Can Almost Taste Them

I thought I would show you an update on my pot garden today.

I've added more pots since the last posting, and everything  is growing really well.  The latest pots added were the ones of the lowest level and they have canna planted in them. I had almost forgot about the canna till we discovered the box full of root in the well cupboard.
I really wanted to share the tomatoes with you today. All three plants are flowering and there are small green tomatoes forming on each of the plants.

I can almost taste them.

For Mosaic Monday I've put together some of the tomato photos to share with you.

I hope your garden is growing as well as mine.

Long Blooming Coreopsis

It's time for

and this week I'm sharing one of my favourite perennials.

Coreopsis, also known as tickseed, is a gorgeous, long blooming perennial.

There are different varieties that have either single or double petaled blooms that are predominately yellow. Continual deadheading will produce blooms that last from late June to September. Coreopsis are great for cutting and adding to floral arrangements.

I think the really wet spring caused this clump to get really big and all of a sudden the buds all burst into bloom.

I'm always out in the garden trying to capture a different view of the blooms through my lens.

Coreopsis don't require a lot of fertilizer, which is a good thing as I've run out of Miracle Grow, my favourite for fertilizing my pot garden.  But they do like a sunny spot in the garden.
Be sure to stop over to Tootsie Time and see lots more gardeners that are flaunting their flowers on Fridays.

I've also discovered Macro Friday and decided to participate.

Take time to enjoy the garden today.

The Wild Side

On our walk down by the bay at the end of last week I took many photos of the little wild flowers that were in bloom.  I'm always showing you the ducks, swans and other water birds but today the gardener side has taken over.

There were pretty pinks, yellows and mauves. We might curse some of these wildflowers when they appear in our gardens ... like vetch and bindweed. But growing in the wild we tend to appreciate their colour, how delicate they are, and how pretty they look.

So for Mosaic Monday I've put together a collection of wildflowers to share with you.

I'm also joining  Clay and Limestone for Wildflower Wednesday on the fourth Wednesday of each month.  Why don't you join and share some of the native/wildflowers that bloom in your area.  May all your weeds be wildflowers.

Daisy Shadows

It seems unbelievable that we have had sun for more than a few days in a row. I've actually had to water my pot garden and I've been enjoying time sitting in the shade of the gazebo and watching the garden.

The clump of daisies that decided to grow beside the driveway this year gives lovely shadows in the late afternoon.

Pop over to visit Shadow Shot Sunday and perhaps you will be tempted to join in.

I'll take time to enjoy the garden today as I never know when the rain will return.

Turtle Reflection

On another walk down by the bay this week I captured a new lens friend ... a turtle sunning itself on a log.

I love the almost perfect reflection in the water.

A perfect pose for Camera Critters and Weekend Reflections.

This next picture has nothing to do with turtles and they certainly aren't birds I would see down by the bay but it does have a good reflection.   I won some Angry Birds from Jenn's Yarn Addiction and just had to show them to you.

Aren't they just the cutest little things.  The grandkids will love playing with them.  Thanks Jenn.

Enjoy the weekend.

Labelling the Plants

In my on going quest to find plant markers that survive the elements I've decided to try some made with a Dymo machine. Now you can buy really fancy machines these days, as I found out when I went to the office supply store to look for the tape that goes in them.

I went hunting down in the basement to find one that I knew we had from years gone by.  I found it covered in dust on the workbench under lots of other stuff.  BTW - where does all that stuff come from?
The process is a bit slow as you have to dial each letter you want, but I've got lots of time now that I'm in recovery mode and almost officially retired.  I can sit in the gazebo, rest my knee and make lots of these.

I've made a few labels and glued them onto some wooden stakes that I got at the dollar store last year. I had tried these stakes as plant markers made by hammering the letters into the wood with punches. They looked great at first but over the winter the wood probably expanded and it was difficult to read the names. The label itself is sticky but I gave it a bit of extra sticky power by using some Goop glue. I've used this on outside projects before and it really does stick.

The first one I put in is beside the trilliums.  They have finished blooming for this year and the leaves will soon disappear from sight.  But the plant marker will let me know where they are.  You know how it is with those of us getting a bit older, we tend to forget exactly where plants are come next spring.  I'm hoping these markers will jog my memory.

Thanks to all of your for your kinds thoughts and messages about my recovery from knee surgery. I'm doing really well, just a bit slow on walking, and extra slow going up and down stairs. But we all need to slow down a bit don't we?

Take time to enjoy the garden today.

The Honeysuckle's Secret

It's time once again for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.  There is lots blooming in the garden but I want to showcase the honeysuckle vine.  It has a secret this year.  If you are quiet and look carefully I'll share it with you.

There are so many gorgeous blooms on the vine this year.  Is it because of the very wet spring we've had?  or is it just because it wanted to put on a good show this year?

It always fascinates me that the bloom starts in the middle of the leaf and opens up.

The honeysuckle vine hides a secret this year.  Can you guess what it is?

The robin chose the top of a fence post to build her nest.  You can see the long pieces of dried grass hanging down.  It really isn't that high off the ground, about 2 meters, but it is well hidden.  I'm having a really difficult time getting a photo of her on the nest or even approaching the nest.  And she certainly doesn't like me going anywhere near that garden.  She even tells me off when I open the bedroom window as it overlooks that trellis.

Other plants blooming in the garden for mid June are pinks, coreopsis, columbine, lady's mantle, daisies, yellow molly alliums, wegelia, and the last of the iris.

I'm joining in with Garden Bloggers Bloom Day where you can see lots of other plants in bloom around the globe.  Are you sharing your blooms for mid June?

Take time to enjoy the garden today.

Blue-ming Bluets

The mountain bluets or Centaurea Montana or Batchelor Buttons are blue-ming.  This perennial plant will form into a large clump of late spring blooming plants.

The blooms are fringed with delicate blue to mauve petals. Don't you love the quilted like pattern on the buds?  Keep them deadheaded for continual bloom or else they will go to seed quickly.  The plant prefers sun but will tolerate some shade.  For some reason my original clump was lost over last winter but a wonderful friend gifted me a clump from her plant.

The colour of the plants are perfect for sharing with Blue Monday. And of course I couldn't resist creating a mosaic of the images to share with Mosaic Monday.

Thanks for visiting. Hope you are enjoying a wonderful Monday.

A Weekend Walk

It's the weekend and I'm able to go out for walks now as it is four weeks after my knee surgery.  Naturally one of the first places we went was for a walk down by the bay.  It was a lovely sunny morning with a slight breeze, just perfect for slow walking and taking photographs.

The lens friends for today are a Canada Goose family.

There was the proud mama and papa with two adorable little goslings.

Just look at their reflections in the water.  It was so nice to do a bit longer walk instead of laps around the living room, dining room and kitchen or up and down the driveway.  I'll be back down by the bay again soon to see how they are growing.

Aren't they just perfect for sharing with Camera Critters, Scenic Sunday, and Weekend Reflections?

My Pot Garden

Don't let the title fool you ... I don't grow pot ... I grow in pots!!
Here is my pot garden to flaunt for

This year I've moved my tomato plants into the large metal pots as bending down to ground level is difficult for me to do while recovering from knee surgery.
This is a view of part of my pot garden at the end of May when first planted.  There are three large metal tubs (bought at garage sales for a couple of dollars each) with the tomato plants in them. The tubs have drainage holes in the bottom and I've put in a few marigolds as companion plants to ward off those bugs.

Here is a recent photo of my pot garden. The tomato plants are getting bigger each day and some tiny yellow flowers are beginning to appear. I can easily reach the pots to do some weeding, deadheading and adding some fertilizer..  And I can't wait till I can pick of some sweet, juicy tomatoes to enjoy.

Some other plants in the pot garden are petunias, Peruvian daffodils, celosia, nicotiana, salvia, cosmos and zinnias.

Be sure to stop over to Tootsie Time and see lots more gardeners that are flaunting their flowers on Fridays.
 Take time to enjoy the garden today.

Big Yellow Blooms

The big, yellow iris is in bloom.  I think I've mentioned before that yellow blooms are my favourites and these must be my most favourite of all.

Here are the buds about to pop.

The blooms are spectacular. I just had to create two mosaics to share today.

You will want to stop by Mosaic Monday and see what mosaics others have created.

Thanks for visiting. Have a great day.

Shadows on the Hostas

With the arrival of June, along came the sun and I was finally able to get some good shadow shot photos.
The hostas thrived with all the rain and are getting bigger and bigger each day.

I'm not sure of the name of this hosta but it was given to me by a good friend last year.  It is close to the fuschia and you can see a shadow of the bud before it opened.  If you know the name please let me know.

This hosta is Bressington Blue and it has the shadow of a bleeding heart on the leaf at the far right.

Pop over to visit Shadow Shot Sunday and perhaps you will be tempted to join in.  Thanks for visiting. Have a great day.

Fuschia for Friday's Flower

I'm sharing some photos of the fuschia today.

I love the way the buds open up to reveal a gorgeous bloom.  These are a favourite plant for hanging baskets.   They like a semi shaded area and grow best if fertilized every couple of weeks.  I prefer Miracle Grow that can be diluted in a watering can.

The exotic looking blooms come in a variety of colours and I've chosen white ones this year.  I hope you have some Friday flowers to enjoy.
Why not stop over to Tootsie Time and see lots more.

It's also the first of the month. Can you believe it's June already?

Thanks for visiting. Have a great day.

Jack and the Mrs. with their Babies

A little while ago I introduced you to Jack and the Mrs. and told you how busy they were with their nest.
Today I'm introducing the babies.

Here is Jack bringing in some food for the babies.

Here are the 2 babies peeking out of the nest.  Where are you Mom?

The Mrs. is close by with some more food.
It won't be long before these babies are ready to leave the nest and fend for themselves.
Aren't they adorable lens friends?

Thanks for visiting. Have a great day.