The Garden so far: Early Summer

Posted: 2012/06/06 | Author: Lola | Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Begonia, Cut Flower Gardening, Daisy, Dill, Flower Gardening, Garden, Gardening, Gladiola, Lilly, Midwest Gardening, Mr Lincoln Rose, raised bed gardening, snap dragon, Square Foot Gardening, Sunflower, Tomatillo, trellis gardening, Zinnia | Leave a comment

Hello Lovies! Here are some pics of our garden so far this year. I’ll get more specific about varieties, if I haven’t already I honestly cannot remember, in a later post. Right now some crazy person decided she was going to write 10 posts in 10 days while working a full time job and picking back up training for running. I’m actually at the point where I almost have everything I want in the garden foundation wise. Shhh don’t tell Babu or he will start relaxing and I just cannot have that.

: Tomatillos ready for their new home

: Baby Tomatillo

: Lillies

: Daisy

: Lillies

: Yellow/Orange Snap Dragon

: Baby Roma Tomato

: Peas

: Coleus

: White planter flowers

: Begonia

: Caladium aka Elephant Ears

: More planter plants

: Freesia I think

: Baby Hydrangea

: PInk Lilly, these blooms fade super quickly

: Multi Snap Dragon

: This came in a pre-school fund raiser planter

: Baby Zinnia

: Daisy

: My new baby, brand new back bed

: Sunflower

: Yellow Snap Dragon

: White Snap Dragon

: Red Snap Dragon

: Allium

: This guy may win the first to bloom sunflower race

: Lilly

: Daisy

: Red Rose

: Dill flower

: Herbs, Chives, Dill, 3 kinds of Basil, Cilantro, 2 kinds of Parsley

: Red Rose

: Tomatillo

: Raised Bed #1, Peas, Garlic, Tomatoes, Peppers, slug salad was already harvested,

: Raised Bed #2, Strawberries, Red and White Onions, Tomato and Pepper

: Raised bed #3, Tomato, Peppers, Tomatillos

: Raised bed #4, peppers, 2 cucumbers, 2 water melons

: Gladiolas, Sunflowers, Russian Sage, Oregeno

: herb bed from the side

: Rose bush bed

: Baby Zinnia and White Snap Dragon

: Zinnia’s are not stepping up this year, I may have to supplement with some Dahlia’s

: Orange Lillies and Daisies

: My first successful bare root rose plant, A J&P Mr. Lincoln

: should be full of sunflowers and zinnias soon

: Day Lillies

: White Snap Dragon

: I still have no idea what plant this is, it bloom bi-annually

: Light butter yellow Lilly, it is almost cream

: Lillies

: Front bed and planter boxes

: Hostas

: Pink Begonia

: This was a nice first berry though

: First Berry crop, I’m already over it

Indian Summer in the garden or why we still have peppers growing

Posted: 2011/10/09 | Author: Lola | Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Balloon Flower, Coleus, Cut Flower Gardening, Flower Gardening, Football Mum, Garden, Gardening, Home, Indian Summer, Midwest Gardening, Mums, raised bed gardening, Square Foot Gardening, Sunflower, trellis gardening, Zinnia | Leave a comment

: Peppers

: One man down of many

: Hot pink

: Seeded head

: Pretty fall Zinnia’s still going strong

: I need to cut these

: I have been letting the Zinnia’s go.

: Light pink Zinnia

: Pink Zinnia

: White mums

: Spooky Coleus

: Football Mum

: Football Mum. I need to move it so it can get really big.

: One lone Balloon Flower decided to make a 2nd bloom appearance

: This one is just getting her groove on.

: Marigold’s

: Dried sunflower carcass

: HUGE Sunflower head and my really ugly hand

: Blackberry Tiger Lillies have gone to seed. Let me know if you want some!

: The neighbor saw a snake in our garden

: MiniMe found a toad in the garden

: One eyed Toad

: C’mon over, we are ready for you

I took a good look at the garden last Thursday and took some pics. I am pleased that we have been blessed with almost 2 weeks of good warm weather which has allowed my late tomatoes and peppers to keep growing. We have had two light frosts already, but neither of them made to the raised beds or the retaining wall. I will have to pull off the produce by next Saturday or Sunday depending on temps and frost. So I hope they grow like heck this week. I also have a ton of clean-up and fall bed creating to do, some plant moving to plan and accomplish and a yard to get ready for the hood Halloween Decorating contest. And I must have more mums and spring bulbs. Now sure how I’m going to pull all of that off in the 50 hour work weeks I have going on right now. But I’m betting you won’t be hearing from me as much. But for now The Husband and the Destroyer are at the game and MiniMe is off exploring on her bike. I am going to start the laundry and pick a project from the very long list of things I need and want to do. Meanwhile enjoy these pics of the garden in Indian Summer.

PS. Wasn’t the moon just awesome last night. I was out enjoying in until around 4:30. I good time was had by all.

Sunflowerpaloooza 2011

Posted: 2011/09/02 | Author: Lola | Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Cut Flower Gardening, Flower Gardening, Garden, Gardening, Midwest Gardening, Sunflower | Leave a comment

Zinnia <3’s Sunflower; updated 10/09

Posted: 2011/07/28 | Author: Lola | Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Bird feeder, Cut Flower Gardening, Flower, Flower Gardening, Garden, Gardening, Home and Garden, Midwest Gardening, Plant, Seed, Sunflower, Zinnia | Leave a comment

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The friendship/lovestory continues for the Zinnia and the Sunflower. I found them in my garden down by the bird feeder on July 27. And I’ve been watching every day since.

08/19- Well clearly it hasn’t been every day at this point. The Zinnia is in the making seeds from its cone stage and the Sunflower has grown quite tall and is making blooms presently. This photo journey is starting to look kind of cool.

09/02- The first Zinnia is still make seeds, but there are two more Zinnia friends entwined with the big guy. He is HUGE now and has bloomed on his main head.

10/09- Most of the sunflowers down in that garden fell over in a big storm we had two weeks ago. The big guy is still standing and making seeds with his largest bloom head. Zinnias are still going strong. I actually need to cut some today and bring them in one last time while leaving enough to provide new Zinnias next year. I’m considering leaving the stem carcasses there throughout the winter for additional pics. We shall see if the weather cooperates.

I am the Flower Queen: The garden so far

Posted: 2011/06/30 | Author: Lola | Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Begonia, Cut Flower Gardening, Daisy, Dayliily, Flower Gardening, Garden, Gardening, Liatris, Lilly, MArigold, Midwest Gardening, Snapdragon, Sunflower, Zinnia | 1 Comment

My Shadow in the Garden

It’s my Friday today and I have a rocking weekend planned with my girls and my family. I’ve got to get the Lola Bed & Breakfast ( Chef Husband is at the ready) ready for the overnights guests and the Aquanet ready for the Poison, Motley Crue, New York Dolls concert. So in honor of Summertime concerts, and parties and pic-nics and night drives it’s a twofer today! My garden is doing better than years past, but the veggies are still going along slowly and late, they aren’t giving up! I am hoping for a late frost this year to get as many tomatoes , peppers and pumpkins as we can.

However, I have ALWAYS been able to grow flowers. As a kid in our garden I had an area that was mine each year. I planted gladiolas, I planted them very year it was the only thing I ever wanted, year after year after year. I still love them and even carried them in my wedding bouquet. Pro-tip: This is a BAD idea b/c they are heavy. We had tons of flowers in our yard and gardens growing up. Peonies are another favorite of mine and Roses and Irises, but I don’t have any of those blooming right now. We had Daisy’s and sunflowers, and marigolds, and poppies, and burning bushes and irises and on and on we had flowers everywhere. And so do I… Enjoy and