elliemoon

THE IRISES

they've already come and gone. sad but true. they were impressive as ever though. this new variety was the winner by far. i planted it last spring and it must really love it's spot. so huge and fragrant. the blooms smelled like peaches! i wish i could remember the name. i think they are a variety of rio bearded irises::

these are my wild irises::

"wild" only because i transplanted them up from an overgrown area of our road. pretty and petite. we'll see them next spring. now it's on to the daylilies.

 

BEAN SUPPORT

big b. he makes it look so simple. he and owen built this great bean trellis for our garden in one afternoon::

it should be large enough to accommodate the usual sugar snap and snow peas, as well as some green beans and a couple of cucumber plants. thanks boys! let the growing season begin :)

 

 

FINAL PICKINGS

we harvested half of the carrots over the weekend. and the last of the butternut squash. it's almost time to turn things over for the winter::

tendersweets and scarlet nantes. some of these are headed for chicken soup. i think it's cold enough now. and even though it's a little sad to be leaving the garden until spring, we are more than happy to greet the new picking season::

oysters on the half shell! lemon, cocktail sauce, horseradish, go!

 

MY SAD INFESTED GARDEN

you may have noticed the lack of garden shots on the blog this summer. there is a very good, or bad, reason for that. tomato blight::

i think the culprit was this heirloom plant i purchased::

it started showing signs a week or two after i planted it, but not knowing anything about blight, i mistakenly thought it needed more water, or was maybe planted too close to the others as it had been an afterthought. all of my other plants took off in the rich soil and our garden looked like a rainforest. so, not being able to see too many stalks from the bottom of the stakes, the entire garden became infested before i realized what was going on. i spent my first few september days gently pulling tomato plants up by the roots. blight can winter over in the soil. all 32 of my plants need to be ripped up and composted elsewhere::

the only positive is that we were still able to harvest a decent amount of tomatoes, they came in by the basketful::

i've frozen enough for six big pots of sauce, eaten an alarming amount of caprese, and made a few batches of salsa. not too bad considering the infestation. but the beefsteaks weren't so beefy and i had planned on storing a lot more for the winter. oh well, live and learn! tomato blight 101. i am now well informed. may it never happen again.

 

 

FLOWERING

there are new blooms in the flower garden this year. here are some of my favorites::

dahlias::

cleome, queen pink (annual)::

osteospermum, margarita white spoon (annual)::

lace cap hydrangea::

 double tiger lily, flore pleno::

 july in the flower garden::

 loaded with honeybees and hummingbirds!! 

 

 

WHAT TO DO WITH ALL THAT BASIL

i planted a few dozen basil plants this season. same as last year. and though that may sound like overkill, it will be put to good use. i planted even more tomatoes, so the caprese alone should take care of about half of it. not to mention all the pesto to be made, consumed, and stored for the winter. this year though, the basil patch is on organic steroids. i fed the garden and worked the soil more than in previous years. so, long story short, i'm open to basil recipes and general basil suggestions. i recently tried this great basil vinaigrette from jess' blog::

i added more basil than the recipe calls for. super fresh and delicious. a nice light break from the ranch. the ranch has become an obsession!

 

 

GREEN DINNER

our garden is exploding thanks to all of this rain::

makes dinnertime pretty simple. can't wait for the tomatoes to start rolling in.

 

 

LAVENDER PATCH, REVISITED

remember that little lavender spot i started 3 years ago? probably not, but it is in full effect this summer. i added another variety to it last weekend::

yesterday i did some clipping and up in the attic they went::

now i'll just let this heat wave do the rest and then the lavender crafting can begin! 

 

IN THE INTERIM

and i'm back! without having to sell my soul for a new computer! it was an easy fix and we're plugged back in. mother's day, first swim in the lake (for the kids), spreading more soil and planting this season's garden; it's all been done. next up? birthdays, birthdays, birthdays! and hopefully some crafting. 

 

 

SPRINGTIME WEATHER

finally. that felt like a very long winter::

happy discoveries: not only did our parsley patch winter over but my first ever rose bush is looking lively as well::

and just like that, we're right back to weeding and working in the garden!