This and That - Busy Gardening as Usual - by Sunscape

If you know me, you know where you can find me. Either gardening or cooking in the kitchen. Today, I will share some of this week's flowers that are blooming around the yard.

The above photo is one of the varieties of day lilies I have here and there. I love the scarlet pattern on this one. It blooms at the edge of the butterfly garden.

A few poppies started blooming this week. Only a few grew scattered about the garden this year. I pulled them early last season to keep them in check. One year they overtook my annuals, and many died.

This year, I have a lot of Larkspur that self-sowed. Mostly, purple and white. I had forgotten how tall they can get, almost 4 feet high.

Next to them are the Shasta daisies, which have gotten quite large over the past few years. There are three large clumps in all. The purple Lobelia is putting on a fabulous show this year. I did plant a lot of it in the different gardens and hanging baskets.

You can see how much the Lobelia and Verbena have filled in the container pot with the Mandevilla vine. It looks so pretty together. I will have to try and remember that or at least make a note of it, lol.

The Snapdragons next to the porch are opening, too.

The only Asiatic Lily that I have left lost its last flower yesterday. So sad to see it go already.

The lily is next to the pond, and this frog was watching me carefully as I took the photos.

Meanwhile, in the vegetable gardens, the sweet peppers are getting taller and showing buds. I took time to stake them this week while I could still walk between them.

The Roma tomato plants had to be tied to the panel, and the lower leaves trimmed off. Then it rained heavily after I fertilized them, now I have to get back out there and tie them up some more.

The Party Time cucumbers are sending out tendrils. I tied them to the netting to help them get a good hold so they can climb more easily.

The Rosita Eggplant has tripled in size in just two weeks. I think that is the best growth I've ever had with them. The stems are very thick this year. I need to research if I'm supposed to trim off the lower branches.

I have lots of flowers on the different zucchini plants, and I see some honeybees pollinating them.

I am trimming off the largest lower leaves to expose the flowers, and I have them growing up inside these small trellises.

The Russet potatoes in the three growbags are already turning yellow and dying back. Soon, I will have to harvest them, probably within the next two weeks or so.

In the large raised bed, the Red Acre, Filderkraut, and Chinese Cabbage are forming heads.

This week, I cut back the largest Kale stems for the third time. I cooked them down with some Arugula, red onions, and had them for dinner.

Next to the Kale, is some Peppermint that I picked and is now drying in the dehydrator to add to a tea blend.

Kale, pork, and bean soup was on the menu for dinner after harvesting, too! A lot of it got parboiled and put into the freezer. I still have a lot yet to pick; it amazes me how a few plants just keep on giving.

Happy gardening, everyone!