Thursday, June 16, 2011

Photos From A Busy Week


Blackberries are ripening in quantity!

A blackberry pie for our household and another for Gina's tribe.
[Matt, Gina and Devin began the move into their house down the road on Thursday.]

First blooms on the trumpet vine. J. pruned it severely but it is still rampaging up the crabapple tree.

New starts of trumpet vine clambering over the woodpile.
In Vermont a trmpet vine which survived the long cold winters and managed to climb and produce a few blooms was quite a marvel.
Here in Kentucky they have invasive weed status, developing gnarly trunks and tenacious branches which strangle trees, shrubs or buildings in their pat.

The first ruffly pink poppy bloomed this week.
An unknown moth on a hibiscus leaf.  The hibiscus was attacked this year by the same nasty little green worms who devastated the hollyhocks. J. sprayed them with a solution of sevin--which didn't improve the look of the plant.

Each day the magnolia tree produces fragrant waxy flowers.

Finally, rain and several days and nights of welcome cooler weather after the long spell of heat and drought.

The lower garden shimmers in the rain, tomatoes soaking up moisture, squash and corn growing
 even as we watched!

The perennial border is refreshed after the rain, but many plants are past their peak bloom.
I've begun cutting back the nepetas, uprooted the invasive catnip [nepeta cataria] restrained some galloping apple mint.  I've set out achillia [yarrow] seedlings, grubbed and weeded.

The dark red poppies seem to be the predominant strain.
I'm reminded of the color "alizerin crimson."

Achillia "Paprika" in the foreground with a scarlet monarda and the poppies behind.

8 comments:

  1. How strange to have blackberries in June. Here they are a fruit of Autumn - late August onwards. However, I have gooseberries and blackcurrants to pick today so I mustn't moan!

    Your garden has such pretty flowers in it - love the pom-pom poppies. I have a new pink poppy in a corner of the garden - odd, as I don't remember planting it! Perhaps it was one from the packs of bulbs I've bunged in.

    Good luck to your daughter and family in their new home.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your blackberries are amazing! So many and so quick to ripen. We won`t expect to harvest ours until August, or later.

    It is lovely to see your land greening up again after your dry weather. It`s pouring with rain here this morning, but the fields and gardens badly need it so I`m not complaining.

    What a beautiful orange moth.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for the update. Those berries look wonderful and so do those pies. Glad your gardens are doing well and that you got some rain.

    FlowerLady

    ReplyDelete
  4. The blackberry pies look wonderful, we don't have any but a local grower has a "u pick um" and I've been wanting to go.

    ReplyDelete
  5. When ever I see Magnolia's I always remember H.E.Bates description of then as 'Alabaster Chalices' very apt I think. So sad that they don't last very long.
    I'll have some of those juicy blackberries please....lol
    Briony
    x

    ReplyDelete
  6. Can't believe you have blackberries already! Here it's a late summer/autumn fruit. Your garden must be well ahead of ours in the UK. We too are getting some welcome rain over the last few days.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love those fluffy poppies! I have never seen those before, I will have to look for some. I continue to love all of your flower photos. I wish my "tribe" lived close and could be on the recieving end of one of your pies! :) Yummy!

    ~Shanon

    ReplyDelete
  8. Those pies look delicious ... wow that is some moth ...Love your flower garden and vegetable area ...I so admire our stamina.

    ReplyDelete