irisarian said:Hope that no bird finds that Monarch catapiller. they are so beautiful.

, Lucy.

I found more of them today when I took a walk around the lake.



That looks like an interesting site, Rita.

I now grow all of my tomatoes from seed. I don't care for the thick skins on most of the hybrids and purchased transplants.

They're so easy to sprout, and they grow so fast!



I made pickles today. Now, I have to get outdoors for a bit - it's gorgeous out there!

Plantlife after blooms
http://smilebox.com/playBlog/4...

Still looking good, Jo Anne.

What is that shrub with the big oak-looking leaves? It's beautiful...

Most of our north gardens right now...


There's a pot under that sweet potatoe vine...somewhere.


...quite a bit different from May's yarden.

Yes Like Chelle Said... and what is that Oak Leafedshrub ?...
boy what a nice few days ....Grass needs mowing for 3rd time...after not mowing since may...Almost have my lawn back,westside suffered terribly...still not looking sooo great...
Been eating tomato`s making fresh salsa,cucumbers n onions...Taking tubs full to my MIL along with fesh melon....She is 90...she dosent buy much fresh melon,I doo and share..I try to make and freeze dinners for her too...Need to do that again,she just finished all her chicken and noodles...

Rita ,going to go to wildboar farms here in a minute I might try starting tomatos 2013...You are right Chelle,they should be cake to start...i had bad luck 1st try...still changing my starting mix..No more homemade...

I `d better get off my duff....full day ahead...hoping to get something done...

Oh Beautiful chelle....I`ll be over for Coffee...LOL

The pictures here certainly show that green appears in mnay shades

Chelle: that is Oakleaf Hydrangea Pee Wee

Chelle, I love all those shades of green.

Tamara, hurray for having tomatoes. About time, right? And bless you for taking extra and thinking of your aging MIL.

I was so pleased when I saw those tomatoes at Wild Boar Farms. Oh wow is all I can think. And so unusual.

Ah. Thanks, Jo Ann.

I'm sure now that I'd asked that before, but hadn't marked it down. Thanks for your patience.

About how long have you had it? Is it a good performer, bloom-wise?

None, save one (Pinky Winky) of my hydrangeas bloomed much if at all this year. Perhaps they still will, who knows?



Thank you, Rita.

That side of the yard is mostly shaded at this time of the year, so the plants grow tall! The Double Trouble heliopsis is well above my head this year , so I cut some and put it in my deck container.

That Hyd was planted in '09 I think.It is a great performer in that it looks neat and has a nice shape when mature. I have 2 and keep the one in the pix trimmed so it doesnt bloom.The other bloomed this summer but not too many as our spring froze budded branches.

It is a dwarf I believe I got it from ForestFarm
It turns a beautiful color in the fall and keeps leaves until Nov.

Beautiful pictures. Chelle, everything looks so lush and green! Are you SURE you're in Indiana? Everyone in this part of the world has gardens suffering from heat and drought, brown crunchy lawns.

Karen

Pretty sure, Karen.

All of the trees really help, I think. In the main yards there's only a couple of small areas that get direct, all-day sun and those were fried.

Remember this? This is what the veggie area looked like when I started planting it. I'm pretty sure that my family thought I was loco to even try!


Here's the contraption that I rigged to keep the groundhogs and rabbits from eating my red noodle bean plants...ugly isn't it? It's worked well, however.

Nothing larger than a mouse can get in there - not without climbing, at least.

Hey, gotta keep the critters away from those beans so whatever works!

No, not ugly. Functional!

My tomatoes are protected like Fort Knox! A raised bed, chicken wire, bird netting... it takes forever to fight my way in to pick a tomato.

Karen

But at least that means there are tomatoes to eat.

You're right, Rita. Before they were caged and the bird netting placed the birds, squirrels, and deer ate them. The chicken wire is for the stupid rabbits...

Deer leave them alone with the bird netting in place.

Karen

Rabbitts, deer. I don't know how you stand it.

It's not like I'm living in a remote place in the country, either, I live in the suburbs, in a huge subdivision.


But critters abound.

Karen

Wow, pretty neighborhood and home. But I just can't imagine deer walking down the street.

kqcrna said:... it takes forever to fight my way in to pick a tomato.

Karen

Yep...and one year I made the mistake of enclosing them in four foot tall rabbit fence...I couldn't fit my hand through, let alone a big fat juicy tomato.


Last year's experiment of enclosing the bush beans in bird netting didn't work; they just chewed through it - and it was a disaster to clear out of there!