things happen! D and I decided to go to the Memorial Golf Tournament in Dublin, Ohio. Normally, I would hate to leave the gardens, but things were pretty well caught up (at least until I can start hauling mulch) and the forecast was for one day of beautiful sunshine and three days of intermittent or solid rain. Not good for gardening or golf, but I thought a break would be good. And it was….the golfing was terrific and the weather was perfect for it….mid-80’s and barely a breeze. It was fun to just walk around that beautifully manicured course and enjoy the well-planned vistas. Not to mention inspecting the landscaping at some multi-million dollar homes. (No cameras allowed.)
The car had barely stopped in our driveway before I hopped out to begin inspecting the gardens. The weathermen had totally blown it. All four days while I was gone were sunny, mid-to-upper 80’s with drying winds. Fortunately, my good neighbors had watered the greenhouse and plants still in flats (although not as often as I would have, but beggars can’t be choosy.) I quickly dragged hoses to water the things most recently planted. A few may not recover, but most were okay and very appreciative of a drink. The planters on the deck were very thirsty. Overall, it could have been a lot worse.
On the plus side, sunshine and warmth causes lots of good things to happen. In the Front Island, the very first daylilies of the season (Stella d’oro, of course) came into bloom. So did the first yarrow, which was supposed to be Terra Cotta, but appears to be too pink for my taste.
It will have to come out 😦 Happily, the Asiatic lilies that opened are correct colors: 
And the first tritoma bloom is lovely. 
In the potager, the first tree roses flowered: 
I’ve never tried growing a tree rose before, but so far so good. In fact, during my absence several things flowered! The first tomato (Orange Chef) has multiple flowers.
And 2 summer squash plants not only have flowers, but miniature squash! Look about 3:00 and see two babies!
The cilantro also bolted, but the flowers are so fairy-like and delicate, that I love them, and they promise another crop of leaves later on. 
Same goes for arugula. 
Being away, I totally missed the first flowers on the Parisian cucumbers, because the first babies are already there!
Can you see them? And those pole beans that were just beginning to climb the trellis shown in the May Review post grew another 18″! 
Some of the pepper plants are beginning to flower, and as I knelt to photograph this bloom
I saw this weird pepper already formed!
It’s supposed to be a New Ace, but it looks weird to me. We’ll see what happens as it grows. Speaking of growing, suddenly while my back was turned 
and there are mini-minature cauliflower and broccoli as well. I would have taken photos for you, but the camera battery died. Maybe next time. And, maybe I should go away more often. Things happen!
herbalblessingsblog 
How lovely! Yummy! 😄
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Thank you, and yes, everything is yummy! Strawberries are delightful, kale, spinach, lettuces of all kinds, snow peas and the first shelling peas, plus various herbs. Soon squashes, peppers, and beans galore. After all these years, I am still amazed at the flavors and variety available from just one garden!
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How exciting! Glad most things survived the dry weather and that you had a good break
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Kinda like a “watched pot never boils”. I am in love with your garden.
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Lovely to see how things are “happening” in your garden! It all looks very good indeed. Sounds like your summer weather is more advanced than ours; still cool here, though the sun has been shining lately. I am behind in my planting; still have a few things to set out. It’s always a bit of a juggle at this time of the year, getting the garden in while other things (like seasonal, paid work) start to take over our lives. A weekend away sounds like fun; glad you had a nice time. Thank you so much for the pictorial inspiration!
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Your garden looks lovely and nice to see the veggies forming. We’re still suffering through some very cool and damp days, so the heat-loving plants are decidedly unhappy. Some warm sun in the forecast for later this week though, so hopefully the tomatoes, basil, peppers and eggplant will pull through. Thanks for sharing the photos – they give me hope!
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Wow! You are way, way ahead of us in central Maine, which has had such cool, rainy weather this year. Glad things pulled through!
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Congrats on your garden! It looks stunning 😀 I hope everything continues to look good for it 🙂 Just me or does that garden look huge?! 😀
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Inside the fence the potager is about 4,000 square feet. There are 40 raised beds within plus interior borders along the fence on three sides Then there is a perennial/annual flower border outside the fence on the east side, facing the house. On the south side outside the fence is the lavender slope. And, soon to be added on the west slope (outside the fence) will be the new cutting garden. The berry rows (4) are behind (west) of the potager and the cutting garden site. It isn’t big by my prior experience at the homestead or the herb farm gardens, but by today’s standards it is large for an average homeowner, I suppose.
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It sounds amazing 😁 like a dream
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What a bounty that’s coming! Thank you for posting inspiration for us!
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God willing, and Mother Nature behaving, there should indeed be a bounty. Everything is suddenly bursting into flower and baby veggies are popping out everywhere! Picking the first shelling peas today!
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