Monday, August 31, 2009

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.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Weekend Garden Harvest

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

Friday, August 28, 2009

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.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

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.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

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.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

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.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

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.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

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.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Front Flower Pot

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

Thursday, August 20, 2009

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.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Mint in Bloom

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

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Pumpkin Teenager

One of the baby pumpkins is growing up!

Monday, August 17, 2009

Night in the Garden

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

Friday, August 14, 2009

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.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Morning Glory

A pretty morning glory that snuck into the cherry tomatoes.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

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."

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Rufous Hummingbird at Feeder

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

Monday, August 10, 2009

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!

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Pears

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

Saturday, August 8, 2009

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.

Friday, August 7, 2009

Flower Pot Mix

Zinnias peeking through the wave petunias in a flower pot.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

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.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

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!

Monday, August 3, 2009

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.

Saturday, August 1, 2009

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.