Living Homegrown

Garden Blogger Bloom Day - August 09

Here we are at another addition of Garden Blogger Bloom Day (the brain child of Carol over at May Dream Gardens). Can you believe it is August already?

Here are few snippets of what is blooming in my part of the country...

I planted a ton of burgundy and rust colored sunflowers this year. All the seeds came from Renee's Garden Seeds and all look spectacular.

I have some nice combinations in the garden right now...like this lemon scented geranium combined with heliotrope. Very pretty....

And look at what I found on one flower....

And can you believe this climbing cup & saucer vine is STILL blooming? I wrote about it HERE in September and it has not stopped yet! That is one full year of solid blooms! What a show off.

And then we did a little harvesting today...

I think I planted my pumpkins too early because they are already turning orange. We had to harvest this week!!!

Gardening With An "Altitude" Means Garden Blooms at 8,000 Feet

I missed July's Garden Blogger's Bloom Day because I was enjoying a week long trip in Colorado visiting my brother and sister-in-law. They have a horse ranch and while visiting, my entire family got to experience "ranch life" up close and personal. It was incredible.

But what is also incredible is the challenge of growing a garden at 8,000 feet in the beautiful Colorado mountains. For my belated Garden Blogger's Bloom Day post, I am going to show you what my sister-in-law is growing in her completely organic, high-altitude garden right now.

The red flower above is Mexican Hat Flower.

There are both advantages and disadvantages to growing a garden at high altitude. You have a much shorter growing season which means you have to plant at the exact right moment or you miss your window of opportunity. And of course, there are a few things that just don't work out in a short season. But those plants that get growing right away, look spectacular!!!

One advantage to high-altitude gardening is that you usually have fewer pests and disease than those of us at lower elevations. The air is also dry, so you don't have the mildew and rot associated with humid climates. Once you get your garden planted, your biggest challenges are usually watering and the local deer population.

Here we have bachelor buttons and daisies...

Check out those hollyhocks coming up behind the latter!

And here is a great idea for creating a bird bath...

 

Most herbs do especially well at high altitude...

If you are interested in learning more about High Altitude Gardening, check out THIS informative website, this BLOG by a woman in Park City, Utah and THIS article from Organic Gardening Magazine. One source for seeds/plants is High Country Gardens.

I garden at sea level with an ocean breeze causing all kind of mildew problems. It is so interesting to see the same plants I struggle to grow doing so well at high-altitude without a trace of mildew. It was almost as humbling as trying to walk up a tiny hill without getting winded and collapsing in a heap. My sea level lungs just didn't cut it too well at 8,000 feet!

Multicolored Hydrangea - One last bloom day photo

I don't know how I forgot to include this beauty in my bloom day post yesterday, but it is too colorful to not show. Check out the colors of one of the hydrangeas. 

Last year, this plant had the deepest, bluest flowers. But this year, I did not try to keep it blue and I didn't add anything to the soil. (My soil is naturally alkaline) The result of my my non-tinkering with the soils is that the flowers are...every color between blue and pink!  (Can you see the purple flowers with blue centers in the background? Lovely.)

I think the soil is transitioning from the acid to alkaline levels between blue and pink...hence the weird multicolors on this one plant.  

How pretty is that? I love it when Mother Nature gives me a surprise!

June's Garden Blogger Bloom Day

The 15th of every month is officially "Garden Blogger Bloom Day" thanks to Carol at May Dream Gardens. This is the day that Garden Bloggers everywhere photograph and post what is blooming in their garden at the moment.

Here is what I found in my own garden this morning...(Double click on any of the photos to see a larger view)

This is a side-view of my front yard garden:

I use different colored lobelia along the walkway with lemon thyme and snowdrop daisies. Under the window, I have 'Indigo Spires' Sage that is about to come into full bloom. It is a great bee attractor. Next to the sage I have Bishop's Flower (white lace flower), penstemon and celery (I tuck those veggies in everywhere!).

In the backyard, the poppies are blooming!!!

Beneath the poppy is perennial basil and lemon balm.

In the flower garden section, I have borage blooming (Mr. Bee found it this morning). I use the flowers in ice cubes and as garnishes. They hold their color well when sugared too.

And my kids planted a "Pollinator Garden" this year. One of their favorite flowers is the honeywort. The hummingbirds love this plant and it looks so unusual in the garden.

In our vegetable/herb garden we have corn!!

And lots of squash.

Along this back wall we are trying something new. It is called Italian Heirloom Summer Squash "Trombetta". It is supposed to have a delicate, artichoke-like flavor. Can't wait! I will let you know how it turns out. I bought the seeds from Renee's Garden Seeds.

In front of the squash we have yellow, orange, purple, white, red and green bell peppers and along the front edge are different kinds of onions. Yum!

And last, but not least, some of my dahlias are blooming....Ahhhh!

Gardener Bloggers' Bloom Day - March 09

Oops! This Bloom Day post is 2 days late. Garden Blogger's Bloom Day is hosted by Carol of May Dream Gardens. You can check out what other blogger's have blooming in their gardens by visiting her site.

My Garden in March...

I've been working in the garden getting ready for major planting. We are in full Spring weather here in Southern California. The garden centers are packed with people and everyone is excited to get their gardens in shape!

Here are just a few of the blooms I have in my garden right now...Don't want to make those of you who are still snowed in jealous....sorry....Perhaps this will just give you hope instead?

My shed is covered with flowering jasmine right now. Smells heavenly!

I have two blueberry bushes in pots (so I can adjust their pH accordingly) and they are in full bloom getting ready for berries.

My entire front flowerbeds are filled with nasturtiums that have been blooming all winter. Sadly, I have to rip these all out next week to make room for other things. They have taken over the area and need to be thinned out.

Several years ago, I lined the front walkways with freesias (all colors). They return every year and are so fun here. They make the walk to the front door very fragrant. They are almost done blooming.

 

And lastly, I have lots of blooming African Daisy (Osteospermum) in the front side beds. I love this one because the flowers change shade as they mature. It is a real show stopper.

Garden Blogger Bloom Day: September 15th

Happy Garden Blogger Bloom Day Everyone! The 15th of every month is the day many garden bloggers show off what is blooming in their gardens. Here is what you can find out in my little plot of land today.

I grew this Cup-and-Saucer vine from seed (Cobaea scandens). It is supposed to grow as a perennial in my mild winter climate. We shall see. I am also keeping my eye on it because I don't want it to take over my entire wall! The blooms are very pretty. They change color from green to violet and then rose-purple as they open.

Here are a few other blooms in my garden today...