I’m thinking about bringing in the potatoes. There are only a few plants out there and the two that I’ve already pulled had truly huge tubers. The ongoing problem is storage but we will consume them ‘tout de suite’. Nothing like new potatoes.  The carrots, Bolero, are once again excelling. But they will need to be pulled sooner rather than later. The weather needs to cool off so our innovative storage solution can be implemented (please read that with your tongue firmly in your cheek). I don’t like to move plants around in the fall, I think they need more time to settle in so that task is usually carried out in the spring. But here we are ~ moving dwarf red twigged dogwoods that appeared in the perennial garden from roots that were left over from the last time we moved the original plants. There’s always something. We added them to the established three nestled in below the larch, the more the merrier.  This will be the year that more bulbs are planted under the shrubs. ...

Here is something I’ve been thinking about: seed saving. I hardly ever save seeds. To me the plants are throwing their seed here and there and don’t need any help from me. But, if I were to be a little more in control, a little more selective, and a little more organized it would be a boon.   So, the thalictrum (meadow rue) is in full seed and I have been deadheading, if I don’t there will be millions of these lovelies come spring and we all know about too much of a good thing. Thalictrum seed heads are beautiful. The cutting down of them is actually painful, the loss of all that beauty at a time of year when we are savoring every single second of available loveliness seems like a crime. There have been years that I didn’t cut them, thinking the warblers would make use of the seeds. Mistake. So this year I am diligent.  But there are those of you who save seeds. Well, sure.  But when a plant sends out seeds it means that is the perfect time to get them on/in the gr...

So there we all were ~ watering diligently and now we are begging for a reprieve from this rain. Yes, our natural environment is thriving with this moisture, and our perennials and annuals are looking a bit beaten down but not out. We gardeners need to accept our fate, this is the Far North and this is actually as close to ‘regular’ as August gets ~ rainy.   The slugs are thriving. Not only are they thick in the grass but they have ascended the deck. Good grief. We need to check Jade the Dog before she makes her entrance, the chance of slugs riding on her feet has been proven.  The Romanesque cauliflower ‘Veronica’ has been harvested before I really wanted to. They looked like they could have used ten more days to reach optimum maturity but I didn’t want the slugs to damage them, to invade their very core, to make all that effort for naught. So they are now in the freezer.  Romanesque cauliflower ‘Veronica’ The broccoli is getting a second cutting of side shoots. I h...

I am amazed how successfully this garden can take care of itself. There have been a couple of challenges this growing season that prevented me from focusing on the tasks at hand. Only cursory chores have been accomplished. This means that I’m doing something right. The house is surrounded on all sides by plantings with a bloomy garden on the south side, the rest are trees and shrubs.   I have often said there is no plan to this landscape but actually, the more I think about it, there must have been. We knew we wanted shelter for birds ~ done. We wanted different seating arrangements to either follow the sun or seek shade ~ done. We want to age in place and that means the garden needs some level of ease of care ~ done.  Add to this the summer season here in Homer that is a mad house of relatives/guests and the garden is put on the back burner right where it needs to be. Our daughter Andrea, comes ‘home’ once a year with her family: Andrew, Genevieve and Marguerite. They are...

Why oh why do people release their domestic rabbits into the neighborhood? For goodness sake think this through. If you don’t want them any more you have two choices 1) re~home them 2) eat them. But no, the possibility of this animal rendering destruction in the vegetable plot is too horrid to contemplate. Use common sense.   Which brings me to those of you who do not have a vegetable garden. Why not? There isn’t anything much more fundamental than food; the ability to feed yourself/family. No excuse. My hope is you will make plans for next year.  That said let’s move on. Mock Orange still going strong ......with Theresa Bugnet for company Dropmore Honeysuckle trellised on the west wall The greenhouse is producing an amazing amount of Sweet Success cucumbers. Honestly I cut one every morning, leave it on the counter with a knife and its gone by dinner. If the grands are here it takes a couple on the counter to meet demand. Excellent.  The basil got a second cutting...

Amidst the glories of an early summer garden don’t forget to take a good look around you at the natural environment. Our son Darren has been sending photos of alpine wildflowers from Atigun Pass. They are so amazingly spectacular. His daughter Cecilia has sent photos from Grace Ridge. Really people ~ get out there.   Here on this one third of an acre there is much going on, much in bloom. Not as much bird activity as there has been in past years but enough to keep us guessing what they are. The Miss Kim lilac has been hosting a hummingbird and they are always and forever a delight to watch. Now that she is fading we’ll see which bloom the hummingbird will choose, there are many. Although we have been told and read that these birds are drawn to bright colors ours seem to be indiscriminate, even frequenting the very white mock orange. We have a pair of red crossbills which had us baffled until I sent a photo to a friend in the know. We didn’t really see the crossed bill and this see...

  Martagon Lily Theresa Bugnet Rose I’m grateful that we are early risers, between us the watering gets done first thing in the morning and the rest of the day can progress at a normal pace. Here’s the catch ~ there is nothing but rain forecast in the foreseeable future. Every single organism in our environment will be thankful.  That said, be ready to battle slugs. They are like reconstituted dried onion soup, just add water and POOF! I have found teeny tiny slugs in the lettuce and I thought it was way too dry for them to show themselves, wrong. You can start sprinkling diatomaceous earth around plants that are sure to be devoured by slugs; or the finely crushed egg shells that you have saved up; or Sluggo which is the choice I have been making for the last three years. Enough is enough. I want a slime free harvest. I lightly sprinkle this product in the path between the raised beds, not in the bed. It's a bait and why bait the slugs to come into the bed? Why invite them to ...