July Garden

Despite our drought, John's garden looks as beautiful as ever.

People keep asking if he's cutting back; making it smaller.

Well, the answer is no. It gets bigger each year if anything.

He's cut off the sugar peas that have stopped producing to save seed.

Meanwhile, there's a bean crop sprouting below that will utilize the trellis.

He plants flowers among the veggies, like the English.

And grows lots of peppers, like these jalapenos.

We got our first tomatoes in June. Stupice; short growing season and dependable.

Mystery perennial that came in with a load of chips. Some type of Rudbeckia.

And then there is this mystery flower with huge leaves like platters.

Both John and I have forgotten what it is.

Black Cayenne Peppers. A gorgeous plant.

Stupice again. Early and delicious.

Here are some of the other tomatoes. Lots of future salsa.

And look how tall the blueberry bushes have grown. 

We finally have all we can handle.

Canna lilies. I used to love to paint these in watercolor.

Maybe again some day.

More cayenne peppers.

And big, fat blackberries.

Corn. First crop.

While the second crop gets going in its little waffles that hold water in our drought.

This system we borrowed from Arizona and it works wonderfully.

Apples coming on for a fall ripening.

And the cucumber tower. Makes harvesting so much easier and the cucumbers dont get dirty.

Two varieties of plums on the same tree.

And this shot just for the diversity of the garden. 

I love how it attracts birds and beneficial insects.

We have figs galore. I made my popular Fig Newtons once already this summer.

John calls this his garden gnome.

It guards his mulberry tree.

Mulberries. Yum!

Blue hydrangeas. I love.

Yes, another jalapeno!

Watermelon. Coming right along.

Pineapple Lily.

Along the pretty walkway.

July sunshine. Sunflower-style.

Green beans. So good with potatoes and bacon.

Frost peaches. This one looks ready.

Flowers on the deck to cheer us as we sip our gin tonics. 

Sweet summer.

Lavender Dahlia.

Exquisite.

Thank you dear Farmer John for the years of sweet beauty that you have rained down on our lives.

And thank you dear friends for wading through the longest garden post I think I've ever put up.

If I could I'd invite you to sit on the deck and share something cool and refreshing with us.

Carry on.