Sunshine, bright colour...
Saturday, June 26, 2010 ... & other gardening delights from the past week. I'm skipping over the overcast, dull grey features that showed up & stayed far too long nearly every day.
Friday, June 18th: Harvested a few 'Sea of Red' lettuce leaves but left most to capture the sun's rays & make more anthocyanins.
Saturday morning: Indulged in a few moments of simply "being" in the lavender, followed by a serious work session in the beet rows....
... thinning the crowded sections & filling the open spaces with a second sowing to ensure plenty of plump, golden roots in a few more weeks.
Sunday afternoon: Contemplated -- but only briefly -- what to make with the 'Lacinato' kale. Decided quickly & easily: An Honest Kitchen recipe with lentils, tomatoes & plenty of spices.
Monday evening, June 21st: Realized the day was nearly done & I hadn't celebrated the summer solstice in a meaningful way nor taken my "365" photo. So a little after 8 pm, searched for the best light. Found it on the north side of our condo, illuminating my new-favourite hydrangea colouration.
Tuesday evening: Encountered the unexpected while taking a round-about way home from Pilates. This single, pink poppy in a Green Streets garden stopped me in my tracks. But only for a moment. Then I quickly ran home, grabbed my camera, raced back...well, you know how I spent the next 15 minutes ;-).
Wednesday morning, before work: Closely observed the water droplets on the Calibrachoa.
Thursday, mid-day: Soaked up a double dose of sunshine, one from the sky, and one from the pots along the balcony railing. Sent telepathic thanks (again) to my gardening mentor Gayla for inspiring me to appreciate and acquire bold, bright yellow flowers and not feel guilty about adding a few more inedible plants to the garden.
Friday, late afternoon: I never drink while gardening & don't usually plant wine with the flowers but I couldn't resist placing this "innocent bystander" among the Calibrachoa. Its colour blended beautifully with the 'Compact Yellow' and 'Apricot Red Eye'. But now the bottle is back on the shelf, some day to be shared, I hope, with my blogging buddies from far-away places. (You know who you are ;-) XO. )
Happy weekend gardening, everyone.
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Reader Comments (13)
That hydrangea...what a beauty. The cool, palest-pink poppy, is extraordinary, too.
We celebrated the winter Solstice inside with candles, wrapped in blankets, while outside it poured with rain. There's something psychologically significant about those two dates, something almost primeval about what they signify!
Happy Sunday to you.
Thanks for spending a few moments here, Lucy. I enjoy comparing & contrasting the seasons with you. I need to remind myself that in some parts of the world, June/July is winter. On the other hand, I made a recipe from the autumn issue of An Honest Kitchen yesterday.
Celebrating the two Solstices each year is a new experience for me but it's really so natural. Should have started a long time ago.
Lovely water droplets! The red lettuce looks great too.
Thank you, Arwen. I was so excited to capture water droplets without a macro lens. I highly recommend 'Sea of Red' lettuce. Pretty appearance & delicate flavour.
gorgeous photos! i'm completely jealous of the lavender, i have never had much luck with it... i blame the harsh winter :)
hope you are having a wonderful summer!
A beautiful and creative blog site!
You are so talented... keep up the inspirational work!!
Hi, Allison. I hope you had a lovely 4th of July. Well, you may be jealous of my lavender but I covet everything in your garden plus the weather in Maine this summer.
Thank you, Susan. I appreciate your words so much -- you've given me confidence and motivation to keep on squeezing a bit of photography and blogging into my busy life.
All gorgeous, gorgeous photos Elaine. My favourite is still the 'Sea of Red' lettuce - surely they must be good for you too with that amazing colour?
It's still my favourite, too, Sophie, & I'm going to harvest some for lunch. A couple of weeks ago I did a bit of a lit search on the phytonutrient content of red lettuces. I'll have to list some of the articles and resources I found.
I know I am looking forward to seeing your balcony in person someday, even without a bottle of wine waiting to share. However, that bottle is beautiful, maybe too beautiful to open and drink! I love seeing the world through your eyes (and your lens)!
I do hope you can visit my home and garden, Diana. Thank you for your gracious comment. I imagine you are very busy with your farm and the weekly farmers' market. So good of you to take a moment and check my blog.
And I must say, for the second year in a row 'Lacinato' kale is my best crop -- most prolific not to mention healthiest. I'll be posting a recipe or two soon. I'm waiting for cooler weather -- more suitable for making dal and soup, which is how I used the first crop.
I just found your blog. It's lovely.
Hello, meemsnyc. Thank you for your comment. I look forward to getting to know you and your garden through your blog. I learn so much from fellow gardeners.