Everything's Coming Up Roses

Yellow, deep pink, pale pink. Gotta love those knock out roses! Nice to see the yellow one really taking off. Hopefully the deer will leave it alone for a while.




Oh, and a rose of sharon, too!

What Makes Summer Worthwhile ;)

Need I say more?

Baby Melons

See the teeny watermelon hiding among the chard? There are about 10 of them peeking out throughout the garden. Like the zucchini, this is supposedly a dwarf variety, like those cute little "personal" watermelons the grocery stores have been carrying. Looking forward to trying one...

Just got my fresh chickens from the farm. What with the giant squash, along with onions and garlic, in my produce share, I see a cacciatore in my near future. Just need some mushrooms. And I want to try that Moroccan chicken from the class at Jungle Jim's last week. I guess I'd better get cookin'!

Gad Zukes!

We have ZUCCHINI! Again, these are supposed to be a "dwarf" variety, but with the size of the leaves I am finding that a bit hard to believe. "Perfect for containers" the package says. Really? I don't think I have a container big enough for this plant. So far, two zucchinis have appeared. One is about 8 inches long, the other about 10. I swear they were not there Monday. I think I will wait until tomorrow to pick them.... Tempting fate, I know!

Fruits and Veggies to Be

The neighbor came to the fence today while I was weeding (and sweating in the miserable heat and humidity at 10:30 a.m.) to suggest first that I run through the sprinkler (tempting) and second I get her sons to dig me a bigger plot outside of my cold frame. I explained that keeping the garden in there keeps out the rabbits, and she agreed that made sense.

Check out the tomatoes and apples well on the way. Watermelon and zucchinis in flower. The pumpkins are in flower, too, but the flowers are hiding under the giant leaves trying to take over the side of the driveway.

















Meanwhile, the rabbits and squirrels are frolicking all over the yard. I do not know where they get the energy in this heat ;)

Where Does the Time Go?

It has been almost 6 years since I bought my little house in my giant yard. Hard to believe -- so much has happened/changed since then. It seemed like such a grand adventure at the time, to have a whole acre to plant whatever I wanted! After living in apartments for years and only having small containers, I was so excited to put down roots literally and figuratively. I had no idea how much work it would take.

I feel truly blessed to have a great company to cut the grass, clean the gutters, and do the occasional heavy job. Meanwhile, I keep putting in more beds for the guys to mow around. I know I must drive them crazy. Next up is a path from the driveway to the bird feeders. Can't wait!

Check out the River Birch I planted that first year. It was just a twig from the Arbor Day Foundation tree store. Pretty cool, huh? I have always loved birch trees. Of course, I planted a water-loving variety in one of the few dry spots in the yard. But, someone told me he dumps a gallon jug on his each morning, and it has done just fine. I don't get out there every day, but I don't neglect any of my trees during our frequent summer droughts.


The cotoneaster and barberries here were also planted during that first year. They have easily quadrupled in size. The goldens were added later. I had tried an azalea there, but it was not at all happy in that spot.