...How Does Your Garden Grow?

...Not too bad, this early July.  We've been eating peas and greens for over a month now and the other veggies are just starting to form.  The flowers are popping and I think my infestation of earwigs may be gone - - yuck!!

I love this combo at my front gate.  I planted the salmon colored flower 2 years ago and now have no idea what they are - anyone help?

The porch boxes were looking AMAZING and are now starting to show some summer heat blues.  I may have to find a few fillers to throw in there...

This delphinium is always SPECTACULAR but this year, something has gone to town on it!!  See the stalk on the left?  That's what all 5 stalks look like.  Only that one blue flower bloomed :(

SIDE GARDEN:  Here I have snow peas, daisies, calendulas, lettuce, spinach, kale and swiss chard.  Something, again!  (I think earwigs) destroyed most of my chard and kale.  Erg!!!

The monster raspberry bushes.  I wish I had somewhere else to put them instead of here...but I don't!!  They are started to turn red.

This alyssum in front of my veggie garden all reseeded itself from last year.  Didn't plant one seed this year.  Love that!

My strawberry plants did amazing!!  Sam was so cute digging around in the leaves always looking for "stwabewies"

TOMATOES:  I was really late putting cages around my tomatoes this year because I really wanted to just stake them all up w/wooden stakes, but kept forgetting to buy them.  I have the ugly metal cages in the basement and when I saw that the plants were starting to crawl along the ground, I knew the time had come.  I think I got most of the branches in without damaging any.  It also gave me an opportunity to pinch off these little babies that I hadn't gotten to yet.

Mr. Sunflower growing next to the raspberries.  Can you see his poor leaves?  Yup, earwigs.

BROCCOLI:  *sad face.  I have 5 broccoli plants and no signs of heads.  This is the 2nd year in a row with nothing but leaves!!  I LOVE garden broccoli; there's nothing like it.  I'm not sure why this keeps happening.  Any ideas?

One of two rows of potato plants.  My first year!  I planted yummy red potatoes.  Can't wait!!

FLOWERS:  These pink little cuties were almost gone by when I took their picture, but I have 3 bunches of them and love them - Pincushions!  They grow up nice and straight and only a couple of inches high, but then their mound of leaves is soft and nicely rounded the rest of the season.

pincushion leaves

Okay, everyone is talking about my hydrangea so I have a few pictures of that.  This guy is GINORMOUS.  Really!  And COVERED in flowers.  I've been annoyed in the past at how big he was and tried to split him up, but his roots are so huge and solid if felt like cutting stone.  I cut him all the way down to the ground 2 springs ago and I guess this year he is thanking me.  I currently have 5 bouquets in my house because of him and have already given countless stems away.  I'm going to make little bouquets to give to my neighbors.  It was my goal for the 4th of July, but now it's my goal for the middle of July.  A friend suggested I sell them roadside!  :)

Columbine, sedum, (rhubarb in back) and Mr. Hydrangea

"The man", zucchini and black eyed susans.

LOVE them!

FRONT BED:  So one day in May, Justin and I dug about every plant out of our front bed.  It had just been bugging me for about 2 years now.  Some of the plants were already "parsonage plants" and just not my taste.  I have 2 fuschia azaleas and one red one.  We got rid of the red one.  I also had day lillies coming out my ears.  I like them, but felt like I was always dividing them or dead heading them.  Too much!  The Black Eyed Susans had totally taken over. The majority of them came out and went to different homes.  In went more things that I love and will be glad to let loose.  It's just going to take awhile and so for now, I have this weird looking front bed.  Oh well.

This is how big the hydrangea is!

Daisies, yarrow, sunflowers, bellflower, day lillies

Day lillies, lupine, sedum and Black eyed Susans

Baby Bellflowers

Nasturtium leaves.  I love them.  Planted a new variety this year that is supposed to bunch more and not vine so much.  Is also supposed to be a peachy, white color.

Foxglove

Yarrow and Daisies

These suckers get so big.  (You can see our mailbox and Eli in the background).  I love them because they spread so well and I can cut them all summer for my jars.

This purple flower growing in front of the daisies I dug up from the parking lot.  I don't know what it is, but I like it!

White Roses in the secret garden

Forget me nots.

More tall daisies in the secret garden.

Another look at the veggie garden.

Love this combo of red, white and blue :)  HAPPY 4TH!!