Garden Bloggers Bloom Day August 2009

Our cable internet server was out of service for over 24 hours [ oh, internet fits!] and this is the first day I have been able to get back online. This has been frustrating because I had lots to blog about. I'll go ahead and post August blooms, which were due on the 15th, because it is germaine to what happened today.

Jupiter's Beard in front of Russian Sage in the Prairie Border. These are both great plants for our hot, dry climate. They make a beautiful show without requiring much water.

The Butterfly Bushes are putting on a good display and drawing many butterflies; I've seen Monarchs and Mourning Cloaks partaking of the nectar, not to mention the Broadtailed Hummingbirds.

I purchased my first small Blue Mist Spirea bush from Brady's Nursery years ago when I was roof gardening downtown and it began reseeding itself in other pots and even in the dirt in the rain gutter; which I proceeded to transplant into another pot. I brought them with me when me moved to Toad Haven and they also do very well in our climate.

These Black Eyed Susans brighten the Prairie Border and survived having half of the Russian Olive Tree blown down over them on July 31, my 71st birthday.

The year I began creating this garden, 6 years ago, I planted seeds of these red sunflowers and each summer I have had a few volunteer in the prairie border.

I do not limit my flowers to flower beds and borders. Here is the newest raised bed in the vegetable garden, which was built and planted late this summer. I have marigolds and cosmos planted with the corn and pumpkins. The large leaves at right front are Borage, which I plant for the gorgeous blue blossoms; come on Borage blossoms.

This is the first zinnia to bloom from seeds also planted in the above vegetable bed.

These Bells of Ireland were seeded in front of the Sugar Snap Peas in the vegtable border bed behind the raised beds.

These are Tomatilla blooms and fruit in one of the old raised beds to the south of the new bed. Tomatillas along with Cilantro, tomatoes, and chili peppers make a best salsa. I grow them all. I grew up with Gramma Hernandez's Mexican food and still love it. I can still see her patting out tortillas and cooking them on the pristine top of her old fashioned wood burning range.

In addition to pots of red Geraniums (Pelargoniums) I like to grow Scented Geraniums; this is Citrus Scented Geranium in a pot on the back dooryard patio.

This Dill plant in the bed with Chili Pepper and Eggplants has absolutely glorious blossoms, in addition to being a great herb for cooking.

I finish off with the most treasured flower in the whole of Toad Haven this summer. My grandson, Evan, gave me this plant, that he started in Kindergarten last spring, when it had only 2 leaves in a decorated styrofoam coffee cup. I transplanted it into a large pot and moved it to the garden to Become. This is what it Became, isn't it gorgeous?

To see what is blooming this month all over the world check out May Dreams Gardens.