Avant Garden July 2009

Greetings from the Avant Garden. Seems like it has been an age since we've updated on this subject! Here we have day lilies galore. They've just started dropping off of their blooming. They were simply a sea of orange magnificence a week and two ago. Now they're tiring and the black eyed susans are just beginning to show signs of opening! The begonias and petunias are absolutely thriving. There are dalias that are just ready to bloom like crazy. The big pot on the ledge (right side) is a "dinner plate" dalia and truly opens up the size of a dinner plate. She has a bloom right on the top today ... I can't wait to see what color she is. There are several smaller dalias down in the bed ... red ones. They're blooming on and off. There is also a sedum (which is a big hit around here for those of you who have never even heard of that --- which would be me until last year) and there is a Lily in that pot that volunteered to live there. She's got a bloom just ready to open also. The hanging basket was put together by one of the genius ladies at the Club. She is magic with flowers and a very sweet and special woman as well, Shelby is her name. She does all the flowers at the Club. All kinds of action around here FINALLY!!!!!

And here, amongst the blooms is my very own Garden Geezer ... albeit leaning a tad, he's definitely the pillar of strength around here. This bed has hostas, which are in BIG purple blooms right now, some more dalia blooms, iris, begonias (which are hidden by the car) and a beautiful butterfly bush just beginning to bloom.

A closer view of one side.

And then the other side.

token tomato plant in a chair

Mountain Mint ... YUM!!!! Great tea ...

Strawberry plant ... third strawberry of the year

The food garden ... up front are the boy's squares for this year. In the distance is some other stuff .....

A volunteer marigold from last year's seed. Isn't that nice!?!

There are 3 of these mounds containing cantaloupes ... compliments of each boy, of course

And their tomato plant in the center of that cantaloupe patch

And Cade & Austin's strawberry plants

Cade's square (I think/hope)

Christian's square in front, Austin's in back (I think/hope)

If you double click on this you'll see carrots beginning and whatever else he planted which might have been beets or radishes (Cade's)

and TONS of lettuce (Cade's)

This is Christian's corn and strawberry

and Christian's carrots (l) and sunflowers (r)

Austin's 2 squash plants (r)

and go-zillion beets (I think?) I knew I should've written this down! Dang!

Here are our cucumbers (pickles for Paul) and onions

Bell peppers

Cucumbers on the other side of the garden!

Red Cabbage and tomatoes every where ... we have 50 tomatoes on the vines! WOW!

Tomatoes .....

Red Cabbage ... the lady at the nursery gave them to Paul free because they looked so pitiful! They're doing GREAT!!! I think we have 4 of them.

Lettuce --- we used some for our dinner party with Caitalin & Tahja last night. It tasted GREAT ! It was lovely seeing them again!

Zucchini plants -- 3 of them

Zucchini on the vine! :-)

The beans were planted by the boys while they were here.. The background is potatoes first, then corn ... then sunflowers are on the far side, but you can't seem them in this view. They haven't bloomed ...

And that's it so far.

AVANT GARDEN bidding everyone a great week ahead!

P & C