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!

Happy First Day of Summer!

Many things are changing in the garden now, and the Potager and Herb Gardens are going full-force! We again have 'June Gloom' but that doesn't stop the garden from thriving!

The Borage which has naturalized has finally bloomed. I'm freezing the flowers in ice cubes!

Tomatillos are thriving despite all of the rain. I will make a massive batch of Salsa Verde when they ripen and we will eat like Kings throughout the winter!

Is this not the most darling head of Broccoli you've ever seen? We've had some problems with Aphids in the past, but this year doesn't seem as bad.

Jerusalem Artichoke.

Red and Yellow Onions.

Carrots and an Artichoke.

I love this shot of our Nasturtiums. You can pickle their seeds and substitute for capers. Just be sure to save some seeds for companion planting!

Happy Potager.

Poppy Pod.

The Girls on a rare day out. They love to scratch around the compost heap and pick out bugs.

A cheery 'Oriental' Poppy pokes itself out amidst the Catmint!

And I'm not sure how this happened, but there is a bird feather in the Poppy itself!

We have this Nightshade which has naturalized along the back fence. It has pretty flowers and red berries which the chickens love to eat. All parts of the plant are poisonous and birds are the only critters which can safely digest the berries.

Rhubarb is winding down for the season.

Green Onion seed pod. We eat a lot of Green Onions throughout the years, so we always save seeds. You can even start new plants from the leftover roots from purchased plants, and they will cycle through one or two more stalks!

I will be picking this Cauliflower before it heats up too much and makes the head bitter. I'll be pickling it!

The three main beds are taking off.

We have a jungle of peas...

Fava (Broad) beans...

And Beets!

Potatoes are also blooming.

I couldn't resist posting another shot of my 'Lettuce Leaf' Poppy.

Here is a purple one about to bloom.

We also have Johnny Jump-Ups/Heartsease naturalizing in one of our flower beds.

Wee Apples are growing on our Espalier tree.

Biscuit is hiding behind our cute lime tree.

Francine looks lovely among the Spanish Lavender. Isn't she just the sweetest?

I remember this particular Foxglove being much taller last year. I think we had way more sun to make it happy.

Here is a Variegated Catmint that is flowering. The cats don't seem to like this one very much, so I use the leaves for tea.

I'm in love with how our herb garden looks! A lot of things are flowering now, like this Hyssop.

My newly planted garden in front of the fence looks happy.

And I love my Black Hollyhocks.

The Sage is huuuuuge!

Cheery Chamomile has naturalized like the Borage. I don't mind these visitors at all and let them roam freely throughout the yard.

Peppermint and Lavender make natural bedfellows.

Here is a Curry plant.

A lovely red Lily blooming in the strawberry bed.

And 'Black Magic' Roses.

The center bed is still exploding! Notice all my pansies.

I am still harvesting Spinach and Kale from these beds! Sorry so blurry.

I love these Dutch Iris which seem to all flower at once!

And my late-June trio; Foxglove, Roses and Delphinium are still going strong!

My much beloved Sweet Peas have finally made their entrance in the little window boxes.

This Carrot is already flowering.

And here is one day's worth of Peas collected!

Beet greens are beautiful...

Penelope approves!

Happy Summer!