Summer Days

I missed posting in June. We'll just say I was very busy in the garden! We have had lots of rain this year, and most plants have done very well. Unfortunately, my spinach drowned, and I lost one of my rhubarb plants to rot. On the other hand, my lettuce was fabulous (as the 'keets can attest), and we have had wonderful berries and flowers. I am looking forward to lots of tomatoes, squash, peppers, eggplant, beans, and cucumbers. Some photos follow!


Purple Coneflower and Lavender


Blueberries (The robins get most of these. They take a berry in the beak, then toss it back like a shot of whiskey! You can see the big ones going down into the crop. One day I may have to do a Heimlich maneuver on a bird.)


Bush beans and Lettuce


Passionflower "Maypop"


Daylilies (the deer didn't eat the buds off this year!)

Peonies

Peony "Sarah Bernhardt"


Peony "Raspberry Sundae"

The peonies are finishing up, and they were fantastic this year. I have two that did particularly well. One, "Sarah Bernhardt", has huge flowers, aptly named for a Victorian actress. The other is called "Raspberry Sundae", and does look good enough to eat. Peonies live for decades, and have more showiness and punch than an annual. They also are very attractive to little ants--so give a good shake before you bring them in the house!

Rhubarb Harvest

I've been harvesting our rhubarb, and enjoying it in pie. Our favorite is rhubarb-strawberry, with lots of sugar. I use about 1:1 strawberries to rhubarb, and at least a cup of sugar per pie. I always use tapioca as the thickener, rather than flour, to get a clear filling.

Rhubarb is very sour--due to all the oxalate in the plant. In fact, there's so much in the leaves that they are poisonous. The stems are fine though, and make a wonderful springtime treat. I even like it a little sour. It's been so wet this last month that one of my three plants developed root rot, but the other two pulled through. I hope I can split one in the fall, and replace the one I lost.

Dwarf Crested Iris

Iris Cristata "alba"

I've heard these called "handkerchief iris", presumably because they look like a handkerchief dropped on the lawn! The slugs got to them this year, leaving many little holes, but they are still lovely. Each blossom only lasts a single day.

Musk Strawberries

I planted musk strawberries about 3 years ago, and this is going to be the first year that I have a really good harvest. I am excited!

Bellwort (Uvularia sp.)

From my rain garden. Looks unremarkable, until you bend over to see the flower.

Jack in the Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)

The color of the season has changed to the overwhelming, intense, glowing green of full spring. Every day there is something new to see! These have just popped up in the last week. My grandmother used to have them in the dark, moist garden next to the path between her house and the neighbor's. The area was only about 5 or 6 feet wide! There was just enough sun for ferns, and in the spring, these little guys.
If you are interested in native plants for your yard, and live in Maryland, consider paying a visit to the Lower Marlboro nursery website (www.lowermarlboronursery.com). I purchase plants there frequently! They stock many of the plants I have featured on this blog.