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!

Poppy Day

A small update for today:

 This beauty is a red 'Peony or Lettuce Leaf ' Poppy.

I was inspired to take these photographs of the blooms which emerged after a full weekend of much-needed sun. My beloved Poppies are so short-lived that I feel like I have to capture them as soon as I see them unfurl! I missed the chance to photograph a gorgeous 'Lauren's Grape' Poppy over the weekend which lasted only a day, and I'm still kicking myself for missing the chance. Hopefully, other 'Grapes' will present themselves as the Summer wears on!

 This is a 'Flemish Antique' Heirloom Poppy.

 Some of these photographs are low in quality and I apologize! They were taken first thing this morning, but at least you will gain a general impression of how things are looking!

Our much abused 'Jackmanii' Clematis is still going strong. Notice the strange four-petaled bloom. Odd.

This is a 'Nigra' Hollyhock I grew from seed. I love the way Hollyhocks look, but I always get rust and discoloration on the leaves. Does anyone know any secrets for preventing this?

New Dutch Iris are emerging under the Lilac Trees. I didn't realise until now that the rhizomes I planted came in a variety of purple. Lucky me!

A lousy shot of the front of the house. Notice mutant Delphinium and bowed Pea Obelisk. That hideous red fence on the right will soon be disguised by reed fencing. I hate it!

The Husband and I harvested our first batch of 'Purple Globe' Turnips. You can't tell from this photo, but these are enormous! 

 Notice my hand in this photograph for a size comparison! 

June, already!

I wanted to say hello to all of my new readers who have found me through Blotanical.com. Thank you for making me feel so welcome and all of the nice comments left about the gardens! It really means a lot, and I appreciate the enthusiasm. Thank you!

After a week away in Florida, I returned to discover that the garden has exploded with flowers and vegetables! Roses, Foxglove, Poppies and Delphinium rule the flower beds while various Lettuces, Spinach, Turnips, and Peas are all ready for harvest in the Potager. We have so many Peas clamoring up one trellis that their weight has caused it to bow and break! We have some Strawberries ripening too, although they need just a little bit of sun to adequately sweeten. Here are some of my more recent photographs taken this week and the week before last.

I hope everyone is enjoying our last few days of Spring.

 Love these Dutch Iris living under the Lilac tree!

 

My Foxglove have vigorously self-seeded over the years and I have many new plants. I'm a sucker for the ones with white flowers and ruby throats. I've also planted a new 'Apricot' variety this year, but haven't had any blooms. What varieties do you like best?

The 'Pacific Giant' Delphinium have bloomed at long last. They are about 8.5 feet tall. I can't believe it! These plants are about two years old. The secret is apparently Western Oregon weather and fish emulsion. I also periodically treat the plants with a fertilizer made from decomposed Comfrey leaves. I learned this trick from a book written by Tasha Tudor!

This 'Jackmanii' Clematis has survived being pecked to near death by bored chickens, two deep freezes, and three separate relocations by a fickle Cottager. Here, it proves it can be both beautiful and robust in a new, permanent location at the front of the house.

  

In our front bed we have a 'Midnight Blue' Rose. I love the colour but it lasts only about a day before fading. That and a scraggly growing habit appear to be the trouble with some of the hybrid varieties. I've been saving all of our rose petals for tea and beauty products, but have also made attempts to make my own rose oil. Here is a nice page with instructions for making Attar (oil) of Roses.

A nice shot of the Kitchen Herb Garden as it stood on Monday. Lots of Oregano coming back, and the Sage plant has become enormous. It and the neighbouring Spanish Lavender are constantly covered with bees. It is good to know that I'm supporting our local pollinators with all of my purple plants!

Speaking of purple plants...I love this newly purchased Centaurea which I thought was perfect for a Cottage Garden. Much to The Husband's chagrin, I have a nasty habit of buying whatever catches my eye in the nursery with no idea of where to eventually plant it. I believe this specimen will be going in the side yard with my Poppies and 'Fairy' rose, but we'll see.

This handsome devil is a 'Blackie' Fuchsia. I'm attempting to find a nice, shady area to plant him directly, but this is proving to be difficult. I've seen some specimens in Portland which have established themselves as shrubs. I'd like to do the same, but need to find a good spot for him, pronto! I don't seem to have much luck with Fuchsias, but they are inexpensive and attractive enough that I remain an eternal Pollyanna.

 These 'Granny's Bonnet' Columbine really give you a lot of bang for the buck. They've been blooming non-stop since March and make for lovely border plants. They are tall and leggy and need staking, but will eventually hold one another up like drunks at a bar. I'm collecting the seed pods for friends.

I love my Peony Poppies, although they are short-lived. Most of them need to be staked. I'm growing Purple, Red and White Peony Poppies.

 

 In the Potager, we have Spring veggies galore. Right now we are overrun with Peas and Lettuce!

Asian Mustard Greens.

Fava Beans, Garlic, Tomatoes and Nasturtiums live in this bed.

Amaranth, or something similar to it has naturalized in the backyard from spilled birdseed. This does not please The Husband.

We are growing Purple Peas as well!

Mizuna Greens.

No Cottage Garden is complete without fruit trees, so we've purchased this espaliered tree which has six varieties grafted to the stock! Among them are Red and Yellow Delicious,  Gala and Granny Smith. I can't remember the others, but seem to remember them being Oregon heirlooms.

These are our beets and shallots.

One of two pea obelisks.

This bed has red and yellow onions and a nice Jerusalem artichoke in the middle. I'm having remorse over not containing it in a pot. Oops.

Green onions and Cauliflower.

We have been getting so much rain that toadstools and faerie rings are popping up everywhere in the lawn.

And we've been getting a few new visitors who seem to enjoy the refuge of my Hollyhocks!