It is early enough that the sun is casting the shadow of the white ash across the lawn. The major flower players in the garden on this date are the white or pink phlox, the African daisies, and cleome.
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| Gloriosa daisy and phlox |
After suffering poor germination rates in the spring, the surviving beans have done quite well. These are Blue Lake bush beans in the center, with Lacinto kale on the right. The recent rains have drowned out most squash, but I am hoping the patty pan and zucchini in the back ground will make it.
I first tried these rattlesnake pole beans last year and got only one plant to survive germination and plant out. Pole beans are much harder for me to get started, but once they are going, they are prolific and easy to pick. The rattlesnake beans are attractive, tasty and round like bush beans. I much prefer them to the flat pole beans. Four or five plants are producing this year, so there are plenty to eat and will also be plenty to save as next year's seed.
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| Swiss Chard and kale |
Our next door neighbor has always fed wild birds, but this is the first year that we have benefited in 10 to 15 volunteer plants from lost seed. Growing from the top of this sunflower is a climbing Dr. Martin lima bean vine. Those beans are heavily producing flowers, and some have started to pod.
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| Butternut Squash |
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| And another |
