Summer's End

My garden has grown willfully this year. I started off the year thinking that, for once, I would be in charge. I would rip out everything that I hadn't planted up and have one of those well manicured gardens that grace the pages of magazines.

But.....the garden took on a mind of its own. And the summer's heat made weeding difficult at best. And the unexpected visitors grew more than all my careful planning did.

And my carefully pruned and manicured garden became a delightful tangle of moon flower climbing up sunflowers. I never received cucumbers or zucchini but I do have two giant pumpkins that continue to grow larger as they turn orange. A couple of tomato plants produce tomato after tomato even as they take over and scoot out the bell peppers.

I finally let the basil go to seed as the last of the dill died after flavoring my pickles and feeding the caterpillars. The rosemary loved the heat and the parsley is growing a second round after dying out and reseeding.

Each summer is different in the garden. This one brought daily
hummingbirds that preferred the zinnias to the nectar that I cooked up for the feeder; even yesterday they perched in the rosebush for a rest. So another year's gardening closes. Hopefully, I'll see you next spring.....  

   

Dancing Butterflies

A butterfly dropped by the garden this morning and danced on top of a zinnia. It landed on top of the zinnia and, at first, appeared to be so tired, just sat there, not moving.

Then it lifted its wings and raised up on it's legs, and danced round and round. When I looked again, it was gone to other gardens, or, who knows, to other parts of the world carrying a tiny bit of zinnia from Indiana along the way.

Better off allowing the Volunteers this year

The garden is looking beaten by the summer's heat. Tomatoes are ripening daily---it's been a good year for those.

The Volunteer pumpkins are jack-o-lantern size and turning orange----don't even know where those came from.

And yet....the seeds I planted this spring--the zucchini, cucumbers, squash grew green and big, bloomed, but never produced. I plan to notify the seed company and hope to at least recoup the money spent on seeds.

My zinnias are blooming big under the roses. The zinnias are propped up by a vicious volunteer vine that has sprouted white flowers of late. I have chopped, cut, pulled, and beaten that vine and it has taken over everything in the rose garden. It looks like one of those vicious vines that appear in Grimm Fairy Tales.  Apparently the vine is moon flower and thrives in heat. Well...it's been one horribly hot summer and it has done well.
      

Harvesting

The garden is finally maturing. Brand new zinnias appear daily. This one in a lemony yellow color glows with early morning dew.

Two pumpkins have seemingly grown overnight. It's a mystery where the seed came from because these are jack-o-lantern size. I'm tickled though to have them appear like magic in the garden---next Linus and Sally will be showing up.

Tomatoes are coming in fast---delicious and full of acid which means I have to watch how many I eat. My face already shows the results---I look like an old teenager.

Butterflies and hummingbirds love to stop by and the butterfly bush is in its second round of blooms. The hummingbirds seem to like the zinnias this year, too. And I have a bundle of red Italian peppers---spicy but not hot. I'm thinking Italian beefs.....

        

Blessing of Rain in the Garden

Today it rains in the garden. The flowers point their heads straight up for a drink. The tomatoes turn red with every passing moment. Two pumpkins are growing big. And, even though there have been no zucchini or pickles, there are roses and some of the zinnias are over five feet tall. And the hummingbirds delightfully flitter from flower to flower. And there is a sweet summer smile waiting for all who pass....  

Garden's great for the Bugs, Butterflies and Birds

This week the zucchini, pickle, and pumpkins have gained leaves, thrown blossoms, and look so healthy you would think that I would have fruit in abundance; no zucchini, one pickle, and the tiny pumpkin from last week rotted on the vine. Such is gardening life.

The wildlife is faring better. Squash bugs are still raising families, butterflies fly in and find places to hide before the summer storms and the goldfinches are raising their families on the sunflower seeds planted earlier by the early birds.

Life is good. A couple zucchini and a few cucumbers and pickles would make it better.  

Garden Visitors Both Good and Not So Good

This week one of the caterpillars that I raised on my dill returned to color my garden. Here's one of the family I was raising---well worth the dill.

I am, sadly, without pickles, cucumbers, zucchini, or acorn squash....still.

I believe I have the squash bugs to blame although I really don't see them eating blossoms---just leaves. But there are many and I'm raising generation after generation.

The cucumber and pickles have a different problem---don't know what to make of it yet.

Good news is the Japanese invasion is over for the summer. Yea! The roses are beginning to recover.

But nothing is chowing the pumpkin plant that volunteered. It is healthy and taking over and trying to have pumpkins left and right.

The Pumpkin Prince

Is it turning red yet? 

All blossoms no squash

The culprits?

Italian Beefs?

Just what are those tiny black specks?