more flowers!

At least, I'm hoping for 'em. The milkweeds look great. Celosia don't, but oh well maybe next year I'll get big 'cockscombs' again. First 'seashell' cosmos!

Here's a better pic of a nasturtium

Few days ago I was sitting down under the deck, just four or five feet from the bit of wire netting that sweet peas are climbing. Only one bloom so far, and a hummingbird came to drink from it. I heard the strong thrum of its wings and looked up. What a wonder. Hope it comes back. There'll be more sweet peas soon.

It might be just too late in the season, but today I finally planted out a little row of cardinal climber behind the turnips and carrot bed, and another handful of them against the neighbor's fence. Also dug up another corner of grass on the edge to plant the zinnias malva sylvestris, and put some 'red spider' zinnias in blank spots between the cosmos and marigolds.

some plants

One of the rue I transplanted last year near a hydrangea, is grown taller and flowering now

Most of the rue cuttings I tried to grow in pots died. This one left.

I planted the zinnias in a row near the back perennial bed. Not sure if they'll get enough sun. It's kind of rough conditions back there.

Near them, the false indigo I thought was going to die last year, is actually looking good!

In the borage bed I created on the skirts of a maple tree, some are just starting to bloom. I cut down the borage in the garden spot, near peas and beans. It was collapsing all over the place. I did leave the base of the plant with a few leaves, perhaps it will grow back some.

Peony flowers are all done, the cut ones in the house have faded. I still enjoy the foliage out front,

especially where a blue cranesbill peeks through. Mine are leggy from shade but I kind of like how they creep up through the peony.

in the new beds

I have been a bit dubious about how well my new beds would perform, because I never threw dirt over a base layer of sticks before, and the soil I topped it with was not well-mixed. Hoped that the compost I added was rich enough to make it good, the dirt would sift down into the stick layer so roots reaching that far would find what they need, and the wood hold moisture then start to decay just adding to it all. But not sure if that's good for the plants meantime. However, they appear to be doing just fine! My zucchini is growing rapidly

and even has buds forming now

The tomatoes have grown taller- I added more ties and strips of cloth to give them support. Not pretty, but it does the job.

There's tomatoes coming in on all plants- Cherries

Cherokee Purple

This one is Beefsteak

Even my Brandywine plant is doing better than I've seen in the past (they usually get ailments or pests before the others)

So far no sign of blossom end rot or fungus, only a few leaves on the lower stems have yellowed and had to be removed. No hornworms have found the plants yet, aphids are minimal and when the sun is on the bed, the leaves practically sparkle with health. I'm hopeful to have good tomatoes this year.

last coleus

I still had some small coleus in the house, from the last set of cuttings.

Yesterday I planted them out- we've had days in the eighties and low nineties, so I wasn't sure if these would take the stress of transplanting. But after a thunderstorm the ground was well soaked and the next morning cool, so I took the chance. Most went across the front bed, where the older coleus I put out too early is just starting to come back from its cold shock. Newer plant has greener color and larger leaves- the older ones are rather yellowish, and their new growth small still.

Some I put in pots under the deck where the lentils died (I've put beer traps for slugs out)

This one which I always think of as lime-and-orange even though now they're quite red, in a pot on the deck

On the porch, two that have been out there quite a while- the one that's usually 'watermelon' pink has gotten quite dark and velvety looking (I like it better that way) and the crazy 'rodeo drive' one has a darker aspect on the new leaves as well. From much sun?

There's also this pot of 'kiwi fern' by the garden, where two of the three plants died early on, so I moved into the pot a new set of plants from other cuttings. Doing ok now.

tenner stable

This tank is doing so well for me now, I hardly think about it. Feed the little guppies once a day, give it a water change and dose some vitamins once a week, done. Haven't used ferts in a long time. Only thing I don't like about it is how all the plants are similar height in the tank now- nothing reaches above midlevel- but buces are starting to grow atop the skull again so maybe that will help break up the evenness. Left side:

Right:

Someday soon I'll get a full tank shot again.

the young violets

Decided today that some of my african violet babies were big enough to move up into real pots. On this one, 'Bob Serbin' the younger leaves are grown nearly as large as the parent leaf!

in its new pot:

Also potted up 'Crackerjack Red'

and 'Frosted Brandy'

The shelf of violets in my bedroom, before and after:

Noticed after I'd potted them, that 'Bob Serbin' has two more little nubbins of green coming up off to the side. So I bet it will grow a second plant, or form a double crown then I can split it

Older purple one is still blooming!

Finally had a casualty among the cuttings under glass. One collapsed and started to rot. 'Leading Lady'. Not surprised, it was bound to happen to some of them after seven months! Here's those that are left, still looking fine:

I inspected close when doing the weekly watering (a strawful per tiny pot). One more has a tiny bit of growth emerging and got moved to the plastic baggie- 'Royal Rage.'

things we're eating

There's sugar snap peas to pick every other day or so

Kale and more kale-

I like to sautee it just until crisp, with salt and garlic or sesame seed- goes nicely with rice and salmon or lentils or just alongside a stir-fry...

Enjoyed arugula flowers in the kitchen for a while, but now I've pulled the arugula, tatsoi and mizuna plants. They were all flowering and going to seed, and would cross.

So the greens bed looks half empty now

The glaze collards are growing back from where I cut them down

and soon I'll plant these young tokyo bekana into the empty space

The second greens bed is still full of slo-bolt simpson lettuce, last-year's blue collards gone to seed, and leaf beet chard. It looks kinda messy. I'm going to pull some of those lettuces and only let a few go tall.

Other side of it has the swiss chard, a few marigolds and alyssum.

Up on deck: figs are starting! on both my older plant, the chicago fig

and the newer brown turkey fig:

And of course, there's the herbs- almost every day I use something: chocolate mint or lemon balm for tea, chives sprinkled over something, sage chopped into a quesadilla, a bay leaf for simmering soup or lentils, basil on top of re-heated pizza (yeah, haven't made from-scratch pizza in a while). Dill in eggs or with fish, and just yesterday I used dill in a turnip-and-peas dish. It was pretty good! Going to repeat- when more turnips are ready (I only had two, so had to reduce that recipe by eighths.