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.

Remember when these were tiny seedlings growing in my utility room?

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.