Round and Around

Huh.

As I was finishing my ramble this surprisingly cool morning, I was reminded of yearly cycles in our gardens. Every plant has its own timing yet every year is still different from the last one. And, the first photo, taken yesterday, is very circular. So, we will see how this theme works throughout the post.

Yesterday, was the peak for raspberry picking. The black ones have taken over...

... and I bear the scars of wading into the patch. Their thorns are vicious.

Last year's parsley. I saved some to put in bouquets as they bloom this year.

Our cucumbers have firmly attached themselves to their support now. They were beginning to suffer from what I think is bacterial wilt. Ted whipped up an organic solution and sprayed them last week. I think it's helping.

Speaking of round.... OOPS! I forgot to pick radishes last Wed. This one is close to 3". I'll need to open one up and make sure it's not become woody. If we don't get any rain between now and Wed., they probably won't split.

Look at the bottom of the pollinator row. Our first zinnia is blooming.

We tucked zucchini in random spots around the lawn this year. This one is the happiest zucchini in the whole garden. Last year we had already given zucchinis to Fare Share at this time of the month. This year? This is the first one to bloom and it has not had female flower yet. They are over a month behind last year. We are praying for a frost-free September.

Our elderberries are finally blooming. They are fairly shaded and a lot later than ones you see in the ditches on the roadside.

This may be the last week for perfect Hosta leaves. I saw a lot of slugs as I made my way around this morning.

Inside the greenhouse the zucchinis have reached the edges of their beds.

This week, I was reminded of a wonderful importer, GardenImport, that offered amazing plants that they'd found worldwide. Somewhere around 40 years ago, I spent what I thought was a fortune (maybe $12?) for a small root/rhizome of a very large Hosta. When we moved here, I split that Hosta and have split it a few times and given some away to gardening friends. It's a beauty. Sadly, that importer went out of business around 10 years ago.

Our only gooseberry bush came a an extra, attached to a currant plant that we bought 10 years ago. I may be able to make a small batch of gooseberry jam this year. Very small.

Champagne currants are ripe now.....

.... and this variety that are quite tiny compared to the Jonkheer Van Tets currants which are now finished bearing and nicely reclining in the freezer.

I allow dill to grow wherever they want to. Swallowtail butterflies depend on them and they make great bouquet fillers too.

And, be still my heart - there is a Swallowtail caterpillar on a dill plant! Aren't they beautiful???? I'll need to keep an eye on it to see its next stage of metamorphosis.

Our gardens are filled with memories. Like this oak tree that was dug out of Ruth and Dave Nodwell's woods as a small sapling. Despite being fairly crowded by crabapples on either side, a cedar hedge to the west and tall trees beyond that, it is growing like a weed.

Sometimes extra measures are need to ensure we get a crop. Black currants are my favourite type of currant. I am hoping to make some jam in a couple of weeks when they all ripen. In the meantime, they've been covered with black netting.

That's the original large Hosta that was brought from the farm.

Coneflowers, Bee Balm (Monarda) and my favourite - Verbena Bonariensis are now blooming.

These Heliopsis are new to the garden .....

..... as is this one. I love their dark stems.

Pumpkins are starting to ramble....

.... and doggone! Someone is eating my favourite daylily.

If we get a late fall, we'll be able to eat kiwis.

I love the complementary colours, violet and yellow.

So, we've made the rounds. And, we will finish with checking our little nursery that is in the shade of the house. The greenhouse is much to hot for these mesclun seedlings. I'll baby them for a while and then they will move to the garden in August.

Also being watched are raspberry canes from Diane Meekes that may or may not have a highly invasive weed's seed in their soil. I'll watch them until the fall and then plant them. We've had more than our share of other people's weeds enter the gardens from buying their manure.

And, finally.... do you see a few mesclun seedlings in these pods? I see 4. In a week, these pods should be green with seedlings. Some of them will make their way to Green Wood Coalition's Urban Garden on King Street East. Some seedlings that we brought there in the springtime have already provided green salads for 4 dinners. Yay!

Round and round.

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...

Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.”

Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird