Life At The Funny Farm

This unknown plant is growing happily and I'm rather fond of it. It looks like a confused Lilac that lost sense of time and thinks it's spring. Anyone know what it really is?


Along the back fence I have crammed in horseradish, peppers, eggplant and tomatoes.The cramming was inintentional butI read recently that Horseradish knows no boundaries and will take over eventually.Eventually appears to be now.


Anybody need horseradish sauce? I may have a surplus.

Last of summer Beauty Pageant

The Fuchsias are having another go at struttng their stuff and this one is front and center.


This new Hibiscus is supposed to be zone 5 hardy but the jury is out until spring. It's a beauty.


The pumpkins are so ready for action but they'll have to bide their time until their Halloween debut. The cantaloupe looks more like a pimple here.


The roses are also having a another run at blooming. They are so obliging--I never spray or feed them; they get a shot of early -spring manure and that's it but they don't seem to bear a grudge.

Perhaps the plastic cow in the background drives away all garden pests.

It Can't Be cold--It's Only August.

Who knew?

We've had a nice long hot summer, along with spurts of intense humidity.

But today, not so much and spitting rain once in a while.

I made a quick tour of the garden to make sure everything is as it should be. Scored fifty percent on that one.

A passing bird apparently dropped a Sunflower seed in amongst the geraniums. Pretty little thing will have a tough time trying to grow big and tall in that small container.


The eggplant is growing big and should be picked. That begs the question--what to do with it? they look so pretty but have all the flavor of a worn carpet. I guess I'll pretend it's pasta and make Eggplant Lasagna. It tastes good that way but it's a lot of work.


The Hibiscus is tucked away on the deck and it throws off beautiful flowers every once in a while, but it comes into its own in the winter when it blooms and blooms. Gotta love it.


The big problem in the garden is the fish pond. It's made of that pre-formed heavy plastic and it's leaking. I didn't know that was possible, but I've checked everything else and that's all that's left.

Now what to do?

The Harvest Trickles In

My little patch of heaven is small, very,very small. Therefore my harvest is also on the small side.
The first of the tomatoes are picked and they quickly became four jars of salsa.

I'm not scientific about my tomato choices--some Romas and something large,round and red and I have no idea what their official names are.Which begs the question--what is that little gold pellet doing there?


Well, a friend raved about their flavor and I agree, they do have a nice flavor. Trouble is, I do not like itsy bitsy anythings hanging around the garden and in my house, no one likes them in salads. Okay, I don't like them in salads.

Hello Beautiful. This is the fun of being a casual but devoted gardener--taking that first walk of the morning and discovering a newly blooming gorgeous lily I'd forgotten about.


I really must get a grip and start memorizing the names of these things.

My Garden Assistant

Almost Harvest Time

I like the way the petunias spill out of the planter. I've been harvesting the same seeds for years now.

This is when I'm reminded of my vow to add at least three of one plant to make more impact. The poor coleus is fighting for attention.

the zebra grass was planted last summer. Already it's making a statement.

I've never planted pumpkins before and until they began turning orange I thought they were the largest squash I'd ever seen.
Surprise.
And look at that cantaloupe tucked away beside them. It's really a normal size.

Meanwhile, Max stands guard at the upstairs bedroom window. His voice is more like a lisp so he doesn't scare away anything that flutters by, but he pretends he's a tough guy.

After The Rain

It's steamy this morning after a night of intermittent rain. We welcomed every drop. The geraniums manage to look good through the moisture-heavy glass.


The potted plants were delighted to get a soaking and my watering arm was delighted to get a rest.


The fish are growing. Three years ago I bought them for 29 cents at the pet store. They welcomed the top-off in the pond.


Scarecrow is sagging from the soggy clothing but he'll bake out quickly today.

It's Watering Day.

We can use the sprinkler for three hours this morning and again this evening, oh happy day.

My back yard was as far as I can tell, a swamp before some contractor decided it would make a fine residence for something other than polliwogs.

The Ligularia is looking happy and I can only think there is a mess of water under it's feet, perhaps part of an underground stream.

I think the squash plants resemble green toad stools, bent out of their usual shape in their quest for moisture.

The white day lilies are bearing up well and like to be admired.
That's my job.

The Drought Continues

The garden is showing signs of strain.

Thunder storms come and go but the rain evades us and instead saturates land a few blocks away.

The squash bed has always looked lush because of the large leaves but now there are signs of problems.


the leaves are stretching up instead of lying close to the ground.

A nice gentle hour-long rain would be most appreciated.