I’m reading this a second time—just love all the pics. Oh, kale. I grew it for years because it’s healthy. Then this year, I finally got real. I just don’t like it enough to grow it, do the row cover thing because of cabbage worms, or process it either!
I adored your pics—I’m so glad you shared. I think you can be hip *and* be all about taking photos of your garden! Please keep ‘em coming. And big Congrats on your subscriber milestone 😊
I was very irresponsible and bought another 50 or so lilium (they were on sale so I kinda had to). I’ll be sending Phillip one of the “sisters” early orienpets that reach 6’ and some double orienpets as well as a Casablanca which is the classic white summer lily not to be confused with the early Easter lilies.
I’ve had a great summer. Two out of my five lycoris finally bloomed after a two year wait and I’m hopeful for more next year. Unfortunately I don’t favor late bloomers so the flower garden is on the wane except for some late direct sow annuals. Coneflowers and guara are still going strong and my digitalis and delphiniums are reblooming along with the various verbena.
I’ve decided that I am unable to grow vegetables which is probably a good financial and time management decision based on the fact that my yields are basically nonexistent. “Stick to flowers, kid” I repeat as a mantra when looking at seed catalogs and online.
Also my hemerocallis seeds are maturing so look for those in the fall. I’m super pleased that Phillip agreed to take last years. They will be spectacular in a few trips around the sun and each new hybrid opening is like Christmas anticipation.
I’ve also started collecting iris (including ensata) so prepare for that overflow in a few years as well. Your front burm is going to stop traffic. Love you guys.
Thanks, Mark! Your irresponsibility/ sense of duty to buy on sale is to our benefit for sure. We already get neighbors pausing on their walks & cars slowing by our front yard to rubber-neck at the lilies. Sounds like you have good taste in the other flowers you plant also. I have to say, I am now super excited for your upcoming iris adventures! I am most certainly not a deft hand with flowers; have killed far more than I will ever usher into bloom. Thankful that Phillip tends the lilies & most the other flowers. His coneflowers are starting to prosper on the house-side of the burm. I love your mantra, will reverse it for myself. "Stick to veggies, kid. Stick to veggies."
I have made them, but only to eat fresh. I'll have to try your method of storing them. So funny, my SIL texted me after reading this post to suggest kale chips also! I love that you all are helping me to not waste our kale.
They say, "One picture is worth a thousand words!" Hurray for this post giving more bang per buck to your 200+ subscribers 🙌🏼 (insert standing ovation from a proud follower😉)
I love your garden! As far as a report on ours goes, my perennial flowers (including some of Mark's lilies shared with me by Phillip) are blooming to their hearts content and give me joy each time I look out our windows or pick a bouquet to grace our table. Our very small raised vegetable bed is limping along after the summer's arid beginning, and my feeble attempts at keeping it watered. We have a few green beans and tomatoes starting to appear. Our own raspberries (original canes taken from your prolific patch years ago) are done, but I made yet another batch of freezer jam from your over abundance. Your gardening and beekeeping stories keep alive for me the treasured memories of time spent on my grandparent's farms! Thank you for all of it! ♥️
Thanks so much, Mom! You can come over and raid our freezer any time you feel the urge to make jam! "Limping along" about sums up most of our plants this season, I think the early lack of rain left that impact. I feel like my great-grandparents are cheering us on in this little farming endeavor.
It has indeed been a weird year, garden-wise. What are your weather conditions? I know my family in MN are experiencing a drought. Here in New England, we're experiencing flooding. Before that, both of us had a heatwave in the late winter immediately followed by a cold snap. So our fruit trees and most of our flowering shrubs didn't even flower. On the other hand, our berries (blue, rasp, and elder, and excepting the gooseberries) went nuts. Our blueberry bushes are wild, and we picked about two gallons worth of berries from them this season! Every year the dominant vegetable is a different one--this year it looks like we're going to be swimming in Hungarian yellow peppers, though the cucumbers and beans are also making a good showing.
We did have very odd weather to start the growing season. I've been hearing the same from people all over the country. I'm sorry you've had flooding! We usually have wet Springs but this year we started planting during a drought. We've definitely had cooler temperatures so far this summer, compared to very hot summers the past few years. I love that your berries are doing well! I'm being forced to change my expectations this year, which is probably a good lesson-- I was getting too sure of myself with growing squash, so it's kind of amusing that they just aren't cooperating this year. We'll be lucky if we get a handful of peppers before the 1st frost.
The back story helps in this case. Phillip's family is of Norwegian descent & he's an artist. Dog is a Norwegian elkhound, so he's named for a Norwegian artist. Dog's name is Munch ("Moonk") for Edvard Munch, most famous for his painting "The Scream."
Thanks so much, Thor! You guys are welcome to stop by anytime. Like, please, come over and pick lettuce. I planted too much, and there is only so much salad we can eat!
Love the photos. I've just removed my shallots and first onions from the drying greenhouse and put the later onions and garlic in to dry. Strange weather has slowed some things down, but everything is coming on nicely now.
Thank you! We lost all our garlic scapes to rabbits. Still hopeful for the bulbs, but in the meantime bought some hardneck garlic from a local farm market. I'm glad your garden is making up for lost time!
I’m reading this a second time—just love all the pics. Oh, kale. I grew it for years because it’s healthy. Then this year, I finally got real. I just don’t like it enough to grow it, do the row cover thing because of cabbage worms, or process it either!
Kale is very pretty, but I don't eat enough kale chips to justify growing so much of it this next season!
I adored your pics—I’m so glad you shared. I think you can be hip *and* be all about taking photos of your garden! Please keep ‘em coming. And big Congrats on your subscriber milestone 😊
Thanks so much, Susan! LOL, ok I'm super hip then.
I was very irresponsible and bought another 50 or so lilium (they were on sale so I kinda had to). I’ll be sending Phillip one of the “sisters” early orienpets that reach 6’ and some double orienpets as well as a Casablanca which is the classic white summer lily not to be confused with the early Easter lilies.
I’ve had a great summer. Two out of my five lycoris finally bloomed after a two year wait and I’m hopeful for more next year. Unfortunately I don’t favor late bloomers so the flower garden is on the wane except for some late direct sow annuals. Coneflowers and guara are still going strong and my digitalis and delphiniums are reblooming along with the various verbena.
I’ve decided that I am unable to grow vegetables which is probably a good financial and time management decision based on the fact that my yields are basically nonexistent. “Stick to flowers, kid” I repeat as a mantra when looking at seed catalogs and online.
Also my hemerocallis seeds are maturing so look for those in the fall. I’m super pleased that Phillip agreed to take last years. They will be spectacular in a few trips around the sun and each new hybrid opening is like Christmas anticipation.
I’ve also started collecting iris (including ensata) so prepare for that overflow in a few years as well. Your front burm is going to stop traffic. Love you guys.
Your garden looks better than ever.
Thanks, Mark! Your irresponsibility/ sense of duty to buy on sale is to our benefit for sure. We already get neighbors pausing on their walks & cars slowing by our front yard to rubber-neck at the lilies. Sounds like you have good taste in the other flowers you plant also. I have to say, I am now super excited for your upcoming iris adventures! I am most certainly not a deft hand with flowers; have killed far more than I will ever usher into bloom. Thankful that Phillip tends the lilies & most the other flowers. His coneflowers are starting to prosper on the house-side of the burm. I love your mantra, will reverse it for myself. "Stick to veggies, kid. Stick to veggies."
Ha ha, you should tell your SIL about the brake bleeder.
Also, have you all tried kale chips? They’re delicious, and way healthier than potato chips. https://open.substack.com/pub/brunettegardens/p/kale-chips-and-the-brake-bleeder?r=1n113r&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
I have made them, but only to eat fresh. I'll have to try your method of storing them. So funny, my SIL texted me after reading this post to suggest kale chips also! I love that you all are helping me to not waste our kale.
Just loved all your photos!
Thank you, Grandma! I love your new photos and collages on Instagram. You're making great use of your new phone to photograph your garden.
You need to do this with your elderflowers: https://open.substack.com/pub/brunettegardens/p/elderflower-oxymel-and-gooseberry?r=1n113r&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
Great idea! I just made bee balm oxymel for the 1st time.
How’d that turn out? Bee balm is so like oregano 🌿😎.
It definitely has a spicy kick to it! I tripled the amount of honey, which balances it somewhat.
They say, "One picture is worth a thousand words!" Hurray for this post giving more bang per buck to your 200+ subscribers 🙌🏼 (insert standing ovation from a proud follower😉)
I love your garden! As far as a report on ours goes, my perennial flowers (including some of Mark's lilies shared with me by Phillip) are blooming to their hearts content and give me joy each time I look out our windows or pick a bouquet to grace our table. Our very small raised vegetable bed is limping along after the summer's arid beginning, and my feeble attempts at keeping it watered. We have a few green beans and tomatoes starting to appear. Our own raspberries (original canes taken from your prolific patch years ago) are done, but I made yet another batch of freezer jam from your over abundance. Your gardening and beekeeping stories keep alive for me the treasured memories of time spent on my grandparent's farms! Thank you for all of it! ♥️
Thanks so much, Mom! You can come over and raid our freezer any time you feel the urge to make jam! "Limping along" about sums up most of our plants this season, I think the early lack of rain left that impact. I feel like my great-grandparents are cheering us on in this little farming endeavor.
This is great!
It has indeed been a weird year, garden-wise. What are your weather conditions? I know my family in MN are experiencing a drought. Here in New England, we're experiencing flooding. Before that, both of us had a heatwave in the late winter immediately followed by a cold snap. So our fruit trees and most of our flowering shrubs didn't even flower. On the other hand, our berries (blue, rasp, and elder, and excepting the gooseberries) went nuts. Our blueberry bushes are wild, and we picked about two gallons worth of berries from them this season! Every year the dominant vegetable is a different one--this year it looks like we're going to be swimming in Hungarian yellow peppers, though the cucumbers and beans are also making a good showing.
I’m glad your berries came through despite the challenging weather. Happily, berries are so resilient!
It's astonishing! In fact, this is the best year for berries we've ever had at this house.
We did have very odd weather to start the growing season. I've been hearing the same from people all over the country. I'm sorry you've had flooding! We usually have wet Springs but this year we started planting during a drought. We've definitely had cooler temperatures so far this summer, compared to very hot summers the past few years. I love that your berries are doing well! I'm being forced to change my expectations this year, which is probably a good lesson-- I was getting too sure of myself with growing squash, so it's kind of amusing that they just aren't cooperating this year. We'll be lucky if we get a handful of peppers before the 1st frost.
Too bad we can't to inter-region co-ops.... (Also with weather conditions!)
Oh my, yes, that would be amazing!
Congrats on your beautiful garden, and on reaching your Substack milestone!
Thank you!
That dog is adorable. Name?
The back story helps in this case. Phillip's family is of Norwegian descent & he's an artist. Dog is a Norwegian elkhound, so he's named for a Norwegian artist. Dog's name is Munch ("Moonk") for Edvard Munch, most famous for his painting "The Scream."
Your pup looks far too peaceful for “The Scream” lol!
Until he tears off after rabbits or spots a cat through the window & barks at a ridiculously high decibel!
Haha! But he knows how to look sweet for the camera 😊
Really amazing what you are doing here! Keep up the good work!
Thanks so much, Thor! You guys are welcome to stop by anytime. Like, please, come over and pick lettuce. I planted too much, and there is only so much salad we can eat!
Love the photos. I've just removed my shallots and first onions from the drying greenhouse and put the later onions and garlic in to dry. Strange weather has slowed some things down, but everything is coming on nicely now.
Thank you! We lost all our garlic scapes to rabbits. Still hopeful for the bulbs, but in the meantime bought some hardneck garlic from a local farm market. I'm glad your garden is making up for lost time!