Garden Munchers

I've had more than one person comment on this strange plant with the "lacy leaves." It's a peony that's been munched! This actually happens every year and I've never managed to catch the critter responsible. Even though this happens, the plant pops back each year with big flowers.

Weekend Garden Harvest

A quick harvest over the weekend in the garden beds. These cherry tomatoes went into a fresh batch of salsa.

Male Black Chinned Hummingbird

He's a bit in the shadows, but you can just make out that this is a male black chinned hummingbird at the feeder near the front door.

New Arrangement Designed by Karen

Isn't this spectacular? My friend Karen made it and it was waiting by our front door when we returned home from vacation recently.

Salad Plate Sized Flowers

The hibiscus plant is flowering. It always shows up late in the season. Each giant bloom withers after just one day.

The Geranium that Never Blooms

This is a "snowflake" scented geranium that has never bloomed for me. I've had it for three years, I think. My friend Faith picked it up at an herb nursery that was going out of business. I overwinter it indoors where it gets leggy and strange-looking, then it fills in nicely during its summer outside.

Garden Invaders

What an awful thing to see first thing this morning while filling bird feeders. Yes, we do have slugs in our gardens, but they're usually the size of a fingernail. These are Seattle-sized slugs! I dispatched them right away since it looked like they were intent on creating more of their kind.

Cantaloupe

We feasted on cantaloupe last night from a friend's garden. I don't grow cantaloupe because the plants need more room than I have in garden beds.

Front Flower Pot

I noticed last night that I can't even see the actual flower pot anymore because the wave petunias have exploded!

Geranium Blossom

A close-up look at a geranium blossom. This is one of the plants I've had for years that I overwinter indoors.

Mint in Bloom

One of the mints in bloom. This one is spearmint.

Pumpkin Teenager

One of the baby pumpkins is growing up!

Night in the Garden

Yellow rose twins peeking out from black-eyed Susans in the rose garden.

Tricky Hydrangea

Yes, what a pretty blue hydrangea...and a frustrating plant! For the first four years, it bloomed pink because my soil was not acidic enough for it to bloom blue. Two years of soil treatments and finally, it's blue.

Morning Glory

A pretty morning glory that snuck into the cherry tomatoes.

Black-Chinned Hummingbird at the Feeder

This is the most common type of hummingbird in our Boise backyard. It's a female black-chinned hummingbird. Only the adult males have a truly "black chin."

Rufous Hummingbird at Feeder

A rufous hummingbird at the back patio feeder - probably a female or immature male.

Wasps

They're pretty sneaky to build a nest along the cedar fence. They will soon be evicted. Of course, this little nest is nothing like the multi-level condo wasps created in 2004 on the east side of our house - an area we rarely inspect.
We were lucky our neighbor was brave and had a can of wasp spray to help us out!

Pears

The branches bearing pears became very droopy in all the rain.

Second Crop of Lupine

The second crop of lupine is starting to bloom. The leaves are droopy from all the unusual rain we've seen this past week.

Flower Pot Mix

Zinnias peeking through the wave petunias in a flower pot.

Pale Yellow Zinnia

A pretty barely-yellow zinnia in a flower pot, one of the seeds I tucked in when the wave petunias were potted this spring.

Wisteria Seeds

The wisteria beans are ready to pick. They're not edible, as far as I know, but they're fascinating. The seed pods feel like the velvet/felt lining on a...poker table!

Amaranthus

This flower is also a grain. Amaranthus is another plant I grew from seed years ago, and now I have it every year because it re-seeds itself. The flowers are also popular for dried flower arrangements. Love Lies Bleeding is another name for Amaranthus.

Cosmos

I planted these awkwardly-shaped seeds 6 years ago...and although cosmos are annuals, they re-seed generously. Usually, the flowers are mostly purples, but this year, I have a lot of whites.