The Weekend

Our past several days offered a reprieve with lower temperature and a bit of rain, but with the weekend upon us we must yield to 80 degrees and an increase tomorrow to the mid-to-hi 80's. Although we prefer the coolness, mother nature has something else in mind, so work in the garden will be limited to a before noon status.

The fruit and vegetable garden has kept us busy and our daily diet has been filled with that very fine and healthy food group. Long gone are the snow peas, carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, spinach, lettuce and broccoli, but we are now blessed with an abundance of tomatoes, green beans, peppers, squash, onions, eggplant, zucchini. . . oh, yes, and zucchini. Amazing what one plant can produce. And potatoes! We grew some last year, but decided not to plant them this time. . . they came anyway.

Marionberries are finally gone, but the wild blackberries have now shifted into position, and strawberries continue all summer long. Many marionberry crisps were made and shared, as well as fresh strawberry and marionberry bran muffins. As the freezer now contains an adequate supply of muffins for fall and winter, I have begun to freeze the strawberries. Peaches were quartered and frozen today, as well as some fresh tomatoes, blanched, skins removed, and placed in quart size freezer bags, with just a little bit of salt.

Pears, apples, and figs are well positioned on their branches, and the fruit fairy is temporarily granting me a stay.

There is nothing quite like it: the freshness and full flavor of it all and with little or no seasoning in the preparation. And when we see what grocery stores are charging for these items, how thankful are we that our preference is to grow our own?

Reds in the Garden

Reds and pinks are not colors I generally use either in our home or on my person, but in the garden, well, that's another story.

From pale soft pinks to the radiant and passionate and on to the boldness of a deep red, there is plenty of room for this vast range of color. And from flowers to foliage, it offers a dramatic dimension to our outdoor space.

Early spring yields welcome combinations as this bearded iris mimics the pink of the Salvia officinalis 'Tricolor', while the distant Allium hoist and peak their heads in balance.

The June time frame finds the garden falling all over itself as these peonies play gleefully among the evergreens, sedum, lilies and beech tree. In the distance and below the slope of the hillside, the Gleditsia triacanthos 'Sunburst' casts its golden rays above and about the landscape.
Yellow leaves of the Caryopteris x clandonensis 'Worcester Gold' complement the climbing Rosa 'Summer Wine'. The blossoms emerge as deep coral and gradually transition into a softer hue of coral-pink with shading to a gold center. With age, just like wine, she continues to evolve, but onto a cooler pink. . . one plant with a remarkable 'kaleidoshow' of color.

This sweet and charming old-fashioned Phlox paniculata 'Robert Poore', which graces the edge of a pebble path, stands over 3' tall with Clematis 'Ernest Markham' as it's backdrop, a vine that offers flowers of magenta for most of the summer.

Physocarpus opulifolius 'Diablo' (Ninebark) unfolds a rich maroon foliage in the spring and darkens to an outstanding burgundy that is steadfast through all of summer's ray. Clusters of pale pink blossoms yield to red fall berries, a bird's delight. Daylily 'Lavender Deal' (Hemerocallis) and the electric yellow-green leafed shrub, Hypericum androsaemum, enjoy the companionship.

A supporting formation for R. 'Queen Elizabeth' is this easy-to-care-for shrub, Spiraea x bumalda 'Anthony Waterer'. Give it a hair cut once a year and its gifts provide a spectrum of burgundy, reds and orange from early spring to late fall.

One final thing: walk with me to this section. Can you smell it. . . that seductive fragrance you are experiencing right now? It is this exotic Stargazer lily. A garden should not be without it.

Hot One Today

It is going to be a hot one today, an estimated 96 degrees, with tomorrow at a sizzling 98, which means we will likely see over 100 both days. Our weather has been consistently hot and dry for the past month, and without even stepping out into the heat of the day, the plants tell us it is so.

I have begun to see a few signs of stress, some curling of leaves on the dogwood and the hint of color beginning to form at the tips of the blades on the ornamental grasses, signaling that something is taking place, that the process begins to unfold as it senses fall.

Looking at the plants from inside my studio window seems appropriate.