Dear Readers,
To me this spring has seemed like a great gift — a year to truly be remembered as one of the most beautiful and enjoyable. The rains have been in due season even with the one month drought in April. Odd but true.
I hope you have enjoyed and are continuing to enjoy this wonderful season in your garden.
If you have children or grandchildren, I hope you will include them in your various projects. When children have fun and are exposed to growing food and flowers when they’re young — it’s far more likely they’ll do so when they’re adults. And even if they don’t have their own garden one day, they’ll have a much better understanding of the food that sustains them.
I have a friend with three young children. Ages 3, 5, 6. She’s out there in her garden — and you would be amazed at all she does! — and those kids are right there with her.
She described the situation so beautifully in an email to me recently and I don’t think she would mind if I shared her words with you.
She writes, “I have three helpers! As you know, my children are young, but they are shaping up well as gardeners. A couple of days ago my eldest planted more cucumber seeds, and they are up. Middle child has planted zinnias here there, and everywhere – which I don’t mind, and youngest knows what things are – although he has eaten cosmos thinking it’s fennel – which is understandable though not recommended, and as a baby, he ate a lot of stink bugs — but he knows better now.”
The joys of childhood are greatly enhanced having fun in a garden with Mom or Dad, Grandmom or Granddad. Enjoying your garden with your kids and grandkids is something that you both will benefit from and remember for a lifetime.
My thanks to Bill (my husband) for making it possible to share my garden via his wonderful photos. I hope you enjoy them.
My warmest wishes to you for a bountiful harvest and a season of wonderful memories!
Theresa (and Bill)
This shows all but the right hand end of my garden. The netting you see is over our blueberries to protect from the few “teenage” Mocking Birds that seem to think it’s great fun to pull all the berries off.
You can’t see it in the picture above this one, but the white echinacea at the far left of the border is just starting to bloom. Paired with red daylilies it is very eye-catching.
As I stand at my garden’s gate and look to the left, this is what I see.
One of my favorite combinations of early blooming daylilies. Photos don’t do these daylilies justice. I wish you could see this in person. It’s so lovely. This combination is in the border on the far left on the picture above this one.
These plants are to the right of the ones shown in the picture above. This is a particularly dry section, but looks wonderful every spring. I’m introducing more ground covers into this area so it will look green even in drought.
To the left as I enter my garden I have lots of echinacea mixed with other perennials like daylilies. Pollinators love them and I always have lots of Bumblebees. I really enjoy watching them work.
Bill is standing in the garden within 5 feet of the front corner and looking diagonally toward the upper back corner of the garden.
If you could see past the asparagus ferns in the picture above this one, this is what you would see. It is the start of my back side border.
Here’s a closer view with the setting sun adding drama. Thanks to my friend, Diane (DianeSeed.Com) for helping me choose the most striking photo of these lilies to use in this post.
This is my most promising tomato inside the garden this year. I saved seed from a particularly lovely tomato last year. The yellow you see is anthemis marguerite which every beneficial loves. It’s a perennial I keep in my garden.
Standing just to the right as you enter my garden, this is what you see. You can see turnips, lettuce, potatoes, strawberries, onions, tomatoes, asparagus, and Russian Kale. Our blueberries outer branches are within 5 feet of the garden’s end. The netting is over the blueberry bushes.
Just to the right of the picture above this one is one of my favorite “almost always shady” spots in the garden. I usually reserve this spot for lettuce, but this year planted lettuce, chard, Chinese parsley, and a few snapdragons.
Rains in due season helped these daylilies to look their very best this year. This one usually does not have good foliage because of dry weather, but this year it was outstanding.
Just had to show you a close up. Sure glad they make wonderful cameras that can freeze time. So beautiful!
The sun’s last rays added a lot of drama to the already striking red poppies in our back meadow.
Facing the back of our property, this is the right hand corner. I’ve been working on these back borders little by little for 14 years. This is the first year I’ve been able to tell I’m accomplishing something. Only thing is, I think it may be because of the wonderful rains we’ve had rather than the changes I keep making.
One of the shrubs I’ve planted is Hypericum Albury Purple. It’s quite beautiful in the summer if it likes the spot. It has lovely little berries. I think Bill outdid himself with this very artistic photo of a gorgeous pale pink lily blurred in the background and the berries of Albury Purple.
This is one of my favorite combinations. I don’t often get it right the first time, but I sure did when I paired these together in the fence border that runs beside our drive way. (In my opinion.) The color of the lilies shown a distance from the above on the far left side of the picture is very unique. A close up of those is below.
The color of this daylily is what makes it special.
Another combination of daylilies in the fence border.
______
Organic Gardening is easy, efficient, effective — and it’s a lot healthier.
______
All content including photos is copyright by TendingMyGarden.com. All Rights Reserved.
Just gorgeous, Theresa. I’ve been following your blog daily this year, since it is my first year at gardening outside. Thanks for all your work!
Carol
Hi Carol,
Glad to have you reading. Hope you have found it helpful.
Theresa
Theresa and Bill,
These are amazing photos. They just keep getting better and better! Thank you for sharing your garden with us.
Thanks Diane! That sure is our intent — to keep making them better and better! Nice to hear we are reaching the goal.
Theresa
Theresa, I echo everything said already. You are a garden artist! The photography is quite beautiful also. Thank you for sharing your combined talents.
Thank you Sandra. I’m so lucky to have Bill to make the sharing possible.
Such beauty, Theresa! Thank you and Bill for posting these photos! Such a wonderful collection of daylilies! I love them, especially those with spider-shaped blooms, but they are extremely hard to find in our country.
I would like to wish you Happy Midsummer!
Kiskin
Thank you Kiskin. I’m so glad you enjoyed them.
Where do you live?
And Happy Midsummer to you as well!
Theresa
Hi, Theresa!
I am from Estonia, a small country in North-East Europe.
According to USDA European map, our zone should be 5/6.
Although current summer has been so extraordinarily cool and rainy, that everyone is complaining. But I call it a Perfect Summer for Lettuces. They love such weather and thrive. 🙂
Kiskin
Hi Kiskin,
It seems no matter where we live in the world — everyone complains about the weather. But — there is always something good to be found.
I agree – the good thing about cool and rainy — is lettuce.
Thanks for letting me know what part of the world you live in. Sure nice to have you read TMG even though we’re many, many miles apart.
Theresa
You have a very beautiful flower garden! I am making one myself. Hope to grow it as beautiful as you have done in yours!
Good luck with yours, Rham.
Lovely!
Theresa & Bill,
Thank you both for sharing these beautiful pictures.
I’ve tried picturing in my mind, from the different glimpses, how your overall garden looks.
It is so lush and rich with all of the shades of green – and the flowers – OH MY!!
I dream of my garden being as productive and beautiful as yours one day. The main vegetable garden is approximately 50’X50′.
I will keep moving forward each day, step by step, toward my goal.
Due to available time restrictions this spring(and the rains) we planted later than I wanted.
I’m planning on having all of my beds ready for planting early next spring.(Except for the ones I’m planting this fall to help feed us through the winter!)
Thanks to your wonderful blog, I have all of the information I need to be successful. It has been, and continues to be, such a Blessing and encouragement to me as I strive to grow health producing fruits & vegetables for our family.
Betty
Glad you enjoyed these Betty.
Your great attitude will continue to bring to success to you!
Theresa