The Rhododendrons are popping this week. Even though I have been super busy keeping pace in the garden with how fast everything is exploding with new growth, I can't help but to stop once in a while and appreciate beauty like this.
#Rhododendrons, or #roadies as my mother sometimes calls them, are one of the most zero maintenance plants in the garden. In a wet climate they will perform well in full sun or shade, and provide plumes of delicate #flowers available in hundreds of color varieties.
In the garden I am monitoring the #pepper plant I recently planted. It was already flowering, and now a second #flower has recently bloomed.
The previous flower has withered away, leaving what looks to be a developing fruit.
These garden bags are now fully loaded with plants spending their final energy on their last flowers and seeds before they die. Already filling the space between are my new transplants of #tomatoes, #peppers, and #basil. The #arugula is likely to self-seed and produce a fresh new crop.
I have been growing these bags in the same method as last year, with high density plantings. It increases the moisture, provides green mulch, and plenty of cool shade to the soil during the hottest days of the year. Also I am incorporating various companion planting methods this year to up the antie.
Hundreds, maybe thousands of seeds are dotting the stalk of this #daikon #radish. I really enjoyed growing this plant for the first time, and it is one of the longest lasting vegetables in my garden. Will definitely try growing it again with some of these seeds I will be collecting.
Behind the scenes the #wildflowers from last year are ready to show me their first flowers. Most wildflowers are glorified weeds, yet they will be the popular plants in the #garden, capable of magnetically attracting butterflies, birds, and bees directly to my #vegetables to increase their health and harvest.
It took me three days to trim the giant #laurel #hedge. The neighbors were very kind and did not complain as I was reducing the height to a more manageable level. Because it was near the end of flowering, it scattered dried pollen and flower chaff everywhere. My family was a bit overwhelmed with all of the debris, branches, and leaves. Over six barrels full of yard debris.
With pollen season in full swing, I am noticing this is the month of the conifer. Here I take a moment to look at the smallest flowers hiding on the tips of new growth on a cedar.
Thanks for viewing my photos of the garden. I appreciate all of my fellow friends here. May the life-giving sunshine in my yard brings you all some joy today.
