Lady Emma Hamilton Rose Update

My Lady Emma Hamilton rose is starting to attain some size. The foliage is very healthy with no signs of foliar diseases. That is quite impressive due to the record-breaking rains and high humidity that we have been hit with all season.

Bugs have eaten holes in some of the older, greener foliage near the base. The newer, burgundy-colored foliage is in great condition. Just look at the warm coloring of the petals. This is the third or fourth bloom since I planted it this spring. There is another bud just behind this flower. Next season I think it will be quite a vision with multiple blooms all at once.

Overall impression so far: Very healthy plant, breathtaking colors, an enticing scent...citrus and lemons! A 5 Star rose as of this point.

R.I.P.: The Monster Has Been Slain

My monster Black Krim has met his unfortunate demise. Not by me eating him. He was the victim of a rainstorm that knocked two of them off the vine. The smaller one is in good condition. The large tomato had hit the ground so hard that the other side split and turned to mush. I found them both laying helplessly in the garden this morning. It was a sad sight. R. I. P.

Shade Lovers: Hosta and Heuchera

Eskimo Pie Hosta- I absolutely love hosta that are primarily white streaked with different shades of green. This hosta fit the bill. I purchased this plant last fall from Jung Seed. It is a sloooooooow grower. This is what it looks like as of this month. But don't be mistaken. It's variegation is gorgeous. Streaked with both dark and apple shades of green. No signs of pest or disease issues.


Green Spice Heuchera- This heuchera ranks in the top three out of the dozen or so varieties I have. It is silver with purple veins and a dark green edging. Definitely an attention-getter. No signs of pest or disease issues.

Guacamole Hosta- Another stunning hosta. Among the dozen hosta plants I have this is easily in the top three. Chartreuse-gold foliage stands out in the shade. Its leaves are large and healthy. No pest or disease issues. I've read that it has white, fragrant flowers, but I have yet to see this newly planted hosta in bloom.

Butterflies and Blooms

Monarch on a Pink Delight Butterfly Bush- Pink Delight has been by far the most enticing for butterflies and bumblebees. Out of the four different varieties I have, the Pink Delights always have the most activity.


Deep Orange Gerbera Daisy- I love the look of gerbera daisies. I purchased three different colors this season. Unfortunately they only put out 1-3 blooms at a time. Although those blooms are beautiful, they aren't enough to convince me to grow them again next season. Seems to prefer to have its soil more on the dry side.

Pink Champagne Clematis- This clematis was added at the end of last season. It has blessed me with a few blooms early in the season and is again putting out a few more. Although one of the vines has been hit with what appears to be clematis wilt, the other vines are doing well on this plant. Blooms are around 3 inches wide and have fuschia and rose coloring.

Burgundy Silk Gaillardia- Part of the new Sunburst series. The blooms are pretty, but they are very weak stemmed. Blooming power isn't as good as other gaillardia varieties. Prefers well-drained soil in a sunny location.


African Sunset Black-Eyed Susan Vine- Lovely vine with warm coloring. Produces heavily. Seems to prefer its container soil to be more on the dry side.

Cherokee Green and Fresh Garden Salsa

Fresh Garden Salsa- I love the colors of salsa. It's a mix of Cherokee Green, Opalka, and Celebrity tomatoes, Mucho Nacho jalapenos, Musik garlic, onion, a little cumin, and white vinegar.

Cherokee Green- Luscious. Delicious. Juicy. My absolute favorite tomato so far. It looked gorgeous in the salsa. This one weighed in at a respectable 9 oz.

What's New This Week? MICE!

Let's see. What's new?

My four-year-old got his very own pet yesterday AND again today. Let me explain. We all went to the pet store and he chose a "fancy" mouse. I have to admit she is pretty cute. He named her....wait for it....the creativity is astounding.....wait for it.....MOUSIE! I was worried that Mousie was going to be lonely since mice are social animals. So this morning, after pondering the idea all night, I loaded the kids back into the car, and we brought home one of her sisters. My son named her....wait for it....it's even better than the first.....wait for it....MOUSE!

Mousie (upper right photo) and Mouse (lower left photo).

I wanted a better picture of them, but it's tough to get them to sit still for a camera. They're squirmy little buggers. :)

I should get my first taste of Opalka and Black Krim tomatoes in just a few days. A few are close to being fully ripe. Turns out the Celebrity tomatoes taste pretty good despite all the rain. The other varieties seemed watered down, but the Celebrity tomatoes were surprisingly flavorful and mostly blemish-free.

Finally, we released our ladybugs into the garden yesterday. I looked for some aphids to release them near, but I couldn't find any. I guess that's a good thing.

Eye Candy

'Minnesota Midget' Muskmelon- HEIRLOOM, compact, 3-4' vines, absolutely covered in yellow blossoms, bumblebees, and tiny melons. Annual.

'Brite Eyes' Climbing Rose (RADbrite)- Developed by William Radnor, the same man that bred the famous Knockout roses. Extremely disease resistant, beetles love to devour the foliage early in the season although the leaves do rejuvenate well. This rose is in it's third season (and second location). Intertwined with a Nelly Moser clematis (just purchased last season) and is showing its first bloom forming at the top of the picture. Hardy in zones 5-8.

'Butterfly Mix' Pink Pentas - hybrid, low growing pentas, 1'x1', no disease, pest, or other health issues. Heavy bloomer. Bees of all kinds are attracted to this plant. They were all over this plant when I took this picture. Annual.

'Little Joe' Joe Pye Weed- Eupatorium purpureum- a dwarf; 4' tall by 2 1/2 to 3' wide. Lavender/pink flowers. Attractive to bees and butterflies. I hear that deer do not care for this plant. Hardy in zones 3-8.

Square Foot Gardens

I have three 3' x 3' raised beds that are new to my garden this season.

Bed #1 Contains the Following:

Alaska Peas

Sugar Snap Peas

Burpeeana Peas

Citadel Peas

Mr. Big Peas

Sandul Moldovan tomato from a cutting (back, right corner)

Mucho Nacho jalapeno (left, middle)

Bed #2 Contains the Following:

8 Fat n' Sassy Bell Peppers
1 Mucho Nacho jalapeno pepper (front, right)

Bed #3 Contains the Following:

Middle Square- currently empty (Jericho and Little Gem romaine lettuce is being started indoors for the square)

Clockwise starting in back, left:

Salad Bush cucumbers reluctantly climbing up tomato trellis

Black Krim cutting

Recently planted Cherry Belle radishes

Evergreen White Bunching Onions

1 Tango Celery and Scarlet Nantes carrots (freshly planted)

1 Tango Celery (leaving it bolt) and Chantenay carrots (freshly planted)

4 Tango Celery (freshly planted)

1 Tango Celery (freshly planted); 2 romaine lettuce left to bolt.

Peppers

We had stuffed peppers for the third time this season. My 8 Fat n' Sassy peppers have churned out 30 large, green bell peppers so far. There are plenty of others that are right behind them. If only I had the restraint to let them fully ripen to red...

Also this week, my first cayenne pepper has ripened. This plant is growing in a one gallon container (the one I bought it in) in front of the house. For such a neglected plant, it is highly productive. It looks like I will be making some hot pepper flakes this year after all.

Rain. Rain. Go Away...

Wait. Did someone forget to tell Mother Nature that it is SUMMER. Not Spring. It's been POURING since 3 this morning. Cracking has been a big problem with my tomatoes so far this season, and all this rain isn't helping!