Garden, early August,…

Garden, early August, slightly parched. I've barely watered this summer, relying mostly on the rain, and I'm afraid it shows. Ah well. I've tried to take photos of the pretty bits, avoiding as much of the withered and drooping garden as possible.

First of the chili peppers turns red. Can't remember what variety this is.

Ellie and pinwheel. Tiny bit of blooming monarda in the background, though it's all caught up in her leash, and a bit of alyssum under the pinwheel.

Kavya likes weeding; she's pulling tiny plants out from between the stones of the path. Hydrangea behind her, along with tall garden phlox, which I'm very grateful for, this time of year. One of the few things stalwartly blooming in my yard.

I just cut some of these Quickfire hydrangea blooms and brought them inside. Love the delicate shift as they head towards pink.

First bloom on a new hollyhock, afraid I don't remember the name. Might have it written down though. A bit scraggly, but pretty nonetheless. Need more hollyhocks!

I have had TERRIBLE luck with seeds; I am really bad at them. I must have planted a dozen seed packets in the spring, and this is the only thing that's come up, and I don't even know what it is -- something from a 'fairy garden' mix.

I want to say this is cosmos?

Yellow pear tomatoes, ripening.

Sweet 100 cherry tomatoes, the first to turn ripe. Delicious!

It's finally hot enough for my mandevilla to bloom. It's been a weird summer....but I'm not complaining. I will take fewer tropical blooms if it means it stays a bit cooler in Chicago.

1 thought on “Garden, early August,…”

  1. I’ve found that most seeds don’t really like to start in the ground (lettuce,zinnias and sunflowers are big exceptions). Start them in trays, or paper cups or peat pellets or something and transplant when they are larger.

    Also, you had a lousy spring so it was probably particularly bad. All the seeds probably washed away! Or they were finicky about sprouting conditions.

    Oh, and get yourself some zinnias next year. They start in mid-summer and go through fall. There are beautiful varieties these days. Dahlias also work, but you’ll have to pull the tubers out and store them inside all winter every winter so maybe they’re not worth it.

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