Garden Update

I have been having an issue lately.  Some of you can probably commiserate.  When the weather is so lovely out of doors how can I bear to sit in front of a computer talking about gardening instead of actually gardening?

I hope you'll forgive me.

This will be a long post to try and catch up as there has been lots going on.  We'll start in the back garden.  Our lot is actually a large rectangle so there isn't an actual 'back' at all but looking from the porch to my left is approximately two acres that includes the meadow so I tend to call this the back as it's a bit blowsy looking out there.

The pseudo garage turned storage shed is located out here with the
veggie garden and crescent garden.

Looking waaayy to the back you can see a blob of yellow in the distance.  That's the crescent garden as seen from the house.  I never did get around to expanding that space this year but I'm thinking I may yet lay some cardboard and compost this summer to try and gain a little ground.  Once again I planted my dahlias and sunflowers back there.  The bright colours and big flowers means even though it's a long ways off I can still see it from my kitchen window.

Dahlias and Sonata mix cosmos are blooming right now

Right now, as seen above, three of the four dahlias are blooming.  Just my pink/white striped one is lagging behind.  Annual flower seed for sunflowers, zebra mallow, bachelor buttons and Cosmic Mix cosmos were also planted but none of these have bloomed yet.  I was so desperate for some colour back there I picked up some Sonota mix cosmos from the nursery and popped them in.  So glad I did as I have seen a number of skippers back there enjoying these blooms.

On the close side of the garage is the veggie garden and it is rolling right along these days.  I have picked several bowls of peas in the last week and will need to get out again today.

Luckily one of my favourite tasks is sitting on the porch shelling peas so this works out okay.  I always forget though how few peas you get compared to the mound of pods.  We could definitely use a larger pea patch in the future.

Tomatoes are not yet ready but they are starting to form.

The cherry tomatoes Mexico Midget and Andrina were the first to take shape but these Bison tomatoes pictured above are quickly catching up.  I ended up with eight varieties of tomatoes planted this year so I'm keeping a close eye on which plants produce quicker than others.  Taste testing will start in a few weeks time I think.

Also growing in the veggie patch is zucchini.  oh boy do we have zucchini.  Hubby said yesterday 'you knew how many zucchini came off a plant and yet you still planted three of these?!?!?'

Sorry dear, I just couldn't help myself.  I only planted three seeds and all three sprouted.  Then I decided I couldn't toss any out just in case any of the plants died.  Finally, when my pumpkins wouldn't grow and I had a heap of manure just sitting there I thought, well I'll just toss a zucchini in that spot.  Now we have three sprawling plants with about a half dozen zucchinis per plant.  I've started picking them already at around 3 - 4 inches long.  They are so delicious at that size, perfect for grilling.  But I think I'll still have to call my mom for her chocolate zucchini cake recipe.

As previously noted I keep a few flowers in the veggie patch.  Partly because I love flowers but also because they attract pollinators.

From Left - Asiatic liles, Feverfew and Borage

The martagon lilies appear to have been hit with a fungus (Botrytis) so I clipped off the affected parts and disposed of them.  Luckily it hasn't affected the Asiatic lilies and you can see on the left we are starting to be graced with these blooms.

Last year a few of the Asiatic lilies got hit by the slugs in spring so they did not bloom.  They bounced back this year and I'm seeing blooms that I didn't get last year like this beautiful deep red.

In the front of the house I have been working as hard as I can to get the last of my newly purchased plants into the entrance bed.

Me and my guard cat plucking weeds

It has been exceptionally dry this year and only getting worse so I want these plants settled as quickly as possible.  I finally got the last of them in this week but they aren't placed as well as I would like.   The ground is too dry to dig and weeds are simply breaking off so I'll be waiting until spring to move plants around in the front of the bed more to my liking.

I'm pleased with how the back half of this bed is coming together

As various plants have been blooming in this bed I have been taking note.  Some combinations have worked very well.  You can just glimpse the purple veronica and pink meadowsweet in the above photo.  That was planned and has worked well.  I was surprised, and pleased, to find the white and pink astilbe blooming in the same time frame.

Astilbe chinensis 'Visions'

I hadn't anticipated how shockingly pink these astilbe would be.  I originally wanted something a bit milder but in combination with the shocking pink blooms of the meadowsweet they actually fit right in.

Meadowsweet

There have been a few surprises of the opposite kind though.  I recently discovered how much Garden Valerian smells.  Some websites describe this scent like cherry pie and delightful.  I, however, was taken by a headache when weeding in the garden due to what I can only describe as an unholy stink.  This plant will be dug up and given away next spring.

And a couple happy photos to finish up.  My clematis, after three years of waiting, has finally bloomed.

Clematis Emilia Plater

I had intended this plant to climb up and through the white birch but unfortunately it only grew a few short feet this year.  Better than the one foot it grew last year so I'm not complaining but hoping that next year it finally makes the leap into the tree.

And a happy shot of my garden companion.

Funnyface is trying to displace Gino as my garden cat.  He follows me everywhere when I'm outside, rolling around and trying to get my attention so I'll rub his belly.  Gino is displeased but I find it quite endearing.