How Does My Garden Grow?

Well, we're at about the mid-summer stage here, and I can tell you it's been an odd one.   You may have read about the heatwave that has been hitting much of the country, but it didn't arrive here in the Northwest. We're about a month behind where we usually are at this time of year, and our cool, wet spring led to some issues with the fruit crops in our region. 

For my garden, that meant not much in the way of apricots (hurray!); I've managed to make four and seven-eighths jars of of my (ahem) award-winning apricot and orange conserve, as opposed to the potentially endless amount I could make in a normal year.  The squirrels and birds did get a feed since most of the fruit was at the top of the tree where I can't get to it.  In fact, I relied on windfalls to make the conserve.

I am still picking lettuce - this is almost unheard of at the end of July.  And I have only just gotten my broccoli.

Here are a few photos to get you up to date (let me know if you want more, Lynette!):

This is my Coreposis with unidentified butterfly....

And here's my vegie patch.  I currently have pickling cucumbers, regular cucumbers, four kinds of chillies, four kinds of tomatoes, ground cherries, tomatillos, beans, rhubarb, and asparagus.  It sounds a lot more impressive than it is, trust me!

My tomatoes are really struggling.  It simply hasn't been hot enough (although it feels like it today - it's 8pm and it's 90 degrees Fahrenheit).  They have an ugly affliction called leaf curl.  It apparently doesn't affect production, but they just don't look right.  I feel quite sorry for them:

Here's what the front garden is up to.  Those tall things are asters... they weren't supposed to grow quite that tall...



Here are my annuals for the year; two kinds of zinnias.  They were hard to grow in Illinois because the humidity would make them mouldy.  Totally not an issue here!

This is salvia and a type of coneflower I can't quite remember the name of at the moment.

I love what my sedum, grass, and lavender have conspired to do.  The bees and butterflies love it as much as I do!  This is part of the bed I built earlier this year, although these plants were in the ground last year.

And here's my piece de resistance, and one of the major reasons why I garden: