Friday, September 7, 2012

A View from the Garden

They'r Here!


Woo hoo...
the seeds I ordered came in!
I am so excited to finally have KALE in my garden.
Bill is not a big fan 
so he was not too eager to plant these.
He says he can only eat greens on the weekend otherwise he spends more time in the bathroom than working if he eats them during the week.
Party "pooper"!
I told him that I mostly want the kale for juicing.
I think he was relieved to hear that.

I also ordered some Collards and some Giant Bushel Gourds.
I won't be able to plant the gourds til spring but... I will be armed and ready to go!

I love this company!
They are from my old childhood stomping grounds.

Pomegranate Tree


My cousin Zac gave this to me a couple years ago in a small pot.
I am embarrassed to admit that we just got around to 
transplanting it a few weeks ago.
It has taken off!
It is LOVING all this yummy compost.

Passion Flower


 For a while this wild version of the passion fruit plant took over our yard.
It was more of a weed than a beautiful plant.
But with a little help from the girls
and Bill this
WEED
has become a welcomed plant.

I can say this now since my cultivated hybrid has passed away.
Again...
thanks to 

The Gals


Back in the Game






After two years of few to NONE
we finally have some gourds to harvest this year
and if the weather holds out
we should have some good sized babies!

False Indigo


A bit neglected but it is making a come back!

Runner Beans




Clematis


Making another beautiful go of it for Fall.

Waterfall


Even when the filter needs to be cleaned...
it still is a beautiful thing to see.

Another New Bloom


The Water Lilies and Lotus in my pond have
gone cray this summer.
I have been blessed with a constant reminder of how 
ABUNDANT my life truly is!

"Sedum" Boots


The sedum is in the top and several of the side holes (types of stonecaps)
The flower in the front...
while very similar to sedum it actually a type of portulaca.
 I love, love, love this boot.
It has been around for a VERY long time.
These boots may have been made for walkin...
but they have be given a new purpose.

This boot came from my soul sister and garden goddess, Robin!
And it sat empty for a year or longer
But this year...
it came back to life.
A pinch from here and there this summer and 
Wa La...
we have new life.
Thank you!

Sedum


More Sedum

 Ok...
not the magenta portulaca in the foreground but the 
Burro's Tail
hanging in the background.

Sorry, I just couldn't help myself with the 
punny humor.

Moth or Butterfly?


It is a Butterfly!
A Gulf Fritillary Butterfly
to be exact and it is getting every drop of nectar it can from my lipstick salvia.
Have I impressed you yet with my vast knowledge?
Hey...
Not everyone can navigate the Google highway.

Pitiful Purple Salvia


This poor thing has been neglected all summer.
It is a wonder that it is even still alive.
Hmmm... 
sounds familiar.

It's humbling to know that nature can be so forgiving.

Rose Hips


These babies are FULL of vitamin C
and make for a wonderful winter herbal tea!
I better get'em while the gittin is good.



Orange is Abundant


I am feeling the presence of Autumn on the horizon.
The color orange is popping up everywhere.
I am sure a lot of it has been there all summer like these zinnias 
it is just that I am becoming
more aware
of it now that summer is coming to an end.

Really?


Our maters haven't done a thing all summer and 
NOW 
they decide that they wanna try and  grow for it?

LETTUCE...


... have salad
The lettuce and other salad fixings that Bill planted are starting to come up.
It won't be long before we are enjoying some 
super LOCAL organic salad again.

Now if I can just get him to plant some of my beet seeds.

Swiss Chard


This stuff is so yummy!
Celeste turned me on to these wonderful greens this summer.
It is kinda strange that these were the only greens that came up from the salad mix seeds
that I planted in this container.

Mary and I liked the Swiss Chard so much, Bill put some in the winter garden for us.
Isn't he a sweetie?
We can use it with just about everything.
We had some today with our tuna sandwiches.
mmm... it was good!

Jerusalem Artichokes
aka sunchoke


These are some hardy plants here.
If you aren't familiar with them... 
nothing like an artichoke,
they have a bloom more like small sunflowers.

They are typically grown for the root. 
The root looks kinda like a cross between a potato and ginger.
But they taste really good with a mild nutty flavor. 

I prepare them like I would a potato.
Except BEWARE ...
they  can really get your innards moving.

You harvest them in the fall after the plant dies back, or you can let them stay in the ground til you are ready to use them.

Asparagus

 Going to seed...
I think next spring we might actually get to harvest some for the table.

Peanuts


This was something new in the garden this year.
Neither Bill or I have ever tried to grow peanuts before.
It seems to like our sandy soil.
This was Mary's pick for the garden, she did all the research.
I have no clue how to grow peanuts,
all I know is that they grow under the ground.

It will be interesting to see what kind of harvest we will get.

Fennel


Bill isn't a fan of this fella.
I don't know if it is because it smells like black licorice or because it is such a prolific self seeder and pops up all over the garden, like a weed.

I originally planted it because it is a home and food source for butterflies.

Echinacea
aka Purple Cone Flower


I think I need to decide if I am handing over the garden hoe permanently to Bill or just temporarily.
If I am letting the veggie patch go permanently...
I need to move my cone flowers over to my flower beds.
None of my echinacea plants are doing very well.
Bill tends to only pay attention to the things he likes or has interest in.
Can't say as I blame him. 
Hmmm...
I should enlighten him 
and tell him all the wonderful healing properties it has.
Ha...
I don't know if I can sway him.
He will drink tea occasionally, but he is more of the Celestial Season's kinda guy...
he isn't to hip on my homemade loose teas.

Who knows, he has been surprising me with lots of things lately.
Anything is possible.

Radishes


Who knew Bill was a fan?

I had these in my seed drawers only because they are good companion plants for my gourds.
They naturally keep away pest that are fatal to young gourds.

Mary's Window-box

Every girl needs a dragon guarding her window.
Even if it is a pink snapdragon.

Devil's Backbone


It is time to do some propagating ...
It has out grown it's container and is spilling out from it's pot.
I will need to do this before it starts to get cold.
Fortunately for us,
we have an extra long growing season here on the OBX.
I need to go get some dirt under my nails.
Because I am 
a little bit of a control freak,
(Be Nice... those who know me)

I am surprised that I left him alone in the garden,
even though I begged him to take it over.

I did leave him alone though...
and
I can't tell you how grateful I am that Bill took over the veggie garden this summer.
It is bringing the 
JOY
of gardening back into my life.

It had simply become to much for me.

It has also given Bill some personal responsibility towards our family's health.
And frankly it has been nice to see Bill feed his green thumbs.
He is really starting to enjoy himself out there.

I like the change it has brought about in him...
and me.

LET IT GROW!

2 comments:

Susan said...

I am definitely dazzled by all your plant knowledge and names!! Loved the purple spiny looking flower!

The greengourd said...

Wow... "dazzled"? Now my head is swelling!

Susan, anytime there is something in my garden that you like...

I am HAPPY to share with you!