Summer Solstice

So today is Summer Solstice which means it's the longest day of summer. It's been mostly cloudy and muggy today, but I'm hoping that means we'll get a good downpour.

Here's the small flower garden next to our porch. About four or five years ago my grandma gave me some unknown bulbs from her garden and they turned out to be four different colors of Asiatic lilies. I planted them at my other house but split them when that house was sold. This is their second summer at this place and they're doing well. There's a big rose bush in between them that blocks out some sun. I don't even like rose bushes but I keep it in there just cuz. I want to dig it up this fall and move it over along the porch to extend this area a little, it's getting a little too crowded! In the back are the day lilies and in the front are the seedum, Coral Carpet, that I transplanted in early Spring. I love seedum.

Here's my veggie garden. At the bottom of the shot are the Love in a Mist flowers that are growing like weeds, but easy to control so I'm not worried about them taking over. In the middle of the flowers, kinda to the left, I planted a chocolate mint plant. They seriously smell just like you would expect by their name. My plan for them was to make a mojito inspired drink with them, I have yet to do it. To the far left along the rocks are the marigolds that I planted from seeds that I saved from last year's marigolds. My marigolds last year got huge! They were like big bushes defending my garden from rabbits. That is the reason I now love marigolds when I couldn't stand them before. The next row to the right are the jalapeños I planted by seed. They've been loving the heat and if they all produce by season's end I'm gonna have more jalapeños than I'll know what to do with. The next row which is accented by a big plant in the middle (store bought transplant) is my Thai basil. The ones I started by seed are still pretty small, only two leaves each. I'm guessing they'll be pretty big in a couple of months. The last, barely discernible, row on the right are my green onions. They're about 8-10" tall right now. The big plant you see in the upper right corner is a potato. I have five potato plants I think. They're huge and require more dirt than I have, so I've been just letting them go. They've been flowering so I'm hoping I'll be able to harvest at least a few potatoes from each of the plants since they're all different colors and kinds. There's also some kohl rabi in there that are still pretty small yet.

This is the other side of my veggie plot. This is all mostly perennials that were there before me. You can't really see the colors so much as they're all reaching towards the sun and away from me. In front are the buttercups and they've been dwindling down, they were crazy last week. There's also some day lilies in there, but those things are everywhere and so very boring. In the back by the door are the Chinese Lanterns. Then I have no idea what the rest of the stuff is until it blooms. I have a little rhubarb plant in there that I transplanted last summer. There's a plot next to our garage and the lady that owns it lets her rhubarb go to seed every year and never harvests any of it. They honestly get so HUGE, it's ridiculous. So that's how I got my little plant, it seeded itself in my yard and I moved it. So there, Mean Lady Who Doesn't Share Her Rhubarb!

And last but certainly not least is my little herb garden. You can see the dill has gone nuts! A few of them are already going to seed which means I'll have a new crop to harvest again in a couple of months. Behind the dill are the chives. To the right of the chives are the cilantro - the taller ones are the volunteer ones and they're going to seed already. Then I have the small ones in rows that you may, or may not see, that I planted by seed. In the front right corner is my sage. Back right corner is oregano. To the left of the chives, where you can't see, is my sweet basil. And hidden up front in the left is a sweet pepper plant, they're supposed to be little round red peppers. I can't wait to make salsa and pico de gallo this summer!

Well, that's how my garden is looking today. It's been a struggle trying to keep up with all the weeds. Once a week I dedicate some serious time to one of my four areas; the veggies, herbs, small flower garden, or the HUGE perennial area along the property line. It's been mostly maintenance since then and I generally don't mind weeding, but it gets old. And every once in awhile, without looking, I'll wrap my hand around a stinging nettle plant. Such is life!