Summer Shots

Some photos of flowers and things in the garden now. We're zone 5a/b and on Lake Michigan.

Benary's Giant Zinnia 

Egyptian Walking Onion bulblets

Raspberries

Resina Calendula

Flowering Tobacco (Nioctiana alata)

New Land

A roadside gully on a hill

Last week I got to travel to a remote town in Idaho for a friend's wedding. In addition to the joy and buzz of the occasion it was a real kick to see such different land. We were in sight of the Sawtooth Mountains and surrounded by plants that thrive in high altitude and low rain. On our last day there I watched a woman emerge from her house (shown in the second photo below) carrying out containers full of small plants.  She took them indoors every night to spare them the frost. It made me glad to return to both the abundant water and recent warmth of Wisconsin.

 White blossoms, pale green stems, slightly furry, 8-10" tall clumps

Four containers with small plants. In the background, the Sawtooth Mountains

Lastly, for the newly married couple, this version of the Seven Jewish Wedding Blessings from Devon A. Lerner's book.

May you be generous and giving with each other.
May your sense of humor and playful spirit always continue to enliven your relationship.
May you always respect the diversity of humankind.
May you act with compassion to those less fortunate and with responsibility to the communities of which you are a part.
May you appreciate and complement each other's differences.
May you always share yourselves openly with your friends and family.
May your home be a haven of blessing and peace.

Plant Garlic

About three weeks ago we welcomed our son into the world. He was due around the time first frost was predicted for our area. In the days before his birth we got a small cold snap that crippled tomatoes in the garden. We picked all the basil the night before and made double batches of pesto. After his birth, and with the support of my parents and husband, I was able to spend a couple precious minutes in the garden planting garlic.

I love growing garlic. You plant it in the fall, right around first frost, giving it just enough time to grow roots but not so much time that it will put up a lot of growth that would be killed by the cold winter temperatures. Most of the fall chores for the garden involve pulling out spent plants and preparing beds for winter-- tucking garlic bulbs into the soil is a forward-looking exception. 

The early rooting helps keep the bulb from being heaved out of the ground by freezing. Then the garlic waits under several inches of mulch through the winter. In the spring it will be one of the earliest things to come poking through the soil, green and hopeful. You can clip and use the slender curling scapes the hardneck garlic puts out in early summer. Harvest the garlic late in the summer when the stalks and fronds have begun to yellow. Let the heads of garlic dry in a cool dark place. 

Plants in Portland

These are photos of plants in a wooded park in Portland, OR. I had the privilege to walk there with an intrepid land scout, Romana Cohen, who introduced me to many new plants. Romana tells me the second and third photo are of Thimble Berry, which has a rich woody taste. Does anyone recognize the other plants shown here?