Leaps and bounds

I didn't get anything written up while the peonies were blooming, and sadly, the last of them, including those cut and brought in, are now a memory. 

'Bowl of Beauty' peony

'Sorbet' (dark  pink) and 'Sarah Bernhardt' peonies

However, the vegetable garden is finally taking hold.

onions and tomatoes

The peas that I had to replant because of late spring cold and wet weather, are finally producing.

I put out my little cabbage seedlings, setting them amongst carrots and lettuce and dispersed in a tulip bed whose bulbs are long past.  I read an article last year that suggested putting up images of cabbage white butterflies would deter the actual pests because they're territorial, and if one appears in the vicinity, the others will go elsewhere.  I figured it was worth a try.  If nothing else, they won't all be in a nice open row where it's a walk in the park to be located and destroyed.  Of course, this will do nothing for the presence of cabbage loopers and cross-striped cabbageworm moths.

Little cantaloupe plants are settled in, and I expect them to start running rampant any day now.  I'll need to cage them at that point.  I planted a perimeter of marigolds around them to see if the strong aroma of the flowers will confuse or discourage raccoon feeding on the melons when they ripen.  I know it's a long shot, but you can't blame a person for trying, especially when the raccoons have been getting over half the melon crop.

The little tomato plants are growing rapidly and had to get their cages on before it became too late to do it without breaking the plants.

Something I'm trying for the first time: ground cherries.  This variety is called 'Aunt Molly's'.  I wanted to see if they make a good jelly.  They're just starting to blossom and fruit.  I planted them atop my large compost pile so I don't have to stand on my head to harvest them.

The 'Red Swan' bush beans I planted in the row that was supposed to have climbing peas (three times attempting to plant them and only got about three plants!) are fast growers.  They'll have maroon colored beans.  Little pink and white flower buds are just forming.  I'm eager to see what they look like when they are in full bloom.

I put out three little pumpkin plants just for something different: 'Jarrahdale' in the catalog pictures is a gray-skinned one.  It has a typical beautiful yellow squash blossom, which are eaten both cooked and raw in Mexico.  I'm not growing enough plants to spare any blossoms.

Blackberries are blooming and forming fruit.  (As are the grapes, which I'll try to remember to capture and post next time.)  Blackberry blossoms are so beautiful.  What pollinator wouldn't be attracted?

This year I'm starting a wildflower bed with a variety of species.  The huge wildflower bed it borders has, over the years, reduced itself to the three or four varieties that were obviously most suited to the site.  And grass!

Stay well, stay safe, and be kind.