Sumac & guillardia

Mountain ash--flowers?

Not sure if they are considered flowers, but they're pretty cool looking.

And pretty, too.

[10/2012: just discovered this is actually a staghorn sumac. The red parts are seeds]

 

Guillardia on east side. July 23

Guillardia again, not quite a week later. July 27

Aren't these green fuzzballs great?

I didn't realize that's what the blossoms became after they faded.

I need to find a better place for these where they can be properly appreciated.

Extending the retaining wall, phase 2

July 23

to the fence

 July 27

Tall and filled in with gravel, thanks to Dad H./cousins

July 27



Front flowerbed in bloom

I just love it. Still.

I haven't gotten a picture to really do it justice yet, but I keep trying.

Asiatic daylilly--it bloomed after all!

This picture was from July 1.

 daisies, phlox

blue lobelia, phlox, petunias 

more lobelia, daisies and phlox

phlox again

I've been impressed with how much the phlox has grown and spread out already.

The blooms are long lasting and quite lovely.

You can just see the daylily in the background.

First tomato

From the 'Early Girl' vine.
A full month earlier than our first last year.

It was delicious.



Goodbye big bush

We yanked this bush out by the front steps.

Even though it was healthy.

Ever since I saw it from across the street and realized how overbalanced it looked, I have thought about pulling it.

I'm glad we did. 

It has really opened up the front of the house to some new possibilities. 

Before:

After:

Now to work on putting some shrubs in on top of the wall.

Vegetable Garden

corn, nasturtiums, and sunflowers 

The corn that's leaning over was the only one to grow from the first planting

We had a night of hard wind that made it lean.  

Beans are filling in.

Purple beans starting to flower, green beans still growing.

Nasturtiums in front almost all came up!

peas almost done 

potatoes and carrots getting bushy

onions starting to flower

 one ripe tomato

whole garden

Shade garden update

Lovely, airy little flowers on the heuchera  

I didn't realize it was a flowering plant until now. I guess with the other one up on the slope higher I just didn't notice the flowers last year.

Just a glimpse of viola purple under the apple tree.

New additions from the neighbor:



hellebore

It's planted on the right-hand side, just above the shade-bed proper.

Big healthy fern--it's the one on the left.

So far it's done the best of all the ferns--maybe because it was so well established in her yard before transplanting it over.

Not sure the cinnamon fern is going to make it.