Catching Up In The Garden

 

Ah, it's September and it's so lovely here right now (sunny and warm--not too hot). The garden is starting to overwhelm us with swiss chard and cherry tomatoes. I like Bright Lights chard. Not only is it delicious when lightly steamed and served with a dab of butter, salt, pepper and vinegar, but it's just so pretty in the garden, especially when the sun is shining through it.

 

Since the Pacific NW is not known for its great tomato weather, we have given up on growing the big ones. We now stick to Sweet 100 and Sungold. These are reliable performers, pretty in salads, and a great snack right off the vine.

 

As you probably know, we have a severe shortage of honeybees, one of nature's best pollinators. We see lots of different bumblebees in the garden, but rarely see the littler honeybee anymore. At least until this week! My purple aster (variety unknown, as it was bought from a lady selling extras down the street) is LOADED with honeybees. They attract white moths, orange butterflies, and bumblebees too, but the honeybees are so busy happily crawling all over them that I think I will plant more next year and encourage my neighbors to do the same. If you are at all interested in having a nature garden and helping the bees along (we won't be getting many fruits and veggies without them!) then please consider planting this easy-care, lovely perennial in your garden. They look very pretty planted next to Black-eyed Susans or Gloriosa Daisies, (or Rudbeckia).



Finally, here is a branch of our Liberty apple tree. It's almost apple-picking time, and we can't wait! These do so well here. Can you believe that I truly did pick off a five-gallon bucket of apples off this tree after June blossom die-back? It's still too heavy. Next year I'll cull even more, but in the meantime...there's some apple pie baking going on around our house!