Community Gardens

There is a community garden not far from our home.  We love to go there on the weekends and walk the dogs on the nearby paths.  I always have to stop and take a look at the beautiful vegetables and flowers.  This time of year, the gardens are amazing.  I absolutely love it.

We had the opportunity to meet a fellow gardener.  After complimenting him on the gardens, he came over to show his harvest and offered to give me two bitter gourds. I've never eaten them before, but he told me how to prepare them. Gardeners are some of the most generous folks you will find - generous with their knowledge and their harvest.  Aren't they beautiful?

Broccoli and Leeks

It's chilly this morning in the mid Atlantic.  The air is crisp and with the sun shining on the young plants,  I just had to take a picture.  Broccoli and leeks in the morning sunshine :)

A Garden Bomb

Sometimes you succeed and sometimes you don't.  That's just the way it is with gardening and you might as well be prepared for it.

This 4' x 8' bed is at the back patio and is full of dirt, compost, and some decaying leaves and chips.  I decided that I would broadcast lettuce and carrot seed to try and get a good harvest before winter.  So, I broadcast the seed and watered and watered and watered.  It's been hot so the babying was a necessity. Soon the seeds germinated and were "thick as hair on a dog's back."  I was pleased, so I continued to water them.  Eventually they grew to about 2" tall and I noticed they were fuzzy.  They were TOMATO SEEDLINGS! Argh!  We had tomato plants scramble across this bed for two years in a row.

I got rid of the seedlings with a hoe and planted some fall starts purchased locally.  Here we have green and purple cabbage, kale, and bunching onions.  You just have to roll with it.

Crepe Myrtle

Our white Natchez crepe myrtles are in bloom.  My husband fell in love with this variety when we visited the Victory Garden South in Georgia years ago.  I had to buy two for him when I found them on sale at a local nursery.  They're planted on the west side of the driveway as an understory for the maple.  Their big white blooms are attracting bees.  Love it!

Pollinators

As you can see this Russian sage has overtaken the front walk.  I can't bear to cut it back because of all of the pollinators that are utilizing it.  I love blue and purple blooms!

Friday Night

Well it's Friday night and we are just crashing, watching TV.  Zaxby decided he wanted to be a lap dog like the smaller one. He's smiling :)

My Mom's Mimosa Tree

Mom's mimosa tree has been in full bloom for weeks now.  The pale pink blooms are gorgeous (I love pale pastels).  The crepe myrtles are peeking through the branches.  

You can smell the sweet blooms from anywhere in the yard.   I'm still hoping to take some time and sit under it to see if the humming birds are visiting.

Covering Blackberries

It's time to cover the blackberries as they're starting to ripen!  We've used clothespins to pin the fabric to the branches.

Berries!

We love berries here at the cottage and there's nothing like picking them fresh 

from your own canes.  This is a dependable thornless blackberry variety that 

produces a good quantity every year.

A dear friend gave us raspberry canes last year.  We planted them all around 

the perimeter of the fenced in garden.  We will get a good harvest from these.  

Here they're planted next to a pink bee balm.

Profusion of Color

You rarely go wrong when planting perennials.  Give them a few years and enjoy the display.  Here are hostas, hydrangea, and daylillies.

Blue Flowers

Just a picture of our blue Rose of Sharon.  I love blue flowers :)

Patio Veggie Patch

Thought I would share an update on the patio veggie patch.  Salad is on the way!

You Can Have the Best of Both Worlds

You can have the best of both worlds - flowers and veg.  Whether it's a designated perennial bed blooming every year in profusion, or annuals tucked in between your veggies, you will benefit.
You will enjoy the beauty and the pollinators will approve and show you an increase in yields.

My mother always had flowers.  They were her first love in the garden, followed closely by homegrown tomatoes.  Enjoy!

Zucchini is Blooming!

Zucchini is blooming!  That's progress.  Hopefully, these plants will provide enough zucchini for summer salads.

Tucking in Your Veg

We included a pepper plant in this floral container :)

Morning Beauty

Getting Crowded

Baby Robins

So glad these little ones made it.  A robin lays her eggs on this stored ladder every year.  I think the raccoon got them last year.  Tenacity!

Zucchini

Container Gardening

We'll be doing a lot of container gardening this year, because we don't have much time.  Here we have lettuce coming up in self watering containers.

Blueberry

Transplanted this blueberry plant from the garden into a clay pot.  Let's see how he does.  I will need to cover the berries as they develop to save them from the birds.