Summer 2017 for the Bees

I'm declaring Summer 2017 "The Summer for Bees." In my garden, I'll choose flowers the bees like and need. One thing I'll keep in mind is the timing so that there's something for the bees all season long. I'll go with my usual trick of planting alyssum extremely early with the chance it may die and have to be replaced, and I'll try to keep that alyssum going the entire growing season (and past the first frosts if I can!). I have some lilacs and irises for spring, but I'll add some annuals, too. I didn't have much luck with getting my lavender to flower last summer (my garden becomes shadier each year), but maybe I'll try cornflowers as bees are supposed to like blue flowers.  I'm lucky enough to live in the woods with a diverse wildflower population. Wild bees like wild plants. I've heard they like herbs, too, like the bee in the photo above with my lovely chive blossoms. 

Garden Revolution

Since my garden is asleep for the winter, I thought I'd add a book review. Garden Revolution puts into words what I think a lot of us organic gardeners already do.  We find the best plant for the space we have since we're not using chemical sprays. But this book goes further. I like how the authors suggest embracing a philosophy of ecological gardening. This means avoiding tilling, weeding, and fertilizing in favor of letting nature do what it will. However, they don't suggest letting invasive species take over. Instead they have a thoughtful plan for moving out the invasive by encouraging the native. One example of enhancing nature is Weaner's own home. Over the years one stalk of cardinal flower seeds created a sea of color in his yard. The photo on page 313 proves his theory well. While this book gets pretty technical in parts, it's worth a look. 

Some bunny wishes you...

Some bunny wishes you a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, a Joyous Kwanzaa, a Happy Solstice, and a beautiful new moon.  Whatever your holiday, I hope it's filled with love and light. This photo is our annual cookie making on Christmas Eve. We like to be creative, so you'll notice non-traditional shapes and colors. That's how we roll (the cookie dough)! 

Bonfire Night

My anglophile husband and I celebrated Bonfire Night.  We have plenty of fallen branches and cleared brush for fuel. The Fifth of November is marked with fireworks in England. Sometimes it's gets a little out of hand across the pond, but our bonfire was completely legal with our burn permit.

On this clear night, with light from the stars and moon, we sat together gazing at the fire.

A Walk on a Foggy Morning

The fog enshrouded my morning walk. It's a beautiful time of year. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.  Above is a the road that leads to my house. Below are oak leaves.

Above is a maple leaf. Below are the zinnias that survived the frost with a little alyssum (left)  and raspberry leaves (right). 

And below is a glimpse at my lettuce before the bitter cold arrives.

Salad in the Autumn

We've been lucky weather-wise, so I can still get some good veggies from the garden. This is my taco salad before I added ground turkey cooked with fresh garlic. I know I'm not the only one who does this, but I find myself harvesting, cleaning, chopping, and storing the different veggies so they're ready when I need them. I also made a pasta salad with the last of the green beans along with pesto chicken. And I forgot to take a photo. The photo below shows two gifts--the cucumber from a friend and the salsa from a neighbor. I'll miss my garden as we head into cooler temperatures, though I'll do my best to keep the lettuce growing as long as possible!

Melon in Minnesota

Yes, this is a cantaloupe grown in Minnesota. Yes, it's small compared to the ones in the grocery stores. For size, that's a quarter next to the melon. This variety is "Minnesota Midget" from Pinetree Garden Seeds. It's just as delicious as a full-sized variety but matures more quickly, sixty days according to the seed packet. They mature more slowly in my flirts-with-shade garden, but they're worth the wait!