In Full Bloom

It's funny how, being from North Dakota, I always look forward to the change of seasons. In the spring it's like torture waiting for that first 60 degree day to hurry up and arrive. At last, hibernation is over! Shedding the sweaters and opening up the windows, running to the greenhouses weeks before the ground is ready for planting, soooo excited for the sun and warmth and, of course, the flowers.
Now, as fall is well upon us, I'm totally over summer. I'm ready to welcome the crisp dry air of September again, the pumpkin carving, the smell of soup on the stove, my favorite blanket on a cool night. I'm restless for that change in the weather that always brings a new set of things to look forward to.
Having said that, I'm posting some pics of my favorite flowers from this year. While some of these blooms have faded now, when they were at their peak they were gorgeous and really brought a lot of beauty to our yard. As I prepare to prune back and dig out, it's fun to look at all the color that summer brought. I'm sure by next April I'll be just as eager to watch it unfold all over again.

As anyone who knows me will attest, these verbena are my pride and joy. They're so reliably stunning and reseed themselves like nothing I've ever seen. There's not a flower in the garden that the monarchs and bees go to more often. I shared some seedlings with my neighbor across the street, who is now equally as much of a fan.

This Raspberry Wine Monarda was sooooo amazing! A gift from my friend and fellow gardener, Beth, it is by far my favorite of the Monardas that I have. Unlike my other 2 varieties (lavender and darker lavender) this one seems much more resistant to mold. Also, the bees were nuts about it. Lots of questions about this guy from passersby.

Johnnny took this picture of our vegetable garden zinnias in early August. They were so fantastic and are still blooming like crazy even now. The butterflies and bees really liked them, but now they have stiff competition from 2 very territorial hummingbirds. I've loved having the bouquets of cut flowers all summer. That I will miss for sure.

These 2 perennials are so fun together...on the left, the Globe Thistle is such a different bloom. It's fun to watch it flower with those lovely blue frond-like petals. On the right, the Rudbeckia was a big punch of color that was much needed in this bed. These flowers have stayed on and on and are still quite dramatic.

Finally, a favorite new find - also from Beth! (Note to self: find cool flowers to share with Beth next year). In the front of this pic are California Poppies grown from seed. They're great because they love to grow in the worst possible soil. Don't we all have some of those spots? These were super prolific until I got a little lazy and fell behind on my dead-heading. I'll definitely be using them again, though. Their neon orange-yellow color is an awesome pop anywhere you put them!

I hope everyone has had a wonderful summer and that you're looking forward to fall too. I think part of the reason I welcome the cool and then the cold and then the frigid is because at the end of that frozen tunnel there is the inevitable light of spring and gardening season once more. I think I appreciate it more because it never lasts, and that's part of what's so great about living in North Dakota. Yeah, call me in February.

Joy in July

After a strange start in the spring (cool, rainy and, oh yeah, the Flood) this last month has really been pretty ideal for everything to get revved up and blooming. My good old standards never seem to disappoint, and a few new experiments are proving well worth it too.

This Scabiosa is definitely one of my top favorites. It starts blooming in June and just keeps right on rolling well into the beginning of August. I deadhead these guys quite a bit which keeps them looking perky. The above picture is from my front flowerbed, which has considerably less compost in it than the below pic. I like the variety of having the 2 shades for cutting, but it's crazy how much deeper blue the flowers get in more fertile soil.

This Daisy plant (ok bush) is in its 6th year in the same spot. This spring the new growth was so late coming up that I was sure it had finally died over the winter and almost took it out. Sooo glad I had a little extra patience that day! Even though I love the Scabiosa, Daisies are still my all-time favorite. When they're in their prime it's just magical to watch them flutter in the breeze.

A couple of weeks behind their cousins in the garden, the sidewalk Zinnias are finally going strong. I planted these from the same pack of seeds that lined the entire perimeter of our garden. Unbelievable output...and they were all a gift! Thanks again, Kris...talk about great cut flowers all the time!

Finally, I had to include this cool picture that Johnnny took of one of our experimental flowers this year. My mom told me that Sweet Peas were my Grandpa's favorite but he could never seem to get them to grow in his yard. I decided to give them a try when I found a little plant on sale at a West Fargo greenhouse. I now understand why he liked them so much...they really are beautiful and so delicate, with hot pink, purple, and white flowers. I will say that at first they seemed a little "challenged", having an inordinately difficult time finding the fence 2 inches behind them, but a little nudging did the trick and now they're full of blooms. Grandpa Chub, these are for you!

Thanks for visiting! I hope everyone's summer is going great!

Vegging Out

During the spring, I looked into joining a vegetable co-op so that we could have fresh, organic veggies throughout the summer. Unfortunately, the cost was a little prohibitive and I really questioned whether or not we could eat a crate of mixed vegetables every week. As a result, Johnnny and I decided to plant our own veggies in our own garden. The only problem was that we didn't actually have a garden to put them in. Well, thanks to Johnnny's unwavering dedication to digging out chunks of sod (we coined our own "strip and jab" technique) and the ultimate free compost from the city...voila! Our newest addition!

The whole process was actually really fun, albeit a lot of work. We ended up settling on a size of about 10 feet by 11 feet to sort of nestle the whole thing under our deck. The huge rock in the front is called "Big Boy". We think it kind of looks like a pendant on a necklace. Johnnny did a great job erecting the fence to keep out not only our very hungry rabbits, but also the neighborhood dogs and curious toddlers next door who for some reason believe that I am growing pizzas in and amongst everything else.

This shot was taken from above on our deck. I put two rows of zinnias (thank you Kris Boland for the seeds!) around the perimeter. Inside are beets (top), green beans (middle), and carrots (bottom). Interspersed are also some different kinds of onions. We've already had one meal of beets with their greens...not only super delicious but sooooo rewarding!

Here's a shot of the zinnias as they are just starting to get going. They make a nice support system for the other plants and I love the way they bring so much color to the garden. Also, I figured if the veggies were a total flop at least we'd have something pretty to look at! Luckily we have full sun and that wonderful compost so we're getting a really nice crop. Can't wait to taste everything else when it's ready!