View from the end of the month: July

Here’s what’s going on in my patch of land in northern New England as of 31 July (or really, 1 August) 2016:

It’s raining as I write, and we got soaking rain on Friday night, too. Temperatures yesterday and today are topping out in the low 60s. It actually feels odd not to set aside an hour to water my garden every day; I think the last time I did was five days ago.

The down side to not watering daily is that I am not noticing the garden’s activity as closely. When I took a swing around the garden this morning (in the rain), I found a couple of huge yellow squash that weren’t there, at all!, last week.

very big squash ... 12", 11", and 8"
very big squash … 12″, 11″, and 8″

I also harvested a bunch of smaller squash, a healthy batch of green beans, and a few tomatoes.

harvest!
harvest!

I’ll get the garlic in when the rain stops in a day or two. One happy surprise: an actual cucumber on the vine!

first cucumber!
first cucumber!

Of course, the most abundant of my edible plants is one I didn’t plant, a gourd of some sort that sprang up again next to the compost. It’s not taking up valuable real estate, so I let it be, curious to see its fully fledged fruits. (It is starting to block the gate, which is making me a bit nervous about its intentions.)

giant volunteer gourd
giant volunteer gourd
volunteer gourd fruit
volunteer gourd fruit

On to the rest of the photos, taken in the last week or so. Let’s start with the veggie garden this time:

VEGETABLE GARDEN

Squash, tomatoes, green beans, arugula, basil, and chard are all harvestable. Scarlet runner beans are starting to flower, and the cosmos from last year re-seeded everywhere. The butterfly mix is starting to bloom, beginning with annual bachelor’s buttons.

intersection of flowers in veggie garden: cosmos, borage, vanilla marigolds, bachelor button from butterfly mix
intersection of flowers in veggie garden: cosmos, borage, vanilla marigolds, bachelor button from butterfly mix
another flower intersection in veggie garden, with scarlet runner bean bloom, re-seeded cosmos, bachelor button, plus some lemon balm photobombing
another flower intersection in veggie garden, with scarlet runner bean bloom, re-seeded cosmos, bachelor button, plus some lemon balm photobombing
crocosmia petals on Swiss chard
crocosmia petals on Swiss chard
crocosmia, cosmos, borage, buddleia, chard, holly ...
crocosmia, cosmos, borage, buddleia, chard, holly …
partial view from inside vegetable garden
partial view from inside vegetable garden
another view inside veggie garden, with squash, tomato, basil plants, and crocosmia
another view inside veggie garden, with squash, tomato, basil plants, and crocosmia

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SIDEYARD

Both part of and apart from the vegetable garden … Right now, asclepias incarnata (a kind of milkweed) and crocosmia (a bulb that’s come back strong each year since planted in 2013) are stealing the show, but echinacea, vervain, bee balm, and phlox are all shining, too.

echincea and Intensia Neon pink phlox
echincea and Intensia Neon pink phlox
great golden digger wasp on asclepias incarnata 'Ice Ballet'
great golden digger wasp on asclepias incarnata ‘Ice Ballet’
asclepias incarnata blooming outside veggie garden
asclepias incarnata blooming outside veggie garden
a riot of red crocosmia
a riot of red crocosmia
vervain and bee balm, with one orange zinnia peeking in
vervain and bee balm, with one orange zinnia peeking in
buddleia (butterfly bush) bloom
buddleia (butterfly bush) bloom

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SHADE GARDEN

shade garden in rain
shade garden in rain
shade garden, patio, back border in rain
shade garden, patio, back border in rain
'Francis Williams' hosta
‘Francis Williams’ hosta
pink filipendula bloom
pink filipendula bloom

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BACKYARD

It’s all about the veronicastrum (culver’s root) right now. Coming soon: Joe Pye weed.

veronicastrum, echinacea in back border, bent down by rain
veronicastrum, echinacea in back border, bent down by rain
veronicastrum et al., in back border, bent down by rain
veronicastrum et al., in back border, bent down by rain
phlox 'Wendy House' and veronicastrum
phlox ‘Wendy House’ and veronicastrum
great black wasp on veronicastrum
great black wasp on veronicastrum
swallowtail on veronicastrum
swallowtail on veronicastrum
echinacea 'White Swan'
echinacea ‘White Swan’
phlox paniculata 'Jade'
phlox paniculata ‘Jade’
Joe Pye weed buds
Joe Pye weed buds

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SUNROOM BORDER

Mostly ornamental except for sage, lavender, thyme.

skipper butterfly on lavender
skipper butterfly on lavender
goldenrod allowed to flower in sunroom border. Dianthus, salvia 'May Night,' and comfrey also seen.
goldenrod allowed to flower in sunroom border. Dianthus, salvia ‘May Night,’ and comfrey also seen.
echinops (globe thistle), with sedum and dianthus below
echinops (globe thistle), with sedum and dianthus below

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FRUIT GUILD

The two semi-dwarf ‘Red Haven’ peaches have no fruit this year, but last year’s self-seeded fennel is going strong, and the four Asclepias incarnata plants (a milkweed) are just starting to bloom.

lots of fennel, first anise hyssop, purple sand cherry shrub
lots of fennel, first anise hyssop, purple sand cherry shrub
fennel blooming
fennel blooming
'Summer Pastels' yarrow
‘Summer Pastels’ yarrow
asclepias incarnata starting to bloom
asclepias incarnata starting to bloom

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FRONT YARD

Mostly ornamental, with two blueberries, some culinary oregano and thyme. The hostas, bee balm, and geraniums are up to bat now.

front border with hostas, bee balm, etc.
front border with hostas, bee balm, etc.
'So Sweet' hostas
‘So Sweet’ hostas
'Johnson's Blue' geranium and 'Gold Standard' hosta
‘Johnson’s Blue’ geranium and ‘Gold Standard’ hosta
closer look at 'Johnson's Blue' geranium and 'Gold Standard' hosta
closer look at ‘Johnson’s Blue’ geranium and ‘Gold Standard’ hosta
'Gold Standard' hosta eaten by deer but still blooming
‘Gold Standard’ hosta eaten by deer but still blooming
bee balm
bee balm
sedum 'Hab Grey'
sedum ‘Hab Grey’
'Halcyon' hosta in bloom
‘Halcyon’ hosta in bloom
crocosmia against weeping 'Jade' crabapple
crocosmia against weeping ‘Jade’ crabapple

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And this lovely slug on the door mat yesterday:

lovely slug
lovely slug

Come back in August!

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“People from a planet without flowers would think we must be mad with joy the whole time to have such things about us.” — Iris Murdoch

One comment

  1. Lovely, lovely garden. Where do I start with comments?

    I’ve sown echinacea for the first time. They are my new favourite flower – and of course they have added benefits, though I’ve never tried it for colds before.

    You’ve got an impressive amount of hostas and the squash by the gate is amazing.

    Enjoy your first cucumber!

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