Garden Friday

 

 

 

It's been a wet and stormy week,

and we're happy to report no serious damage

on this Garden Friday.

We were blessed with over 3" of rain,

after being without any precipitation for many weeks.

 

The loofah is gracing us with beautiful blooms,

and is starting to cover the top of the frame.

The bees are its constant companion.

 

A few fruit were spied on the vines yesterday.

These will be eaten when less than 8",

and I will enjoy a wonderful zucchini substitute.

I want to see if the chooks will eat them as well.

Checking on the pumpkins,

I couldn't help but notice there were no female flowers visible.

The plants look fairly healthy,

with the exception of a bit of squash beetle damage.

 

Our okra is way behind the growing season,

but marching on just the same.

We'll see if we're able to harvest some for pickling.

Depending on how long summer lasts,

we could get lucky.

 

The hyacinth bean tepees are looking glorious.

They are being covered in delicate purple blooms.

These are purely ornamental, and they add a nice bit of color to the garden.

 

They also ensure their longevity by forming oodles of seed pods.

 

The milkweed is also producing seed pods,

which will be harvested so that we have fresh seed

for next season.

We are expecting the monarch caterpillars any day now.

 

The moonflower seeds have been gathered a few times a week,

and I will be happy to be able to share some of these beauties.

 

The lantana has done well planted in some

old lawnmower tires.

These heat resistant flowers just keep blooming,

all summer long.

 

The stormy weather on Tuesday caused our maple tree

to fall forward.

I think I spied a crack in the trunk, way up high.

This tree will most likely have to be felled,

even though it doesn't threaten anything but the drain field.

Although I'd be sad to see it come down,

it would be enough wood chips to cover the whole garden

and then some.

Two of the hoses I use near the garden and chicken coop 

burst at the same time.

We've been looking for replacements,

but haven't liked what we've found.

They just don't make them like they used to.

 One of these is connected to the irrigation,

so it will need to be replaced soon.

There's always a project on the homestead.

New goals with each new day.

Garden Friday-Butterfly Bed Revisited

2018

This was our newly planted pollinator bed last June.

2019

 It's filled out a bit.
Amazing what the right conditions can do, eh?

With the exception of the sunflowers you see towering over everything in the bed,
all of these plants overwintered and came back.
The pollinators are very appreciative.
And so are we!

 The dwarf bee balm has spread quite a bit.

Bees and wasps are drawn to it like a magnet.
The vibrant color really makes it stand out amongst all the green.

 One flower I enjoy in any color or size is the zinnia.

They are prolific and make me smile in every stage of growth.

Coneflowers are loved by bees and butterflies alike.
Count me in there too,
it is one of my all-time favorites.

 The catnip has gone bonkers thanks to the ideal spot.
I'm not sure if any of the neighborhood cats partake of it,
but it is such an easy-care plant,
that it has earned a place in the butterfly bed.

 One of the best flowers for arrangements is the Rudbeckia.
The more blooms you snip to bring indoors,
the more full it becomes.
It just screams summer!

Lantana surprisingly overwintered just fine.
It surprised me, as there were no changes until the last two weeks.
It came back gangbusters thanks to our recent gifts of rain.
You'll see this plant constantly covered with pollinators.

The other flower beds are filling up with gorgeous blooms 
and providing a lot of nectar for critters.
The bonus is that we get to enjoy the beauty of every magnificent blossom.
I'm glad I took the time to work on the flower beds this spring.
We are all reaping the benefits.

Befores and afters

This is the same area about 2 months apart. Before we put in the beds, it was all grass (well, mostly weeds). I have transplanted things from the front yard or started from seed. I love the new curves, and the pine straw to me just screams "Florida". Being on a strict budget, I am filling in as I can.
 I'm making good use of the "free" seeds I got from the America the Beautiful project. I get a little thrill looking through the box where I've sorted the seeds according to planting season. Fall will soon be here, so I can prepare my beds now to get the best performance from the new additions. Seeds are such amazing creatures.

 This is a volunteer lantana that I transplanted from the front yard. Unfortunately, it wasn't lookin' too good for a while. I checked on it today, and wouldn't you know it? 
It's comin' back big time! Gotta love lantana. 
Freezes, drought, heat, it takes it all and keeps on growin'!

Here's a golden beauty, one of the few seedlings I actually bought at the store to plant.

 

Here's the pathway we put in that leads to the backyard. 

We used a recycled landscape fabric we bought at the store, thinking it would make the maintenance of the path pretty easy. 

Oh, how wrong we were! The cardboard lasagne method works so much better! Needless to say, this weekend I'll be pulling all the mulch up, putting down cardboard, covering it back up with mulch and adding the cement stones I got from a nice lady on Craig's list a couple of weeks ago. It's nice to have the walkway though. 

Gives the garden added movement and interest.

So far, I'm pretty happy with what we've done this year. 
I do my best to work around the fact that we have almost no shade in our yard. And the privacy issue is another matter. 
Ah well, no room in the budget for a fence! We make do with what God gives us and we are thankful. 
No doubt!