planted out

into pots and planters for the deck. Basils- the purple amaratto

large-leaved sweet basil

and frilly 'mrihani'.

There was one of each left, and only one lemon basil- still very small- so those went together

In the planters on the deck railings, I put my nasturtiums.

Still small, but so cheering:

Not newly planted, but just a note- I'm pleasantly surprised how well my kale continues to do in pots. I think I'll grow it this way next year, too. Also, I just like looking at it.

garden cooking

I learned how to make green tortillas! Have done tortillas from scratch several times now (rolling them flat neatly is still the trickiest part) but this is the first time incorporated greens. In lieu of spinach, I used leaf beet chard. You steep the greens in hot water for several minutes (I used sixteen leaves, next time will do twenty as my husband wants them even greener), then purée in food processor and add to the flour mixture by hand. I also found how to make relatively even-sized balls of the dough- form into one large ball, then cut in half, halves again, until have as many wedges as you want tortillas, then reshape them into smaller balls.

I then pat them into flat, palm-sized circles and chill in the fridge for twenty minutes.

Roll out and cook on a dry hot cast-iron skillet.

I was pleased this meal had five garden ingredients- bay leaf and thyme flavoring the lentils, lettuce leaf, chard in the tortillas, and we had tokyo bekana flower scapes on the side (not pictured)- sautéed lightly in butter with salt. Which tasted rather like broccolini.

Here's the green tortilla lentil wrap

There was a bit of rice and lentils left over, next day I just used a few slo-bolt lettuce leaves (nice and large) to make a wrap:

Yums! In the growing heat, I find my lettuce tastes best if I pick it in cooler morning, wash and rinse, then lay over paper towel still damp, and put in a lidded container in the fridge (or on a plate with tight plastic wrap). After a few hours, the lettuce is nice and crisped up. If cut in the evening, I leave them in the fridge overnight. Great taste again.

new leaf

on my angelwing begonia- I like how its color is more bronze, to the older leaves' green

outside

There's a funny thing about the tokyo bekana. When I cut leaves the other day for a stir-fry with rice, noticed one plant (left here) is different. It's leaves are slightly darker green, have small prickly hairs, thinner midribs, and are lobed on the lower stem. More characteristic of turnips. And guess what, I read that tokyo bekana readily crosses with turnip. So I bet the seed I bought, got unintentionally crossed!

It's still edible in the same manner, just not as crisp and sweet. I pulled that one tokyo/turnip plant, and reseeded a half dozen tokyo bekana- one in that spot, the rest between some collards. Overhead- that's the bed of collards and other greens on the far right. Bed in center has slo-bolt lettuce surrounding the blue collard plant gone to seed (I've been cutting off new flowers that form now, as I want it to put all its energy into making nice seed and don't need more than it's already producing!), leaf beet chard on one side, young swiss chard on the other. Bed on the far left is the perennial herbs with- top to bottom left to right: green onions, lemon balm, sage, sorrel, nepitella, sculpit, winter savory and lavender (not visible, leaves from the clematis on the deck post obscure it)

Also a picture taken from the deck- view of one of the perennial beds in the yard. Either side of the tree my pannicle hydrangeas, right against the trunk the bunches of yellow salvia, front of that several nice variegated hostas. The aguja is filling in very well, and on the outskirts against the lawn, area where I removed grass between tree roots is (hopefully) my new permanent borage bed.

I finally got around to adding leaf mulch to that, so it looks somewhat tidier.

violets old and new

Sad thing: was the end of my once beautiful pink violet. It succumbed to crown rot.

But happy thing, another cutting is sprouting! It's 'Lavender Magic'.

The new leaf barely poking out of soil.

My other young ones are looking pretty good!

Only one has sprouted multiple seedlings-

and it's got one with lighter, variegated color and a swirl shape? It's 'Royal Rage'. Very curious to see how that one turns out.

Now my oldest violet is the purple one. Almost done with this round of flowering. I need to clean it up. Outer leaves are yellowing a bit, I think the end of spring, almost-summer sun is getting too strong in this spot. Might need to start shifting houseplants around again.

in the house

Arrowhead is doing better than I've seen in a long time.

Last creeping charlie cutting got moved from its water jar into this pot with others

These bright coleus could go out into the front bed now, to replace some that got cold damage a week ago

but I'm enjoying them on my kitchen windowsill a bit longer

miscellaneous garden stuff

Few days ago potted up my one and only pepper plant,

and the sunberry

Zucchini plants have first true leaves, cukes and cantaloupe soon

Purple pole beans are well and ready to go out! but it must be a bit warmer first

I cut too many dill sprigs for my eggs the other day, and stuck an extra one in a bit of water. It's still fresh several days later!

Funny, I found a sweet pea growing in the back perennial bed among the echinacea. Wonder if it sprouted from seed off last year's plant, or the perennial one I had before.

garden in the rain

Things are growing and changing so fast now. Already I've pulled lettuces out from between the collards here

They had all started bolting, so put them to chill in the fridge. Slo-bolt simpson is still fine in the other bed with leaf chard for a little longer:

Glaze collards are also starting to get leggy-

while the yellow collards are holding up much better to warmer temperatures

some yard plants

The hellebore flowers are nearly finished- fat green seed pods forming

Hellebore overlapping ferns

Arum is almost done- until fall.

I really need to figure out where to move my rhubarb to

So far, the false indigo is doing a lot better than last year

I really like how light seems to glow on the new liriope foliage

On the shady sideyard, chocolate joe pye is looking great!

so are the lance-leaved hostas

and this nice large blue one.

In the back, monarda is already a green wall

and out front, some of the mums are just big enough to start pinching.

All coming along!