Thursday, June 30, 2016

The Garden in Late June....and My Critters

Exciting things are happening in the garden these days!

Well....exciting for me, but maybe that's not saying much about me, huh?

But I know there are many of you out there who also love to garden, so maybe you'll get a little thrill out of what's happening on the mountain top these days. 


The robins are on their second nesting of the season, and we give each other a bit of a fright every time I walk by the shrubs at the back of the house. 

Although I haven't seen any birds take up residence in my little Nasturtium birdhouse, it sure makes me happy to see it nailed up to the veggie garden post. 


Despite the best efforts of those darned slugs, my veggie garden is finally starting to take off. 

Better late than never, right?

The squash is blooming and I see a few baby squash on the vine. 

And one baby squash with the top bitten off. I'm not sure which critter is responsible for that, but I suspect my little chipmunk friends. 


The peas are finally forming pods - don't you just love fresh garden peas?

FYI - when the experts say that peas don't like to be next to garlic, believe them. Not one sprout from the peas I put along the fence near the garlic. 

Oh well....live and learn!


I saw the first flowers on the tomato plant a day or so ago - and the tomato plants are getting so big now that I have to stake them.


I'm still amazed every time I look at them!


The garlic I put in last fall is starting to form garlic scapes. This year I'm determined to grill some of those garlic scapes, as I have heard they are fabulous prepared that way.  

It's important to remove the scapes before they flower so the plant can direct all its energy towards the garlic bulb underground, rather than in forming a flower. There are many sites online where you can find info on how and when to remove your garlic scapes - this is the one I follow. 

There's lettuce and radishes galore coming out of the garden right now, which we've been enjoying for the last couple of weeks. 

In case you missed it, I posted some different ways to use up all those radishes a few days ago. 


Outside the veggie garden, the Currants are starting to ripen - how exciting!  I saw my first red currant yesterday - isn't it just lovely?


The Black Currants are right on track with the Red Currants, just beginning to ripen. 

Hopefully I'll get a great batch of Black Currant gin, with some berries left over for jam!


The herb garden is really coming along nicely - I'll update you on that soon. 

I noticed that the Dill is getting ready to flower - I can't believe I started the Dill from seed and it's about 3 feet tall now!

Nature just amazes me...I am constantly awed by its glory. 


In the flower garden, it's LILY time! The Tiger Lilies are blooming all over the place, and now starts the show with the Day Lilies. Next will be the Oriental Lilies and my favorite, the Casablanca Lilies!

There's been a deer in the woods around my house lately - last year the deer came and ate some of the heads of the Casablanca Lilies right before they opened - I was so upset!

I tried to shoo the deer away the other evening but it just hissed at me. 

It's possible it has a fawn bedded down in the woods. 

That's fine, you're welcome to rest in my forest....just stay away from my gardens!


The Daisies are still going mad with the Wild Daisies in full bloom, and the Shasta Daisies just starting to open their pretty flowers. 


Everywhere I look there are Daisies!


That's quite all right, they are all very welcome in my country garden!


The Delphinium is spectacular right now - just look at that coloration! The edges glow turquoise in the evening light, and the centers a vibrant purple. Stunning!


The Hydrangeas are getting ready to open their giant white snowball blooms - I don't know what the 'proper' name of this particular variety of Hydrangea is, but it flowers from spring until fall, which is just fantastic. The blooms get bigger than my head, and dry beautifully!


My Ruby Queen Cleome has just opened its first flowers - the color is stunning. Many of my Cleome are a soft purple or pink color - this one is so vibrant in comparison. And it's so tall - it shot up to about 3 foot tall or more already! 


The Nicotiana is just spectacular, and I'm completely enamored with it. Bloom after bloom, and the aroma is just fabulous! The Nicotiana is also over 3' tall at this point, and really a showstopper in the garden. 


Many of you have said it's hot, hot, HOT where you are, and your flowers are fading fast. 

We're quite a bit behind you up here on the mountain top - for instance, my Bleeding Heart is just in bloom now. I can't believe what a bloom I got out of it for its first year - it's flowering to beat the band!

It should be downright spectacular once it truly gets established. 


Not that I'm a fan of spiders by any means, but this guy caught my eye on my new Bloodgood Japanese Maple. 

Just one of the many critters in my garden these days. Some welcome, some....not so much. 

Word on the street is that my 'teenage' bear isn't the only one visiting my house - my neighbor said she saw a mama bear and two cubs coming from my house, just the other night. 

Scary stuff. You don't want to mess with a mama and her cubs!

One of the horses was making himself at home in my front garden the other morning - apparently the storm knocked out the electric fence. 

Of all the things I see in my garden, the sight of a horse grazing peacefully at dawn is one I will never complain about. 

I'd far rather him than the bears. 

Or the slugs. 

37 comments:

  1. Oh, no! I was hoping there were no more bears tromping around your yard! Everything looks wonderful and is thriving! I wish we had more sunshine in our yard so I could plant a few veggies. We just have too many huge trees. Thanks for popping in and have a great 4th if I don't 'see' you before!
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia :)

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    1. Thanks, Shelia - and the very same to you! Yes, apparently the bears are still making their way around the houses in my neck of the woods - I hear it's because things have been dry around here, but I don't know for certain if that's true.

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  2. Your gardens are just beautiful! I am having trouble with slugs too. And I never get a strawberry before the birds peck it to pieces. Love the little bird house!
    Brenda

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    1. Something has been eating my strawberries also - you're not alone!!

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  3. Beautiful! All of it. I love gardening this time of year and will love it until about the end of July and then I'll be so done with it! I'm fickle like that! ;)

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    1. Ha ha, it's a ton of work, of course....but I like to think of it as a great workout, and so worth it in the end!

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  4. GREAT pictures. I love currants and they don't grow here that I know of. My mother had a huge fence full of them and made the most wonderful jelly from them.
    The horse in the yard reminds me of my friend in Fargo, ND- the neighbors horse got out and he found it swimming in his inground pool the next morning. His dad (who had dementia) was sitting at the table and said- "Look, Roger, there's a pony in the pond this morning." lol Gotta laugh. xo Diana

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    1. Oh, that's funny, Diana - oh, the poor guy - and that poor horse!

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  5. Great guns, you've got a lot going on there! That birdhouse is spectacular! So glad you are getting to enjoy some fresh food from the garden. I am looking forward to the fall planting myself. One of the advantages of living on the mountain, I suppose, is being able to actually grow something in summer!

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    1. For sure! I wouldn't be able to handle your summer temps, Daisy, my white Irish skin doesn't do well in the sun!

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  6. Your garden looks lovely! Our bipolar weather and that early heat wave followed by the freezes stunted the growth on so many of my plants. I'm thinking I may need to reseed the summer squash because the plants are still tiny. The acorn squash is still going strong though.

    Please be careful with the mama bear and cubs...that just scares me! My mother's dog Moki treed a cub last year and lucky for Moki the mama was not in the vicinity when she did it.

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    1. I think I need to reseed a few things also, Debbie, but more from the stupid slugs rather than the weather. But at this point I am not even sure if it's worth it....I guess I can give it a try, right? Yes, the mama bear and cubs frightens me more than my teenage bear. I wonder are they a family?

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  7. Bears are just visitors we have to live with in the mountains. We have them too. I don't worry about them, they tend to run off when I make a lot of noise. I once had a mama and three cubs on the veranda!

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    1. Wow, were they coming for a tea party on the veranda, Carole? Or maybe the mama needed a margarita? :)

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  8. Ive never heard of currant. Very interesting. The daisies are my favorite and those are great photos! And only you can make a spider web look pretty!
    Lisa

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    1. I've seen some gorgeous spider webs and if they are outside I will try to leave them be. Inside? That's a whole other ballgame, Lisa!!

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  9. True mountain splendor, and I love it all (except the bears). Gorgeous photography and you're going to have some fantastic bounty.

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    1. Thanks, Rita! I love capturing my flowers in close up photos - it gets me through the long winter!

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  10. Everything in your garden is looking beautiful, especially your daisies and bleeding hearts. Your peas looke divine, too. I've never planted them, but I think I will, next year.

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    1. Peas are truly easy peasy, Laurie - you should definitely give them a try!

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  11. I get so excited when I see sugar snap peas forming, it's one of my favorite plants to watch grow in the garden. I love seeing a look in your garden, everything looks beautiful! Can't wait to see those tomato plants bursting with 'matoes!

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    1. You and me both, Pamela - my mouth is watering for that first cherry tomato I pop into my mouth, warm from the sun! And a tomato sandwich with mayo and salt - heaven!

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  12. You have so much wonderful goodness happening in your gardens. Thanks for sharing & have a nice holiday weekend ~ FlowerLady

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  13. Love the bird house so cute. You are becoming a master gardener for sure. Have a great 4th.
    Kris

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    1. I looked for a Master Gardener's class in my area and although they have one, there's no certification program up here! So, I'll just keep on learning through trial and error, I suppose.

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  14. Your flowers and gardens are so lovely. I especially like that birdhouse! I do hope the mama bear and cubs stay away from you! Have a nice 4th of July! Nancy

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    1. I agree, Nancy! I have not seen the mama and the cubs yet, thankfully. My neighbor next door got photos of them, though, and said they came wandering over from my house - scary!

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  15. Lots of lovely things going on there....great shot of that little spider! I have had cleome for the last few years and did not get any this time around; should have! :) That is not good news about that mama bear ; hope she stays away going forward!

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  16. Lots of lovely things going on there....great shot of that little spider! I have had cleome for the last few years and did not get any this time around; should have! :) That is not good news about that mama bear ; hope she stays away going forward!

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    1. I'm surprised you didn't get any 'volunteers' from the cleome you've had in the past, Deb. Although, I didn't get any volunteers the last few times I put it in, either. The first time I planted it, years ago, I got seedlings for years in that area - weird, huh?

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  17. The one thing you don't need is a bear family! I always enjoy your garden pictures. We will have our second picking of green beans and have had zucchini.

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    1. Nice!! Your gardens are obviously way ahead of mine, Donna! So far we've just picked lettuce, spinach, and radishes. And herbs, of course!

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  18. Such wonderful things happening at your place! I have been getting giddy watching things grow that I started from seeds too ;-) Bears - oh my! We have foxes, and something making a weird noise one night???? I enjoy your tours through your property.

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    1. Thanks so much, Lori! And yes, it still amazes me when we pull in a gorgeous head of lettuce that I started from an itty bitty seed! Isn't nature just amazing?

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  19. I love seeing what's blooming and growing in other people's gardens. My tomato plants are already about 4 ft tall! They're just cherry tomatoes (red and yellow), but the plants already have green tomatoes on them. Can't wait 'til they are ripe and we have our own fresh tomatoes. Love all your daisies...they're one of my favorite flowers. So scary that your neighbor saw a mama bear and her cubs coming from your house! :-o

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    1. Wow, Melanie, holy smokes your tomato plants are way ahead of mine! I have the first flowers but no baby tomatoes yet.

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