed. But they've now stalled. They started to grow near the peony. I really should get more intentional at saving the seeds correctly as these seem to be quite hardy and like that spot by the garage. They probably need much more water.
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| Two sunflowers are growing amongst the what I thought was a peony. |
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| The daylillies seem to be doing well. I might get more for the back rocks that surround the patio. |
Raspberries are overgrown and will be challenging to pick. My fault for not cutting back, but I'll have another good supply I think. I've still got a few frozen from last year and need to use them in something. I'm not planning to make any more jam until fall, and have been giving away from the supply finally made late spring. I'm on the lookout for more jam jars free or cheap for fall. Oh, and my first cherry tomatoes, two, have been picked.
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| What a bounty... |
I lost my perk as the summer went on courtesy of the heat and humidity. But I can putter at my own speed so that's what I do. I'm still puzzled what to do about the side mess and under the spruce trees, but in time I'll come up with solutions. I don't want a manicured pristine back yard, but don't like bare patches of dirt and and overgrown weeds and thistle. Maybe I'll save to get a professional in next summer.
Your tomatoes are way ahead of mine, Sam. They are looking great and I hope they taste delicious. So much nicer than shop bought ones. My day lilies are doing ok but the hydrangeas not so much. They seem to have got sunstroke and are a bit frazzzled. Enjoy puttling in your garden this week.
ReplyDeleteWell see when I eat them how good they are. I'm laughing as my sisters a d I refer to the first cherry tomatoes as supper club tomatoes because the o e we go to once a year os so starts meals with a house salad of iceberg lettuce with exactly one slice of cucumber and one tomato.
DeleteI wish we lived closer as I have jam jars I would give to you. Your day lilies are beautiful! Hopefully the sunflowers will still produce this year. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.
ReplyDeleteI found another grocery bag filled so should be set this fall. Likely I'll make a mixed berry batch, maybe two to change things up.
DeleteThe purple little flowers are old fashioned phlox. I have a bunch in my yard that came from my parents' home.
ReplyDeleteOh, sweet. I looked them up and seems as it gets fuller, more mature, I'll perhaps have vibrant clusters of the flowers. Now they're just sort of individually growing.
DeleteYour garden looks better than mine. I am terrible about keeping anything alive. I always have high hopes of planting things in the spring, but it seems to go by so quickly and I ended up not planting anything. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteWell, there's spots that are working but overall another dud year.
DeleteYes, those purple flowers are phlox. So pretty but I always seem to kill them so I've given up on those. I had a row of orange day lilies, with a few yellow, by the garage, which this year came up all yellow. I wonder if the yellow was the base and they "regressed"? Still pretty, tho. Gardens are full of surprises!
ReplyDeleteI've done nothing other than dug them up from a persons yard and replant so maybe they just like that spot. With as dry as it's been, it's a welcome pop of summer color.
DeleteI get all gung ho in spring and plant loads of stuff up at the top of my garden. Then it gets hot and I can't be buggered to lug water up there so things mostly die! I'll clear the beds and see if I can plant stuff that won't need tending to in the 90+ degree heat but other than that, I reckon it'll be pots on the terrace from now on! Theory is wonderful but practice just isn't following!
ReplyDeleteWatering has been a necessary extra daily task, multiple times in fact. Im crossing fingers for cucumbers. My tomatoes are in plant pots.
DeleteYour flowers are pretty, love the pops of color. Aren't garden fresh tomatoes the best!
ReplyDeleteMy garden was a bust this year between the heat and drought. I should have some tomatoes and green beans anyway. The deer have enjoyed my flowers, even those supposedly deer resistant ones. Ah well, there is always hope for next year.
I ate my two last night. Tasty. I'll probably get the equivalent of two punnits of cherry tomatoes.
DeleteWe have hit that part of summer where cool is any day under 95! It is dry here, so that is very helpful otherwise 105 would be indescribable!
ReplyDeleteGetting gallons of blackberries now. I freeze them single layer and then vac seal. I cook a bag down as compote and thicken with a bit of cornstarch for pancakes. Thawed, they also work great in muffins (I thaw them to get the extra water out as I mix in).
Happy gardening! Your Stellas are gorgeous!
Ignorant here...whats a stella? Im grabbing handfuls if raspberries here and there. I really blew it by not cutting back early. The birds will enjoy the bulk.
DeleteThe squirrels eat all of our veggies, but M insists on planting them anyway. I guess we're feeding nature? :-|
ReplyDeleteWe're lucky with the weather. We've had a few 90 degree days (we don't get much humidity), but that's been pretty much it. Otherwise it's lovely & sunny, but cools off in the evening. - Hawaii Planner
It just feels like we're supposed to plant something, even if nature suggests our work is for their benefit. Two days of 70's and back to 90 on Saturday.
DeleteYour sunflower looks like a milkweed to me. Great for pollinators but not everyone likes them in a garden!
ReplyDeleteI bet youre right. I really am stupid on things. Which means, no sunflowers this year. My neighbor has tons of milkweed intentionally in his rustic yard. He backs up to the pond/walking path.
DeleteI have a side mess, too. There's a tiny patch of grass hanging on and bare dirt that likes to get moldy. Someday I will work on it, but I am low on perk myself.
ReplyDeleteWe kept things simple it between the fence gling up and replacing the dilapidated deck with a poured patio, the weeds just took over thin grass areas and where dirt from digging landed. I've nothing but time to figure out better solutions.
DeleteYep, garden phlox. I had some in a pack of scatter and sow wildflowers about two years ago, and they were not only the only thing that bloomed, but I cannot get rid of them!
ReplyDeleteThat sunflower foliage doesn’t look like a sunflower to me.
I officially gave up trying to garden this year. I have Cosmos growing in a raised bed (world’s easiest flower to grow from seed) and do minimal weeding in the other beds. I simply have no passion for it this year. Last year we transplanted Shasta daisies “Becky” from the front of the house where they took over to the north border of the property and they look great. Once established they thrive on neglect, and that’s the type of flower I need this year!
But but but…we extracted honey last week!!! Hooray. We have left some of the equipment outside so the bees can “clean it up” by eating the last of the honey remaining, then we will take it in and wash it properly. (Pots, extracting tub, sieve, utensils, workbench.)As you can imagine, my yard looks a bit odd and unkempt to anyone who doesn’t know what we are doing.
-Meg B.
Wishful thinking on my part since thats where I scatteredcthe sunflower seeds. So no surprise this year. I'll try again next year and start seefs inside. My yard is literally weeds, pine needles. Unkempt rock and patches of actual grass. My mindframe wasn't very sharp this year, but hey, learning from what I do wrong.
DeletePhlox are a lovely flower. No tomatoes ripening here as of yet, but lots of cucumbers. My cherries are ready to pick as well. Might get them picked, pitted and perhaps jam made before we leave. Now that would be lovely.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Im finding I likevthe phlox even though Ive never heard if it before. My never cherry tree had very poor fruit this year. SIL got enough for a batch but I didn't. I have enough froze and measured for another batch of jam.
DeleteOur pear trees did not bear much this year. I guess the early blooming followed by a hard freeze killed the chances of a big harvest. Once again the squirrels are eating all the apples before they are ripe, but tomatoes. . . I have them coming out my ears!
ReplyDeleteI hope yours are as bountiful.
I'll have quite a few tomatoes though notvthe variety I thought I bought,nir the variety the spike marker stated. I got tomato grab bag pots. No apples this year- last year was an early anomoly of which the weight plus storm almost killed them. I'd love a pear tree. My dad had them.
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