Gardening, anyone?
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Hi TwoHobbies ~ I live in Northern Virginia and it's been very rainy and humid here. One thing Burpee told me is that with the shortening of days and cooling off at night here most flowers and plants will be turning to seed and producing more flowers and veggies which I see occurring now.
A little tiny hummingbird has suddenly been frequently my garden. She is soo cute as she squeaks every time she takes a sip. She has finally found the nectar feeder. She is about 2 inches long and has white tips to her tails. She will also fly right up to my face before she flies away. I keep telling her I am sweet but do not produce any nectar, haha.
Jo
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Hi everyone, love all the recent photos and hummingbird stories. They are so inspiring.
djol, I can empathize with your garden difficulties. I have a small but productive vegetable garden in my yard, and everything was pounded by a severe hailstorm a few weeks ago. I had only a few little plant nubs left, including my Early Girl tomatoes! I have been amazed, though, at how well some of my plants have recovered. One of the tomato plants is still tiny and struggling, but the other looks healthy and even has some flowers on it. So, I am hopeful that I will still have some fall tomatoes. Your green tomatoes look nice, and the zinnia is lovely!
Jazzy, the containers look great. I like lantana very much, too. My lantana containers got pounded by the hail I mentioned as well, but have recovered beautifully.
Here's a few pics of what's going on in my garden this week.
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Kiki- beautiful photos. What is the top photo? The bees are loving it too!
I love sunflowers and the butterfly bush with the butterfly tops the whole series off!
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Thanks, Jazzy. The top photo is Blue Spirea, a wonderful drought-tolerant perennial. Yes, the bees have been going nuts for it. I love watching them do their thing, and knowing that my garden is helping the pollinators
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Teka- the photos are wonderful. Maine is so pretty this time of the year. Our family always spent time there in August in the summers when I was a younger person.
The final picture you posted is so tranquil and would have found it hard to leave such a lovely spot. The blue fish are really a great addition to those gardens too. Did they have any for sale in their gift shop?
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Teka- what a spectacular place. What were the names of these gardens?
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Wow, that is a huge garden. You must have been tired after that visit! Thank you for sharing the lovely pics! Making my home office work this afternoon a bit more enjoyable as I look at your photos!
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thanks for sharing those lovely pics! I love Maine and it reminded me of a lovely trip I took with my father there.
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Teka, beautiful photos from Maine! Love the Fish in the Garden.
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I forgot to post this picture from last week when I was in Santa Fe. I was on a second story patio having a cocktail before a concert and looked down and saw these amazing hanging pots down on the plaza!
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Anybody's vegetable gardens exploding? Hubby and I have been taking lots of excess produce to work to share. Harvesting 3 different kinds of cucumbers, artichokes, zucchini, tomatoes, green onions, tomatillos. Lots of bell peppers, jalapeños and serranos on the vine. Here's a couple shots of the garden a couple weeks ago:
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All the sunflowers growing in the garden are volunteers. Some of them have clusters of smaller flowers and others have just one huge one. This is the monster of them all. Flower is bigger than our heads.
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Monis- well, I don't have a veggie garden, but if I lived closer to you, I would certainly stop by for all the extras coming out of yours! How beautiful and those sunflowers are absolutely outstanding! You lucky girl!
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That is a monster! Love your sundial!
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Look who has been hanging around my backyard bird feeder. Rufous hummingbird, he chases off all the other kinds (very aggressive).
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What a great pic of the Rufous!
I so love the hummers. I moved to a new house this week and before I unpacked boxes I hung 3 feeders in my new yard. I left my old feeder at the old house, hoping the occupants carry on feeding them.
This morning early, I heard the unmistakable sounds. They found me already! So happy.
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it is official, my veggie garden is a bust do to crappy weather. Threw out broccoli, 1 inch crown then bloomed. Threw out cabbage, 5 leaves does not make a head. might have enough carrots in 2 rows for a meal. 2 tomatoe plants have given 4 tomatoes. I sowed 4 double rows of peas, 25ft long. produced about 20 cups of peas. such a disappointment this year.
I love all the pics. Big green thumbs up to the veggie gardens.
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70charger I hear you. first no rain and now the heat. not a good gardening summer.
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I did not plant a veggie garden this year and I think I'm glad I didn't bother. Basil and strawberries did not do well and I still do not have sunflowers. Buds are getting bigger though. Even my annuals didn't do great. I can report that I have beautiful marigolds and zinnias. Also I planted the wave petunias in the ground and they are fantastic. I will never plant a regular petunia again.
Beautiful pictures. I adore sunflowers and hummingbirds. You westerners are lucky to get a variety of hummingbirds. We only have ruby-throated.
Those beautiful pictures of the botanic garden reminded me I should go take a walk in mine again. I haven't been there for several weeks.
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TwoHobbies- we are lucky to have so many kinds here. I have 3-4 varieties in my backyard over the course of the summer. I feel very blessed and many of them fly right up to me, no fear. The rufous is not friendly though, too busy chasing off other hummers.
I got invited to some outdoor music at the botanical gardens next Thursday. You made me realize I need to go down a bit early to see what is blooming. I have not been there since very early Spring (March!) They have a wonderful butterfly pavilion that should be open this visit. Some good pics should come soon.
My seedums should be in color soon. Will post pics of those soon!
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Well I had intentions of going to the botanic garden for my walk today until i found out it was going to be another hot sticky day. I went to my usual lake for walking and funny thing is, I saw a hummingbird sitting in the tree as I got into my car. I got my cell phone out to take a picture and turned on the car to roll down the window but unfortunately I forgot I had the music blaring like a teenager and scared him off!
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Two hobbies- hummers like quiet and no sudden moves! When I just sit on the patio reading, they fly up to me!
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Teka- lovely photos. Looks like the gardens have done pretty well this year?
There is a thread for everything here! I was on the birding thread for awhile, but dropped off but will find the hummingbird thread. I have to mix up some new solution for my feeder today, the little guys and gals have drained it in two short weeks!
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Teka- I don't have a good space for veggies here, but have entertained one of these years to go down and do the community garden in the valley where people go to do their veggie gardens in a field. I love the idea, but need to have more regular work schedule with my project work to commit to it. Maybe next summer?
Meanwhile, I scarf up the goodies at the local farmers market. Corn is finally in now and must get some this week!
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Such great recent pics from everyone! Really enjoying them.
My veggie garden had a setback midsummer with a monster hailstorm, but things have recovered and I'm looking forward to September tomatoes, beans, and squash. I planted collard greens as an experiment this year (I'm in the Rockies...high altitude gardener), and they have thrived, I guess because of all the rain this year. I have more collards than I can give away.
My grapevine did not have much hail damage, and I just cut the first bunch of grapes today:
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Teka, yes - they are sweet when fully ripe. I probably should have left the bunch I cut on the vine for just a few more days, but they still taste very good.
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Wish I lived closer. I love collard greens.
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Wren, I would definitely share! I love collards too, and they are so good for you. I like them just lightly cooked with a little olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice.
Teka, the grapes and walnuts together sound good. I cut them in half and put them in my Greek yogurt, or have them with hummus and crackers. Even though I give them away to neighbors, friends, and coworkers, I always have a lot of grapes at once and need to think of interesting ways to use them.
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oh, those grapes are lovely! A work of art, truly.
Teka, can we have some goat cheese with the walnuts and grapes?
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You ladies are making me hungry. Those grapes are so beautiful. Fresh off the vine.
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