Beauty

The garden has seen a lot of action this month. Planting, design, transplanting, clean-up and of course, my new favorite: hammock time! For now, let's look at the lovely things...and soon again I will show the progress and changes.









Feverfew is new & will be so nice for bouquets.

Campanula Tricta-something. I better look it up. I just discovered Campanulas and I wonder how I missed them all these years.

This thing is killing me...it is so good...Sundrop...but look at the hot red, ahh!

Knock-out Rainbow rose. A good find, has replaced some ugliness in the garden, more on that later.


Newly planted pot on the back patio...sunflowers, creeping jenny, sweet peas, lettuce.

Peace Rose.

Ocean Spray. A native shrub that wildlife will be loving a few years.

Vine Maple in the compost garden...please grow soon so we can have some shade.

This is a happy spot. Growing Sunflowers, Thai Basil and Verbena Bonariensis.

Indian Prune tree...I think this one is so cool. With a frog house (half buried pot) at the base.

An unknown tree is growing...it came in on a freebie from a garden tour last year...I think she said it was a fig tree...or a cherry tree...hmm. Anyone?

The Salal I planted last year has survived! I thouht it was a gonner from my neglect but I have 2 growing under the snowberry tree now, quite happily.

Maidenhair fern.

Creeping Jenny.

The lovely native snowberry tree.

Euphorbia and Heather.

Just a fairyland picture here...with an emerging magic bean. At least, it's a precious bean that a friend carefully counted out for me from her stash.

Pastel semps, just when I thought you couldn't be more gorgeous.

This was apple green when I planted it...cool!

A fried guacamole hosta who suffered in a "shade garden" that turned out to be quite sunny in the summer time. Transplanted now & hopefully going to fare better.

A fern transplanted to a shadier spot. Apparently shade is rare in this garden.

A new box for composting! Definitely a beautiful thing.

This honey, my sweetie.

Kitten, I see you are as blissed out as I am.

A new mystery. This plant was spied through the hammock holes while I lounged last night...what could this be? I am guessing Chinese Lantern Plant...anyone?

The view from the hammock. This is where it dawns on me, I am the cosmos! What's in me is powering the bird that spirals, singing and quick.

The South Hill Garden

This garden is evolving into something I think is working aestetically for me, finally.

The lavender is draped over with rainbow Leucothoe. Autumn crocus are tucked between so the foliage in summer is hidden but the bloom in autumn peeks through. Behind are orange daylilies that hover over the whole arrangement. I am thrilled with this combination.

More orange daylilies will be transplanted this fall, from other areas of the garden to hover over the wild and colorful hedge. I also transplanted tangerine, white and lavender bearded Iris to hide behind this hedge & float their blooms atop this mass come Springtime.

Finally, we dotted the hill with a nice apple green ground cover of Corsican Sandwort. It has a lovely scent of strong mint. This should take over pretty quick and really pop the whole arrangement.

Goddess planter.

I've got my lovely lady planted out with sempervivums, sedums and stonecrops.

If I'm right, they will grow and hang over her bangs for a nice Medusa effect.

Roses

June is here, and once again I fall deeply in love with the roses.

Double Delight.

Double Delight on left and Abraham Darby on right.

Peace, new this year.


Peace, same bloom earlier in the week.

Love.

Vegetable Garden

Kohlrabi...the one on the right is bolting...hope the others make it.


Mesclun Mix...a cut and come again lettuce bed. This has been the most rewarding part of the garden so far. I love harvesting the leaves a few times a week for my smoothies.


Butternut Squash. Grew in the dining room from seed (from Reese).

An hour after planting the Squash, I read it needs to be hardened off! So I go out at 9pm and cloche it with a sheet & bamboo stakes, hoping for the best.

Next to the vegetable garden sits the bird feeder full of black oil sunflower seeds. What the birds don't scavenge, is coming up to bloom! I think I will let some of them grow & just stake them to the feeder for the birds...why not.

Carrots. They seem to be growing quite slowly, it may be the weather this year though, because I checked with a friend and hers are behaving similarly. Feel much better now.

Beets! An elixir of love. Or so I hear from the "Wise Woman's Cookery: Food, Sex, Magic and Merriment", delightful insights into plants and their power.

The onion bed. This appears to be a healthy crop of New York Earlie's, I found them at the Tilth sale. Very happy to see these going along so well.

My Jalapeno Pepper plant! I am pretty excited about this one. I love hot peppers.

Heirloom Tomatoes who have seen a very cold and wet year so far, here in Seattle.

I hope they will recover and begin to thrive. Started them in February...a bit early!

Spinach, with garlic peelings and egg shells for protection from pests.

Strawberries.

Garlic.

Lettuce.

Lovage.

Zucchini and Nasturtium in the lavender bed.

Fortunately, the Roma tomato San Marzano and the cherry tomato Yellow Pear, were started month's later than the struggling heirlooms. They were just hardened off over our first weekend of 70 degree weather! What nice timing.

Then they were planted, staked, fertilized and cloched well. I feel like a mother hen.

A peek inside the cloche.