Blooming Friday Collages

Blooming Friday is hosted by Katarina at Roses and Stuff. Check it out to see what's blooming other places or to see how to add your blooms. If you scroll down, you'll see my SkyWatch post.

Rio Rose Purslane, Sweet Dreams Tickseed, dahlia from a mix, Orange Perfection Phlox, an aster, I think, and the lovely Black Knight Butterfly Bush:

The celosias from the seeds my neighbor gave me are finally growing and I love the blooms! Harvest Moon Coneflowers are continuing to bloom, and I recently added this Ruby Tuesday Helenium that I need to cut back as soon as it finishes blooming. The photo on the bottom left shows a bit of a different helenium with the giant larkspur I started from seed. I am pleased it is still blooming. There is a small glimpse of pink snapdragons that are doing well, as I keep deadheading them. The last photo shows the white coneflowers that I moved from the front of the house when we put the bed in last year, and the flowers are no longer white, growing next to the Kim's Knee High I planted last year. In between them are a small white volunteer cosmos, a tall zinnia you can't see the top of, and in the background are a foxglove that is almost finished blooming, and some tall iris.

I planted several delphiniums last year, and 2 came back. This one is on its second flush of blooms. The other is struggling right now. Next are Butterfly Red Starflower (pentas), Landmark citris (I think) lantana, and a perennial I need to come back and write when the name comes to my brain. (It's Friday, 6:11 p.m. and I was just looking at some photos in my iphoto library, and saw one of this last flower, and the name of it came back into my brain! It's gentian, but I don't remember its name. It's growing through a little basket, and I think it looks quite cute in it.)

The phlox is a passalong. I had to include a couple of the last to be finished day lilies, the Shopko Red, and the yellow one I rescued from being dug under. The liatris, Rough Blazing Star, I'm pretty sure, is one of my favorites. The last one is from Larry's trough planter, and may be an ice plant. It just opened today.

SkyWatch Friday 7/31/09

I put several hundred photos from my iphone into my iPhoto library today. Some of them were of the sky.

The first 3 were taken June 23rd, from my church, where I was helping with some gardening. It's hard to see, but there were about 6 guys working on the roof. (If you click to enlarge the photo, you can see a couple of them.)

July 10:

July 18:

July 20:

I can't believe how quickly this week has gone! Happy SWF, and have a great weekend! Click on the SkyWatch icon in the sidebar to see skies from all over the world, and find out how to show yours.

(I have been neglecting my other blog, so I put a SkyWatch post there. I may just do it there next time, so I won't have more than one post on the same day here.)

Wordless Wednesday

Arrows Mark the Spots

The city has been telling us they are going to resurface our street, and replace the straight part of the curb. Today, a couple guys went down, spraying paint here and there, where work needs to be done in the street, and where the work will be started and stopped at the curbs. They told me the work will be started Friday.

This is the sidewalk that leads to the house.

They aren't going as far as I thought along the curb, and I took out some plants I wouldn't have needed to. The arrows point to where they are stopping.

I will need take out plants 18 inches from the curb in this bed. I didn't take these geraniums earlier, because they are so spready, and I have some by the tree. Now, I need to figure out what I'm going to do with them. I'll probably find a spot across the street for them, too.

I tried to leave parts of the geraniums I moved out of here. I like the orange portulaca in here as well as the geraniums, so I'm glad I don't have to dig them out after all, and maybe I'll see if they reseed next year, and not worry about putting the geraniums back.

They liked their move to my garden across the street.

If anyone knows how to center a header photo in Minima Stretch or in That a Way, (I think that's what this one is) please let me know. I got so tired of my header photo not being centered, that I changed my template last night. This morning, Larry thought space was wasted on that template, and it was harder to read, so I decided I didn't want that one. Since then, I've changed it several times. I did a search for how to center the header photo, and saw the answers to others' questions, and then saw that they had trouble with the directions they were given. I have changed things in html before, by following someone's directions, but I don't want to unless I know it's going to work.

(I figured out I can put the title by itself, then add a photo separately, and it is centered! Thanks, Mia, for suggesting the test blog. I may yet do that sometime when I'm ready for another change.)

Camera Critters

I remembered that today is Camera Critters Day, so went out this morning to see what wildlife I could find. This rabbit was in the front yard, and posed a bit before wandering off.

I had some trouble getting the bees on the sunflowers. Here is one in flight.

There are always a number of wasps and bees on the mountain mint. I had never seen this black kind until I got this plant.

The globe thistle was very popular today, too.

I'm not sure what this is. Do you know?

I walked across the street, and this robin played with me a bit. I would take a few steps closer, and it would take a few steps away. I kept taking photos, but they didn't turn out so well. Finally, it got tired of the game, and flew up to the fence.

I guess I didn't include the blurry photo of the white cabbage butterfly that didn't hold still enough for a decent photo.

Click on the Camera Critter icon in the sidebar to see more critter posts or find out how to post yours. Scroll down for my SkyWatch Friday, Blooming Friday, and vegetable garden update posts. I hope your weekend is going well!

Vegetable Garden Update

Tina and Skeeter, at In the Garden posted their vegetable garden updates the 2oth, and invited others to post theirs, and let Tina know, so she can put the links to the posts in the sidebar. I'm a bit late, but thought I'd like to join in.

I harvested most of the rest of the carrots this morning, as 3 had some insect damage.

These Orange Oxheart tomatoes are an heirloom variety. I have 1 plant, and it is in my herb garden.

This cucumber is growing next to the tomato plant in the herb garden. I should be picking the first cucumbers to ripen here in a couple days.

Here's a peek through the fence at the main veggie garden.

The black eyed Susans at the entrance to the garden show on the right of the next photo. The bachelor buttons are almost finished for the season. The tomato plant is one of the Hybrid Super Bush plants I started from seed inside. I need to be harvesting some of the Nero Toscana kale. Insects and rabbits have been eating it, but there are some leaves that could be harvested.

I've picked one pepper so far, and soon will be picking more. I like to cut them up, freeze them on a cookie sheet, then put them in freezer bags.

Rabbits have eaten most of my green bean plants, and the bunnies were small enough to get to these with the cage over them, but it looks like they are trying to grow again. I'm chasing a bunny out of the garden several times a day, and keep forgetting to spray my Liquid Fence.

I planted these Kung Pao hot peppers for my son, who cooks a lot of Thai food. I've been chicken to harvest them. I think I'll wear gloves when I do.

The Thai hot peppers are for him, too. Some of them are turning red. He said they can be harvested green or red.

The onions that are not keepers matured and were harvested a few weeks ago. These are a kind that is supposed to be able to be stored for the winter.

I spent time this morning tying the tomatoes to the cages and pinching off some of the side stems. This is one of the 4 volunteers I let grow. They all look to be related to grape tomatoes. I've had yellow pears reseed before, too.

I just noticed today, that I have an eggplant growing on the plant.

Some bush cucumbers I planted recently, mulched with compost today:

Now, let's check out my garden across the street. These tomatoes were so small when I planted them, I didn't know if they would live.

I think they are Rudgers, but I couldn't find the seed package or my notebook I wrote what I planted in. I'm please the plants are healthy so far, and are producing.

I have 5 or so of the super bush tomato plants in various places in this garden.

I plan to keep an eye on these, and hope to pick them before the squirrels take them.

The 2 winter squash plants started from seed are doing well so far. I think they are a smaller growing acorn squash.

These tomatoes and sunflowers are a bit tall and leggy, I think, because they would like to get more light.

These are Burpee's Ambrosia Hybrid Cantaloupes, and were planted the same day as the winter squash. I wonder if they will take off and produce any cantaloupes.

These Butterstick Hybrid summer squash were planted the same day as the above, and rest of the plants in this post, and I hope to pick a few in the next day or two.

Bush cucumbers:

Burpee's Hybrid Zucchini:

I hope your veggies and flowers are growing well, and you are having a good weekend.