Maltby Garden

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Two weeks ago I took photos of a garden in Maltby, a town northeast of Seattle. I had seen the garden soon after it was started in May and the transformation is remarkable. Seeing and walking through it has certainly inspired me.

(Click gallery to enlarge photos)

More From My June Garden

So much is growing, blooming, multiplying and thriving. (After the photos there is a video.)

And very dear to my heart:

The Dahlias are Blooming

Another garden event I eagerly await each year is:

Even the biggest of these flowers is still opening. There will be more photos to come!

Will They Come? – The Answer is “Yes.”

I grew bee balm for the first time two years ago. That year there were almost no bees in my garden and I never saw any in the bee balm. Last year, I accidentally planted something where the bee balm would come up, so it never had a chance to grow. This year I took care to see that the plant had plenty of space.

Before long, there were more blooms than there have ever been. But where were the bees? There were lots of bumblebees in the garden and some honey bees but none of them came near the bee balm.

Then one day, I saw a single honey bee collecting nectar.

That bee stayed there for quite a while. I have never seen another one.

Earlier this week, I saw glimpses of a hummingbird’s wings, on the far side of the bee balm, three different times. Yesterday was the first time this year that I was able to see one of the birds fully.

In the evening, I discovered if I looked out the front window of my living room, I could view the plant from above.

Today, I looked out the window frequently to see if I would spot a hummingbird. And I did! It visited several different times and I was able to take pictures of it. (In the following photos, the hummingbird is near the center of the picture.)

I hope more bees and hummingbirds will visit the bee balm, but even if they don’t, I believe I will continue to feel as happy and satisfied as I do now.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Opposites

I love the contrasts that are in this photo. The differences between the yellow squash leaf and the dark green zucchini leaf are enhanced by the shadow between them.

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The yellow squash plant contains leaves that are various shades of yellow, cream, silver and green;

whereas the zucchini leaves are totally green. Together they are living a life of peaceful coexistence, a life where both appear to be thriving.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Opposites

Wordless Wednesday

Breakfast Time!

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Today I decided I would make breakfast with vegetables from my garden. The garden is small and some of the vegetables are already getting sparse, but I was able to include beets, two kinds of carrots, spinach, chard, yellow squash, a squash blosssom, a potato and basil. I realized later that I forgot to include a zucchini and I chose not to use my last bok choy plant.

I was particularly excited about the beet because I’ve never had any luck growing them. But today the one I pulled out was BIG, at least in comparison to any I’ve had in my garden in the past.

I decided I would steam them with a bit of dill. They tasted uttamam! (Uttamam means “very good” in Sanskrit.)

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Later, I realized that I could have cooked some of the beet greens, but I know the worms in my two worm bins will thoroughly enjoy eating all of the scraps. It seems fitting since they deserve a lot of the credit for the harvest.

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I am still very much a beginning gardener. I love how much I learn each year

Wordless Wednesday

Weekly Photo Challenge: Curves #2

About three years ago I woke up with a compulsion to build a spiral garden in my front yard. By the end of the day it was done!

The Beginning:

It became so beautiful.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Curve

Front Yard Vegetable Gardens in My Neighborhood

I don’t know how many Seattle residents have front yard gardens, but they are definitely common in my neighborhood. I love to see people growing some of their own food.

I visited the neighbors that live across the street from me yesterday. It is always such a treat to see their gardens. They have turned their yard into property that is magical. Even though the photos don’t capture it, know that this front yard garden is tiered on a steep slope. Eiric weaves branches to create the structure for the beds and remakes them every two years. When I asked him the correct terminology to describe this process he responded: “They are ‘wattled’ beds of Apple ‘air shoot’ branches.”

(To enlarge photos click on the individual galleries.)

Other nearby gardens:

And mine!

There are many other front yard vegetable gardens in this neighborhood but I think I’ve shown you enough to give you a good idea of what they are like. I wonder how many people have back yard gardens too!