Instrument of Grace

Unfortunately No Pictures

We're back from Maine, and while I DO have a lot of pictures, I don't have any for this post. There were a number of things I noted on this trip, all related to gardens, plants or the critters that inhabit them. I guess you can take the girl out of the garden, but you can't take the garden out of the girl. So what did I notice on this trip to Maine? Here are a few . . . .

• The spruces and firs were not dense and full like here, they were very layered. The foliage was in distinct layers, which was beautiful, but it made some trees hard to identify from a distance.
• There are ferns of all sizes, from 2 inches high to 4 feet high, and they are all over the place, in shade and sun. Maine should be the Fern State, not the Pine State.
• Hiking in Acadia National Park is a feast for the senses. You hear all sorts of bird calls and the trickle of little rills and streams, there are more wonderful trees and plants than you can imagine, and if you aren't smelling the wonderful smell of the sea, you are catching hints of the even wonderfuller (yes, I meant to say that) scent of Balsam fir. Right now, I don't think anything smells better than Balsam fir.
• There are little gardens everywhere. Maine folks love their flowers, it seems. If there's a little patch of ground, then there's something blooming there. Most of the gardens look very cottagey, which was just fine with me.
• There were wildflowers blooming all over the place. And the cool thing about these "wildflowers" to me is that many of them are versions of things I have growing in my own garden. Some examples include harebells (campanula), black eyed Susans (rudbeckia), goldenrod (solidago) and a wild version of agastache. No matter where I went, I felt like I was in the middle of a garden.
• On a very cool, windy and rainy day in Bar Harbor, when I stopped to admire a little front yard garden, I saw bumblebees flying and visiting the flowers. On a rainy day. And yes, it was raining and blowing at the time. I guess the growing season is short and there is a lot of rain, so the bees have to gather nectar and pollen when they can.

Although there was a lot of rain during the week we were there, all of us had a wonderful time. So wonderful, in fact, we are already talking about a return trip. And next time, we'll drive so we can bring more treasures home.

The Zucchini Garden

It's supposed to be the Kitchen Garden, but if you were to look at the photo below and think it's the zucchini garden, I'll understand. It looks like a big zucchini with a little ruffle of garden around it.

That zucchini plant is a monster, isn't it? I think it's the lushest, healthiest plant I've ever grown, and that surprises me. Why? Because as lush and healthy as it is, it's still not coming close to producing what the yellow squash is producing, and the yellow squash is hidden behind the zucchini plant. That yellow squash is cranking them out, so much so that we've eaten our fill and shared with several friends. Oh, the zucchini is producing too, and I've got a few extra pounds from zucchini bread to prove it. As much as it's producing, though, the yellow squash still has it beat.

But this post isn't about the zucchini garden. It's really about the Kitchen Garden. It's come a long way this year. We've harvested a lot of lettuce, chard, cucumbers, zucchini, squash and beans. The beans are just coming into their own, and the tomatoes are just starting to ripen. The peppers are almost ready, and the eggplant is getting larger by the day. And we're about to go away for a week, just when this little garden is getting cranked up.

Yes, Garden Man, Garden Punk and I are taking a much deserved vacation, our first in almost five years. We've spent a lot of time visiting family, with all the driving that entails, but this vacation is just for us. We're spending a week in a little town in Maine, and we leave this morning. The Kitchen Garden? It won't be alone. Some folks have pet sitters; we have garden sitters! OK, they are sitting the Mighty Hunter too, but I'm sure they will spend more time with the garden. And after they've been enjoying the bounty I'm sure our little Kitchen Garden will produce, we may not be able to get them to leave!

Off to Maine. See you next week, and happy gardening!

What Is This Plant? Houttuynia?

I fear it may be houttuynia. Is it? It was given to me by a fellow gardener, but she didn't know the name. She also gave me some ginger, which didn't survive, and some Persicaria 'Lance Corporal' which is going like gangbusters.

This plant looked sickly last year, and something ate it back to 1 stem and one leaf. It came out slowly this year, and now the clump looks like this. It's about 8 inches across. It's a pretty little plant, but I've heard so many horror stories about houttuynia that if it IS houttuynia, I'm ripping it out immediately.

I hope it's not because leaves are so pretty. Can anyone tell me what this is?

Yesterday's Harvest

I love the ability to schedule posts that Typepad gives me. I just posted about Hoverflies, so I didn't want to make an immediate post about what I just harvested. I didn't think I'd be harvesting anything today, but when Garden Man got home and we took our walk around the garden, we found some things in need of picking.

You're reading this on Monday, but this is Sunday afternoon's take:

• 1 yellow squash
• 1 zucchini
• 2 large "grape" tomatoes, variety unknown (our first tomatoes this year!)
• 1 cucumber
• handful of green beans 

Now I definitely have enough zucchini for a loaf of zucchini bread, and I'm inviting you ALL over for yellow squash. There's a lot in there needing to be cooked. I think I'll head out and pick a few leaves of chard to add to our salad tonight along with the cucumber and tomatoes.

Sigh. I just LOVE my little kitchen garden and the produce that comes out of it.

It WAS a Hoverfly!

A few posts ago, I had a post that mentioned some pollinators new to me, and I posted some photos. I thought the last photo might be a hoverfly, and I think I was right. I thought I'd followed the same fly and caught it in all the pictures I took, but after doing some research, I think I was wrong. I don't know what species my fly happens to be, but I do know I captured more than one. How do I know that if they all have the same markings?

Because one is female and one is male. And how do I know that? Well, see if you can tell the difference.  Here's the female.

And here's the male.

Notice anything different? OK, I know I didn't make it easy, because the aspects are different. But, believe me, you have enough to quickly tell the difference.

Give up? OK, I'll give you a hint. Look at the eyes.

The female has two distinct, separate eyes, and the male's eyes meet in the middle. So now you know how to tell male and female hoverflies apart. And I want to see all of you running around with magnifying glasses, because you'll need them to see these little flies. Either that, or you'll have to do your observing through your camera's lens. Whichever way you choose, I'll have fun watching YOU.

Saturday Morning in the Garden

Today was a day I could just take it easy and enjoy the garden. My only real chores were to water the front border well, because we've had no rain, and pick what needed picking in the kitchen garden.

I got outside before 0800, and it was a bit overcast. Even though it's July here in the Mid Atlantic, it was quite pleasant out, with a bit of a breeze and low humidity. I watered the long perennial border and got lost in my thoughts. I enjoyed what was blooming and made mental notes about things I needed to do in the future. The morning was perfect.

After I watered the perennial border, I headed out back to inspect the kitchen garden. The largest little bell is the size of a golf ball and there are a lot more just a bit smaller. Some of the large grape tomatoes are beginning to ripen, and the large tomatoes continue to swell. I can almost taste a tomato sandwich. Today's take from the kitchen garden was one zucchini, two yellow squash and a handful of beans. Looks like we'll be eating yellow squash several times in the next couple of days, and I think I have enough zucchini for a loaf of zucchini bread. Bread Boy (Garden Punk) will be in heaven.

Once I finished picking, I headed back outside with my camera. My garden feeds my tummy with produce and my mind with solitude and time to think. It feeds my soul with its beauty, and I wanted to share a little of that beauty with you.

While they aren't perfectly snow white, the Shasta Daisies add a needed bit of calm to the garden. Mine are almost in full bloom, and their cheerful faces almost seem to reach out in welcome to anyone who happens past.

We moved the Liatris in our border re-do last fall, and it rewarded us by doubling in size. It's a pollinator magnet in its full glory right now.

When I bought this Heliopsis last year, I don't remember what the description said. All I remember is I was totally seduced by what the words said. While I tend to gravitate toward pinks, purples and blues, this flower has totally captured my heart with its bold color, dark stems and dark edged leaves.

And while the flowers constantly speak to me, some with soft whispers, some with demands of "Look at ME!" what I most want to see in my garden are the welcome visitors who pollinate or accessorize. Today, I saw a Honeybee and watched her as she moved from flower to flower. With all the difficulties Honeybees are having at the moment, I am always delighted to see one because I know there continues to be a surviving colony nearby.

And that gives me another gift from my garden - hope. Hope for the Honeybees, hope for tomorrow, hope for all of us.

Today's Take

Today's take was 2 yellow squash, 1 cucumber and a good handful of green beans. I wish I'd weighed and kept track of my harvest this year like Daphne of Daphne's Dandelions does. I'll be doing that next year. I'd really like to know just what my garden produces.

I noticed the baby bell peppers are getting close to golf-ball size and there are some teeny fruits on the eggplants. There are a lot of baby green beans, so I'll be harvesting those for a while. I grow the Greensleeves variety of bush bean, and they've always done really well for me. I also am still picking a bit of chard, probably because our weather has been relatively mild.

We've been having temps in the mid 80's with almost no humidity. That's definitely not July weather in the Mid-Atlantic, but I'll take it! It's been just gorgeous, and my only complaint is that we could use some rain. I hope your summer is going well and your garden is growing.

Yellow Squash

Sorrygardener, this is for you!

Garden Man threw one of the zucchini in there, but it was good anyway. Real good. We waited on you, Sorrygardener, but you didn't show up. Next time?

GGW Picture This Photo Contest

Update 7/31/09, My photo got a runner up. Wow! I'm so surprised and grateful. Here are the comments from the judge Rob Cardillo:  “This classically composed misty view beautifully evokes a spring morning. The massive trunk is nicely off centered and its main branch seems to embrace the delicate dogwood in an almost paternal gesture. Great job, Kim!”

Thank you for the nice words, Rob, and thank you, GGW for the contest. If you are reading this post and you haven't gone over to GGW to see the winners, please go see them. The photos are amazing.

Gardening Gone Wild's monthly photo contest, Picture This, has flowering trees for this month's subject. I have no thought of winning, but I wanted to show this photo because it's one of my favorites. I took this photo off my deck a few years ago. It was an early, foggy morning, and the dogwood appeard ghostly through the mists. We have a number of volunteer dogwoods, and they always delight us each spring with their masses of white flowers.

Please visit GGW and see all the lovely photos and maybe even enter one of your own.

Another Day, Another Squash

I harvested two yellow squash yesterday, and to my surprise, there was another ready today. We will be eating them for dinner tomorrow night, and I know they will be good. We've already eaten some we grew this year, and they are way better than what you can get at the store.

This photo was taken before I picked the two yesterday. After I picked the one today, I looked again, and believe there may even be one ready tomorrow.  Take that, zucchini!  I've harvested 5 yellow squash from this plant, and I've harvested only one zucchini so far. The yellow guy is the champ in my garden this year.

Yesterday, I mentioned the Sorbonne oriental lily was perfuming the yard. I love oriental lilies because they give such a huge reward for almost no work. They are very cost effective, and many of them multiply like crazy. This is Sorbonne, and she is lovely, don't you think? She's growing in a pot in a less than sunny location, but she's still covered with blooms (which the deer haven't found yet).

Maybe you need some of these in your garden. And don't forget to stop by for dinner tomorrow night. We're having that yellow squash.