8.05.2010

Dog Days

Heat. Rain. More rain. Bugs. More heat. That pretty much sums up the month of July. So far August has been drier but still very buggy and humid. This is definitely the hottest Summer in recent memory.


Some of the plants in the garden have benefited from all of the rain and heat while others have really struggled. My tomatoes are ripening about a month ahead of schedule but the plants have suffered severely from the excess rains. I harvested the last of my garlic last week and was very pleased with the crop.  I am a third generation grower of this particular hybrid.  The cloves are super spicy.   I've already used some in cucumber salad and in two batches of homemade pasta sauce. As soon as I pick some more romas I plan to make a batch of salsa.

The excess of rain has caused some plants to put on a lot of new growth.  The front yard is looking very green and lush.  I'm worried that the little serviceberry tree on the front berm has put on too much new growth.  Some of the branches are starting to bend downward and others have been breaking in the many strong storms we've had recently.  I've pruned it somewhat and time will tell whether further pruning will be required. 


The backyard bird garden is a fun work in progress.  Some of the perennials that I planted last year are blooming for the first time.  I am particularly excited about the butterfly weed.  The blooms are such a brilliant orange color and are already attracting butterflies.  Success!  The joe pye weed and swamp milkweed look like they're both going to bloom for the first time as well.  Soon I'll have the thriving butterfly habitat I've been dreaming of.


Earlier this year I made the mistake(?) of filling one of my bird feeders with a mix that included sunflower seeds.  Soon after I had to spend a lot of time pulling up all of the little plants that sprouted from the spilled seeds.  I decided to let a few of them remain and they just started blooming at the end of last week.  They are petite, standing about 3 feet tall with flowers approximately 5 inches in diameter.  I am excited to watch the seed heads develop.  



Staring at the center of the flowers has a rather hypnotizing effect.  Or maybe I just need a nap. ;)
We haven't been spending too much time in the backyard due to the voracious mosquito population.  It's kind of a bummer since the area surrounding the patio is so pretty right now.   Here are a couple of photos taken from roughly the same spot.  The first showcases the russian sage in full bloom.  The little crab apple tree in the background is starting to branch out horizontally.  I think it will be a really pretty specimen in a couple more years.  

 This last shot was taken in the evening as Jeremy burned some yard debris in the fire pit.  This is my favorite time of day.  I love the way the clumps of little bluestem grass are illuminated by the evening sun.  Soon they'll develop seedheads and begin to take on the beautiful bronze shades of Autumn.