green and purple

Making the most of what's thriving in the garden right now. 

Dinner's going to be was mashed potatoes, green-onion enchiladas and steamed (purple) green beans on the side. 

Funny, I went out there to cut the onions and kept seeing one thing after another that needed doing. So I cleaned up the zucchini (only one left)

and tomato plants (purple cherokees still doing the best)

Trimmed back some herbs and scattered their leaves among the other beds- left this bit of nepitella flowering as it was pretty-

Cut back the marigolds where they sprawled into the garden path-

There's flowers enough now

Deadheaded the tithonia, also echinacea and rudbeckia in the front side bed by the lilac bush (the ones in back I leave to set seed for the goldfinches, but up front visible from the sidewalk I want it tidier). Trimmed the hyssop up front, too- the one in back I let sprawl more. It's pale flowers rather pretty:

this one trailing onto the steps

Put a bit of wire fencing around my oakleaf hydrangea. 

Because the deer ate all my hostas and I think they were taking leaves off the hydrangea too.

So far whatever got my first cantaloupe hasn't damaged the second.

some flowers

in the yard- Zinnias are doing much better than I expected in the back perennial bed. It gets more sun now (neighbors cut down two more of their remaining pine trees). 

I cut a few to bring in the house. 

The petals are stiff and tough- they last a long time stuck in a jar. 

Want to grow a lot more of these next year. I noticed the swallowtail butterflies visit them, too.

Hydrangeas are blooming dusky pink-

Most of the echinacea patch is faded, darkened and falling off petals. But some that I cut back (to clear the path or remove stems coated in mealy bugs) have grown more flowers, bright and new:

It's hard to get the effect of turtlehead on camera but it's one of my favorite spots in the garden. Bees are starting to crawl in and out regularly, so fun to watch them

Tithonia aren't as numerous as last year- I didn't plant as many, and one sickened and got pulled up early on. But they're much healthier this time around- I don't have to clear as many withered leaves from the lower stems, and hardly find any aphids to wipe off. Almost every day see monarchs and/or swallowtails on the tithonia, and many skippers.

I liked how the standard joe pye-weed looks against the strappy leaves of gladiolas (even though no glads flowers anymore)

My black-and-blue salvia is doing amazing. Look how it's overtaken the spot- definitely crowded by the growing lilac and completely obscuring the stepping stones to the driveway now

When I get the energy and bravery to do it, think I will relocate the mountain laurel there to left of steps, and move the lovage also, put the black-and-blue salvia below the wall in that spot

It just blows me away. I love the blue. Hummingbird is a regular visitor again. I've gotten quite close to it a few times and it still feels like a small miracle, a wonder, to see that bird hanging in the air feeding from my flowers.

more monarchs munching

There's still lots of monarch caterpillars on my milkweed plants- 

I think a new group- most are smaller than those I saw earlier in august.

Even found some very small ones!

They're so cute

But also- as you can see in the photos- lots of yellow/orange aphids- and the plants are looking a bit sickly. However there is help too- I found a ladybug, and a pair of the biggest, brightest orange assassin bugs I ever saw. 

Pretty sure they were mating.

I wetted my fingers and swiped piles and heaps of the yellow aphids off the plant stems, into a bowl of soapy water. But after a while there's a strong very unpleasant odor and coming back inside I feel sick for hours- nauseated and headache. I think from the odor that came off the milkweed leaves I couldn't help breaking. It is a toxic plant after all. Maybe next time I should wear gloves, but I don't think that will keep the scent from bothering me.

I saw nearby the lovage plant was also looking a bit poorly- 

But looking close it's for a good reason- there's swallowtail caterpillars!

I don't mind sharing, as the lovage grows far more than I ever use it.

On the rue another one- much smaller- 

and of the pattern that makes my youngest exclaim: "it's pretending to be bird poop!" Yep. I have more photos but will post them tomorrow or another day.

sculpit handful

This morning in the herb bed I trimmed back nepitella, winter savory and hyssop- then scattered their leaves through the rest of the garden. Cut a generous handful of sculpit, had it in scrambled eggs w/cheddar and mushrooms for breakfast. Kids didn't really like it though. I think the herb flavor was too strong. Might try it in a risotto next time. (That would be new, as I've never made risotto! but it's supposed to be really good in that dish so I want to try).

Showed my kids the curious little "balloon flowers" before tossing them in the compost bin.

Borage is long gone in the front mailbox spot. I pulled them all out when bugs spread sickness. Left it empty for a while, more borage sprang up but the celosia (from self-sown seed that dropped the year before) grew quicker. It's already blooming now, though won't make the huge "brain flowers" that get admired. I tossed some flower seed of something particolored in the daisy family too, but haven't seen those germinate.