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Sunday, June 28, 2009

Summertime...my favorite time



I just love summer. All the work that I have done all spring long is coming together. We are finally going to get a squash off the squash plant as both a male and female flower were opened yesterday morning.



We got the beans trellised and the tomatoes caged. The plants were getting big and were starting to fall over. No worries now...Just to get some more tomatoes to set and the beans to climb.













Tonight we should harvest our first lettuce and a few radishes as well...yummo! Love fresh greens for a salad.
















My wave petunias that I have in hanging planters on either side of my front door are just gorgeous. They have certainly outdone themselves.










I picked up these New Guinea Impatiens at the local Home Depot...I just love the color. These have only been planted a few days...can't wait to see how nice they are by the end of the summer.


Isn't this rose just stunning? About 20 years ago my dh and I gave this rose bush to my mother in law for Mothers Day. Well it's still growing strong. The roses that this bush produce are some of the most highly scented I have ever smelled.

These coreopsis were planted last year. They are one of my favorite flowers. I especially like the more feathery variety and plan on planting some in what will be my new porch shrub/bush/flower bed.


Echinaceas are one of my most favorite summer perennials. I would have a whole field of them, if I had space. They are so beautiful.








The orange lilies are growing in the back of our yard...outside our fence in our alleyway. They are so hardy and withstand salt, cars exhaust and the constant dog marking that occurs there. We have roadside embankments literally covered with these orange lilies, here in Maryland. They certainly put on a spectacular show now, don't they?


I got my hubby to finish up putting the raised bed boards around the rest of my flower beds. I was able to fill in the front of the bed and plant some more impatiens for color in that bed. My sod is starting to root and grow and will soon need to be mowed. I'm so glad that we went with sod instead of waiting for seed to grow. I've already started my new grass growing project. Here's a picture....




This area will be a little more of a challenge for me to grow grass there. It is under the linden tree and the soil there isn't the best. Grass hasn't grown there for what seems like forever as that area once was graced by a rather large silver maple that has long ago been removed and replaced by the linden.

I planted a new circular mini flower bed around the base of the tree using impatiens and hostas. I haven't yet finished it off with stone to keep four legged creatures from lifting their legs but hope to do so when I figure out the stone for the front porch bed. Maybe by the time I get that bed done, the grass will have grown in.

I have enjoyed sharing my gardens with you. If you have some to share back, I'd love to see, so be sure to post a message with your link.

8 comments:

  1. Oh my! What a beautiful garden and beautiful flowers! LOVE that rose...and such a pretty, dainty color! Those baskets look so nice on each side of your front door!

    Okay, one question...how can you tell the difference between a male and a female squash bloom? LOL! ~~Annie

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  2. Everything looks so pretty, Dee! Love the looks of your vegetable garden....it looks so nice.

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  3. Love those petunia baskets the way you have them displayed...gorgeous. Your vegetable garden well....I am envious. I would love to be able to have a veggie garden, but we are so surrounded by trees, I would never get anything to grow....:) Enjoy your first harvest!

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  4. Annie,

    A female will have what looks like a little squash and then her flower will be on the end. Her flower also has a different inside look. The male flower doesn't have a fruit, just a stem with the flower. For the most part the female flowers are opened in the morning. You can hand pollenate them but putting your finger in the make and rubbing it on the pistal to collect the pollen and then rubbing it in the female flowers inside. I'll have to try to get a picture next time to show.

    Thanks for the compliments on my flowers and gardens.

    D

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  5. Doris,

    Thanks. It's been a lot of work but the payoff is beautiful flowers and hopefully lots of veggies.

    D

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  6. Jody,

    We had to cut back or crepe myrtle to get more sun for the veggie garden. The fringe tree also had to be thinned. We don't get all day sun but enough to make things grow.

    We just met a couple who live in our neighborhood who have planted a vegetable garden in their front yard beds...only place they have sun as their backyard has a large tree in it. Funny thing is the HOA sent them a letter about their "landscaping"....hmmm...maybe they need to mind their own business.

    D

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  7. Dee...

    It all looks wonderful, you've been a really busy girl. Tell Chip the raised beds look great but he's still not off the hook to finish the kitchen.

    Pat

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  8. What a wonderful bounty of veggies and flowers! Love the raised veggie beds ~ keeps things very tidy and neat. Lots of work but a very good payoff when you take that bite of freshly cut lettuce, etc. My favorites in our garden are eggplant, fried up with green pepper and onions ~ all freshly picked from the garden. Yummy! This year we have raspberries, onions, pumpkins, yellow squash, zuchini, butternuts, eggplants, green pepper, tomatoes, potatoes, peas, green beans, radishes, lettuce, and various herbs. (It's a very large garden.) Plus, apples and plums from our small orchard. Thanks for sharing all your lovely photos!

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