I'm enjoying a day off, I've planted my birthday wisteria in my newly-completed-husband-constructed-s-son-stained-cedar planter (I've got a picture to show tomorrow or the next day, whenever I get around to it). I've [finally] finished planting my tomato plants and burried the hole-punched containers that I will use to give those tomatoes the deep watering experience they so love. There are still other outdoor/yardwork type tasks to tackle, but in the last few days it got hot outside and not having climatized to the heat just yet, I'd gotton sweaty enough for one morning by the time I was done with those few chores. I did manage to eat about 10 sun-warmed strawberries that had been warmed by the sun while standing in the garden - this is one of the benefits of no chemical spray gardening, all I had to do was brush a bit of sandy dirt off a few of the berries (most hung above the dirt). I have to say that I enjoyed those berries more than any others we've already picked this year, they are delicious fresh off the vine and warmed by the sun!
I did think it would be fun to take my camera along for a tour of the flowers that are currently blossoming in my garden...won't you join me?
This is the third year I've had blooms from this gorgeous peony, and this year the plant is bigger than ever!
I love the way they look as they are beginning to open up.
This bloom found it's way into a vase that I brought inside, it will bring cheer to my bedside stand for the next week or so.
This overgrown planting of sweet peas could use some pruning, but I haven't the heart, I kind of like the wild look it has. So for now it will continue to flourish. These sweet peas are not very fragrant because they are perrineals which unlike annuals, do not have a strong scent. The nice thing about them though is that they come back on their own each year, there's no need for me to replant. They too have grown bigger, faster this year than they did in the past two summers. The flowers tend to "self-arrange" nicely when they are put into a vase.
This little bloom-in-the-making is on a dahlia plant that I've had in this spot for three years now, it too is bigger and more full of blooms than ever.
Perrineals really are a wonderful idea, one investment followed by years of enjoyment.
These almost not quite real looking blooms are on one of the fushia baskets that hang from the pergola at the entrance to my vegetable garden. Fushias are my new favorite plant this year, the varieties of color blow me away!
I'm not normally a fan of calla lillies, to be honest, they remind me of funerals. Actually, let me amend that statement, white calla lillies remind me of funerals. BUT, the pink/purple variety that is growing in nicely in the beds by the entrance to "The Pod" greenhouse doesn't make me think of funerals or death. I actually find this variety of calla lilly to be cheerful and delicate all at once.
White calla lillies: not so much! Calla lillies with color: yes, please!
Thanks for joining me on my little flower walk, the summer garden really is the most beautiful!
And lastly, these little daisies are going to be a pretty darn cute accessory in my new suprise.
More soon!
Sooooo, I caught these two in the act on one of the sunflowers in my garden and had to share. In a strange sort of way, it's kind of romantic...if there were a sunflower big enough I'd probably do the same, tee-hee!
Here's what the husband picked from the garden today...yum! I'm thinking I'm going to put the blueberries and raspberries into a batch of scones and some of the strawberries will be eaten fresh (some already were) and the rest are going to be frozen for later. 
It turns out that my little Bambino likes peas...actually, he likes almost anything that he sees me eating. So when he watched me picking peas off the vines growing in my garden the other he had kind of a longing look on his face. So we stood in the garden and snacked on peas together. 
There's more than enough to go around. I love this time of year, nothing beats healthy snacking off of the plants I've grown!
I did think it would be fun to take my camera along for a tour of the flowers that are currently blossoming in my garden...won't you join me?
This is the third year I've had blooms from this gorgeous peony, and this year the plant is bigger than ever!
I love the way they look as they are beginning to open up.
This bloom found it's way into a vase that I brought inside, it will bring cheer to my bedside stand for the next week or so.
This overgrown planting of sweet peas could use some pruning, but I haven't the heart, I kind of like the wild look it has. So for now it will continue to flourish. These sweet peas are not very fragrant because they are perrineals which unlike annuals, do not have a strong scent. The nice thing about them though is that they come back on their own each year, there's no need for me to replant. They too have grown bigger, faster this year than they did in the past two summers. The flowers tend to "self-arrange" nicely when they are put into a vase.
This little bloom-in-the-making is on a dahlia plant that I've had in this spot for three years now, it too is bigger and more full of blooms than ever.
Perrineals really are a wonderful idea, one investment followed by years of enjoyment.
These almost not quite real looking blooms are on one of the fushia baskets that hang from the pergola at the entrance to my vegetable garden. Fushias are my new favorite plant this year, the varieties of color blow me away!
I'm not normally a fan of calla lillies, to be honest, they remind me of funerals. Actually, let me amend that statement, white calla lillies remind me of funerals. BUT, the pink/purple variety that is growing in nicely in the beds by the entrance to "The Pod" greenhouse doesn't make me think of funerals or death. I actually find this variety of calla lilly to be cheerful and delicate all at once.
White calla lillies: not so much! Calla lillies with color: yes, please!
The strawberries were picked from our garden, but the blueberries weren't - mine aren't quite ripe yet. We're off to celebrate Independence Day at a friend's house on a lake. As expected, it doesn't look much like summer here today - it's always said that summer in the Pacific Northwest doesn't start until July 5th...but hey, at least we've got lots of strawberries!
You may recall how I shared that on my birthday last month, the husband and I went for a nice walk on the beach. It was that night that I made a summer's resolution to spend more time there. It's only about a ten minute drive from where we live and it's beautiful. It was especially beautiful this past Friday evening. We went there to enjoy a picnic dinner. We had about half a mile of beach all to ourselves. It wasn't too cold or too windy, in fact wonder of wonders it may have even been a bit on the warm side...not something we can usually say. Bambino was along for the trip and had a blast chasing his ball all over the beach - and eventually into the water - this was the first time he's ever swam at the beach. It was also fun to use my new (to me) picnic basket and picnic quilt...finds from a local vintage shop. We all had a good time, there will be more picnics at the beach to come this summer.
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