The Arms Race Escalates

It is me, armed with recipes, versus....the ZUCCHINI!

Today's harvest for this family of two:

Today in the Garden: June 15, 2015

Top, left to right: tropical hibiscus, squash blossoms, castor bean plant in flower.

Middle row: butterfly weed, snow-on-the-mountain white pine, "Spider-Man" day lily.

Bottom row: a white calpogon orchid amidst the pitcher plants, "Jester" ornamental millet, 

volunteer Black-eyed Susans.

Happy Gardening!

Tonight's Salad

We have salad for dinner a couple of nights per week.  The stars of tonight's salad?

Frisée and the young leaves of amaranth, a nutrition-packed red "green!"

Today in My Garden, June 2, 2015

A little hard to see, but this is what's blooming here today:

Left, Dracunculus vulgaris, common name Voodoo Lily or Little Dragon.  A fly-

pollinated plant, it is meat colored and smells bad (for about one day) and

I love it!  See the fly on it?

Center and right rows, left to right: Wild Aztec Tobacco (to draw, not smoke); common

Tiger lily; autumn sage, a hummingbird plant; castor bean (also grown to draw);

red hot poker (kniphofia) with old fashioned rose campion and: banana 

palms under the dogwood.

Some Interesting Reads

On the very cool Southern Exposure Seed Exchange:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/home/southern-exposure-seed-exchange-nurtures-old-varieties-new-gardeners/2015/02/24/c860af86-b88e-11e4-9423-f3d0a1ec335c_story.html

Why do some people bury fig tees in winter?

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/12/25/371184053/why-bury-fig-trees-a-curious-tradition-preserves-a-taste-of-italy?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=2051

On rain gardens:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/09/garden/a-rain-garden-that-even-the-neighbors-seem-to-like.html?emc=edit_tnt_20141008&nlid=68474937&tntemail0=y&_r=3

New York bans invasive species!

http://earthwiseradio.org/2015/03/new-yorks-ban-on-invasive-species-goes-into-effect/#more-5923