Enjoy the Blooms

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 today, more pesto which is always a plus. I really don’t think there can be too much basil pesto. I know, and have tasted, pestos made with greens other than basil but they lack the punch, the depth of a basic basil pesto.  It doesn’t take much to make me happy. The plants look like they will produce a third cutting plus I have three tiny seedlings almost ready to pot up. 

The tomatoes! Lizzano is the new one for this year. It is producing zillions of cherry tomatoes with nice flavor. But there is a problem Houston ~ this plant is huge. It is overwhelming the space. It is taking control of the greenhouse. Its aggressive nature is bothering me. Billed as ‘semideterminate’ I thought all would be well. Not so. It is wider than tall, so far four feet. 

The fruit will be put to good use. I like to toss it in olive oil, spread on a rimmed sheet pan and roast. I’ve almost perfected my pizza crust that gets topped with yes, pesto, then the tomatoes that are all squished and spread around and then this and that for toppings. 

For flavor I have to admit that the cherry Sakura wins over the Lizzano, but that’s me. We all have our preferences. Still to come on although they are looking good, are the Black Japanese Trefeles and Brandywines. We’re looking forward to BLTs. We need sun and that brings warmth which at the moment we are lacking. I keep flashing on the dismal possibility that summer just might be over. Banish the thought.

We are plowing through untold quantities of lettuce, arugula, radish, sorrel (third cutting), chard and beet greens. All of this makes for a delectable salad. Pop a piece of red salmon on top and all is well. 

The perennial beds are getting deadheaded with a vengeance. It certainly goes a long way to freshen up the look. I’ve completely cut down the Veronica and whatever that purple leaved geranium is really called. It has blue flowers, when they are spent I cut the whole thing down and a nice mound will regrow with all that lovely purple/blue in the leaves. There is only one here and that seems to be enough. Jane gave it to me and I wanted two more but she advised, correctly, that one would be ample. The trollius that were cut down early in the season have regrown a lovely mound and are successfully filling in the space where they once bloomed. Do think about cutting your spent herbaceous plants down, they will appreciate it and you will appreciate the tidy mound that will come to replace it. 

I need more stepping stones in the perennial beds. Do you have any at all? Think about this. Having a secure place to put your foot makes a huge difference when you are scrambling around weeding and deadheading and tying up flopped over digitalis and who knows what else goes on in those beds. Make your access as comfortable as possible. 

This is the time of year that houseplants suffer. I have way too many African violets but that’s because I love them from the bottom of my heart. They all went to the kitchen sink this afternoon and got a nice shower, a deep watering, some food and a good going over to remove any unsightly leaves. Check out your plants. You might think you don’t have time for one more thing but freshened up houseplants will make your day.

Look for blueberries on this side of the Bay. They are magnificent again this year.