Flowers for Mrs. Thompson

Updated 6/30/10--see below the picture...

It started last year when I had too many flowers with small, daisy-like blooms taking over a vegetable bed. I cut them and gave to our neighbor Mrs. Thompson just because. She thanked me so much, although I was just trying to get rid of something that did not belong in a veggie garden... yet putting these cute flowers in compost pile would not feel right either. Since then I gave her some flowers now and then.

Mrs. Thompson lost her husband this spring. Putting together a small bouquet and taking it to her gives me an excuse to visit and see how she is doing. Here are the flowers I gave her tonight. UPDATE: Last night I could only name three of six flowers from the bouquet and in a limited amount of time I had, could not find what I needed on the web. But after some further research this evening, here they are:

• gladiolas--came with the house & garden; I have three varieties: pink, salmon and red
• zinnia--started from seed packet 'Carnival Mix' this spring. Just started to bloom and promise to produce flowers until early fall.
• daisy--clone of a plant I bought at a nursery maybe six years ago. Grew it in my old house, then gave it to a friend before we moved. Last summer I got a division from her garden and I have my daisies again.
• blazing star (liatris spicata)--another plant left in the garden from the previous owners. Did not know it's name until today. In my mind I called it "drumstick". Latin name is noted just because it came up during the search, but I will not even try to remember it; neither the two following ones. I much rather prefer the common names.
• feverfew (Tanecetum parthenium)--self-seeding and fast spreading annual also inhabiting the garden before our time. This was the flower I had to pull out. I have to treat is as a weed sometimes, although its small daisy-like flowers are so cute. And I love that self-seeding part, too, about it. Turns out, this plant can be a powerful home remedy for migraines, but I hope I never have a need to use it.
• mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum)--got this one last August at a nursery for $6. Expensive! But it's doing very well and has spread three-fold. It has an annual look-alike, but they are two different plants.

Learn something new every day

Today I learned what is the name of cacti in my flowerbox. It is hardy opuntia. I came across it's name quite by accident--love when learning happens like that. Then I could search it by name on the web and found out on Wikipedia that it is also known as paddle cactus (duh, just look at it) and is a genus in the cactus family (I suspected that much).
This hardy opuntia came with the house we bought two and a half years ago. If anyone would like to clone it, just let me know--happy to give you one of the paddles. They require no care at all, just a sunny spot. I have never watered them--they thrive on whatever they get from rain. Be aware, though, they are quite prickly. Sometime in May they are real stars and attention grabbers when blooming. The rest of the year I almost forget about them. But maybe not anymore since now I know them by such a fancy name.

3.5 Hours

What a difference uninterrupted morning in the garden makes. I got a rare chance to work in my garden as long as I wanted... until I got too tired and hot. But after that I felt so good.

Yesterday morning I started with digging up my garlic harvest: elephant garlic (upper left corner; started as three cloves last fall), garlic 'Music' (medium size; planted 24 cloves, now I got 20 garlic heads) and unidentified small garlics. The latter grew from typical grocery garlic. There are always some cloves that are too small to clean and prep. Typically I throw those away, but since back then it was time to plant garlic, I pushed them in ground. They are still too small for kitchen use, but I'll save them to plant in some corner this fall again.
I also pulled a few beets (to be roasted and used in salad) and one red onion, just to see how big it has gotten. Onions will probably come out next. Too bad beans become rabbit food, otherwise I'd plant them in the free space--it's still not too late to plant beans.

Besides harvesting, I pulled some weeds from veggie patch and two flower beds, I also edged one of the beds. I watered some plants. I tried to make my own leaf mulch with lawnmower (not successful). I wanted to keep going and setting order in other parts, but I got too tired. After all, at least the backyard got good care and everything else can be done in smaller time chunks.

Today's Harvest June 24

Today I picked a bunch of dill leaves. Dill is one of my favorite herbs (if not the favorite). I prefer to have it fresh, but they are blooming now and soon after the plant will go to seed. The best time to pick any leaves for consumption is before or during the blooming period. I will dry these dill leaves to use later this fall and winter. I just leave them on a paper towel on kitchen counter for a few days. Once they are dry, I crunch them up and store in a glass or plastic container with a lid. I promise to share the ways how I use dill soon.
I also picked some hot peppers. Those little plants are super producers! I planted four varieties in my garden this spring. Now we have more jalapenos, chiles, sweet banana and cayenne peppers than I know what to do with. I guess we'll have some homemade salsa this weekend. And maybe some spicy fish tacos.

Little Things

Last night I read the following in the most recent "Better Homes and Gardens" issue:

"Allow time each day to simply enjoy your garden. Don't dwell on the negatives--the weeds, the unfinished tasks, the plants nibbled by rabbits. Instead, focus your eyes on the beauty of details--a newly opened flower, dewdrops gleaming in the sun, a butterfly winging from bloom to bloom."

So true--when I make my daily rounds around my garden I do make what seems a never-ending mental list of tasks. I also keep whining about doings of rabbits and deer. Recently deer had eaten soon-to-be-open double daylily blooms in the side yard.
It's hard not to take this personally. Why my daylilies and never ever anything from the neighbor's garden? I was pouting about a row of missing flowers. Then I read the paragraph in the magazine, and it reminded me to enjoy the one bloom that deer did not eat. It is pictured below on the left.
The same day in another side of the garden I noticed a pink daylily--one I've not seen before. This is my third summer with this garden, and deer had always eaten daylily buds before they had opened in this spot. This summer they had their daylily fill in another place. Now I can enjoy this specimen. Is not it beautiful?
Veggie garden also is doing great. All the seeding and transplanting is done and the plants keep growing. I have pulled a few weeds here and there, but mostly big-leafed plants keep it in check themselves. I was planning to pull out broccoli plants since they'll no longer produce, but then decided to keep them where they are. After all, I do not have anything at the moment to put in their place. They have started blooming and that attracts some pollinators. Zucchinis have started blooming and garlic is wilting--soon it will be time to harvest both.As about little things and details, there's never lack of those, just have to look closer. I just love this delicate dill bloom...
and this green fly on a sunflower...
and a goldfinch snacking on some seed pods (look in the center of the picture)...
as well as this bee in a hibiscus bloom.
There's always something to do and always something beautiful to see in a garden.

Double Take

I found my garden chair that I adopted on one trash day last winter in another blog. Why do I feel validated? See the pictures below.

My chair
Their chairsBy the way, I love the featured courtyard, but would probably never have one like this myself. I have no discipline when it comes to limited number of plants. It's one of those things that I admire from afar...

Fig and Lithops

I ordered two new plants and the came recently. To the left is a sapling of a dwarf fig variety 'Petite Negra'. In the small pot are lithops, commonly called living stones.

I read about this fig in a magazine and it sounded just perfect for my front garden. I learned about lithops in another blog and got very curious about this weird plant. It will be very interesting to see it grow.
Lithops close up. For a reference, the clay pot they came in is 2 inches wide.