Summer Garden, Flowers and Food!

Thanks to Blotanical, I now have 40 followers to Tiny Green Cottage. Thank you so much everyone! What started out as a way to track my goings-on in the yard has turned into a fun hobby to share with others. I want you to know that I read each and every one of the comments I receive and truly appreciate all of them!

 This time of year is always fun because of how rapidly the garden changes.

I bought this Purple Passion Flower (Passiflora x belotii) the other day at the PSU Farmers Market (in one of the stranger business transactions I've had, I might say) and it bloomed for the first time this morning! I've had debatable luck with Passion Vines in the past, but this doesn't stop me from purchasing a new plant every now and then.

Once upon a time, we had a Blue Passion Flower (Passiflora Caerulea) crowning the entrance of the front door. After three years of growing it was quite magnificent until a wood-boring insect found its way into the stem and effectively killed it. Later, The Husband built a metal trellis featuring Passion Flowers as a sort of homage to its  memory. Besides being a beautiful addition to any Cottage Garden, I like to save the petals and stems for a tea which like Chamomile, is thought to induce a restful sleep.

More Lettuce Leaf Poppies blooming. I don't remember buying this Lilac-tinged variety, but it is quite lovely, don't you think?

Our first Calendula blossom! Planted these in succession with the Nasturtiums around the periphery of the main beds. I save the petals for tea, eating (see below) and beauty products.

Harvested this enormous 'Purple Globe' Turnip last night and the cats refused to enthusiastically participate in my size comparison until I gave them some Catnip.

You can tell Biscuit is doing his best to resist the powers of the Nip...

But Siouxsie was less fortunate and was downed immediately. At only six pounds, she is more susceptible to its powers!

Victory!

Speaking of purple produce; I also harvested these 'Purple Plum' Radishes for a salad. Aren't they lovely? I found the seeds from Uprising Seeds based in Bellingham, Washington.

I paired the Radish with some Garlic Chives, Nasturtiums, Snap Peas, Hollyhock and Calendula Petals, hearts of Romaine and Green Onion, and made a fabulous salad from our Potager.

It went wonderfully with our Vegetarian Lasagna which featured garden-fresh Spinach and Broccoli!

Speaking of Garden Produce, the wet weather has wreaked havoc on our Watermelon, Pumpkin and Cantaloupe starts..I am very distressed. I'll have to purchase new ones as soon as possible, since there isn't much time to start from seed. I think Portland Nursery will come to my rescue later this month!

As an aside: after dinner I was soaking my feet in a relaxing herbal bath (equal parts Hops, Rosemary, Lavender, Calendula and Epsom Salts) while reading a lovely gardening book. I think this title may be of interest to readers of Tiny Green Cottage. The book is entitled: Heirloom Country Gardens, and is by Sarah Wolfgang Heffner. It features garden plans, history, plant profiles and recipes! It was a a beautifully organized book with plenty of useful information, fun crafts and beautiful photographs! Check it out if you can!