During the growing season, every month has its unique charms. The palette is mostly blues, purples and yellows in early spring. Somehow this feels just perfect. June continues this theme adding many shades of pink especially in the Rose beds. July steps it up to include the bold colors that will later dominate the fall palette of reds and oranges. In July, there is a lot of everything, and I love it.
I wish I could send you the fragrance of these Sweet Peas. They fill the entire “vegetable” garden with their scent. Vegetable is in quotation marks for while the garden includes many vegetables (including a current bumper crop of peas), I have also “filled in the gaps” with Borage, Nasturtiums, French Marigolds, Pom Pom Poppies, Sweet Peas and Morning Glories. I also let the Radish and Arugula go to seed because the honeybees LOVE their Flowers. Honeybees get the priority over everyone else here, so if it between someone eating the last radishes or letting them Flower, the Honeybees win.
Hollyhocks are also inside the vegetable garden fence as they get munched down by the deer outside the fence. Behind these magenta friends you can just see The Watchman, the wonderful deep maroon Hollyhock that is so important in our Flower Essence combinations Jealousy, Spraying, Neediness and New Beginnings
Scotch Thistles tower in the Arbor Garden. I once saw them in a photo of a garden in, where else, Scotland. I was determined to grow them for Golden Armor and for their gorgeous presence in the gardens. When I went to get the seeds, there were practically skulls and cross bones on the package as they are considered a serious menace (That’s basically what they call anything or anyone with good boundaries isn’t it?). Anyways, I got seeds and grew these biennials and now they move themselves around the garden from place to place. This year they are in a line in front of the Henry Martin Rose which doesn’t seem too fussed by this, and they are stationed here with Baby’s Breath, Feverfew and Rose Campion at their feet.
Over in the Red Shiso plot, I have let the Calendulas in the path grow up, because I just can’t imagine a summer without them. This deep purple Poppy (another Papaver Somniferum or Pom Pom Poppy) sprang up in the center looking very snappy.
One garden filled with Zinnias, Cosmos, Snapdragons and other annuals is beginning to really shine. I love these UCal Snapdragons. They come in such interesting colors and hang in there beautifully even in a summer like this one without much rain (as in almost none).
I have just come in from spraying the Day Lilies with garlic spray to keep off the deer. Unfortunately there was a bit of a wind, and I got sprayed too, so I won’t be too popular with staff goddesses this afternoon. Here are some of the Day Lilies on display so far. I am a bit nuts about Day Lilies so there are a lot of varieties. Now that I have discovered this garlic spray, they actually bloom too. I am sure the deer are quite miffed that I finally have a solution that works.
The Roses re mostly gone by but this lovely friend, Pink Grootendorst Rose lingers. With its I AM affirmation of “I AM a life raft of love.” it always throws out a blast of love as I pass it on my way to the vegetable garden. Today I hope it joins me in sending you heaps of love.
