July Reflections

 Pride of place: a prolific dahlia. The transition of colour within one flower is amazing: deep rust orange changing to a peach. Next year, I will be sure to plant many dahlias of many different kinds. They flower for such a long time; they are worth the extra trouble that they require, lifting the tubers in the fall, cleaning and storing them, and then replanting next spring. They stand like soldiers, holding their magnificent blooms high and strong.

These are annual malva, that I grew from seed. With flowers that resemble hibiscus, they are another plant I will grow again. I even harvested seeds from the petunias today. I was so surprised to notice them, and quickly  put hundreds into an envelope for next year.

A view of the veggie beds, with a bamboo tripod of runner beans. I am growing these for the flowers, as I don't really like beans that much. I should have used taller bamboo stakes, but for now I am just folding over the vine when it reaches the top.

A close up of some of the many tomatoes that are forming on 15 tomato plants. I think I will be overrun with tomatoes come August and will be giving them away.

Another photo of the tomato plants. I only tied these to bamboo stakes, which may not be strong enough once the fruits get bigger. Next year, I will use tomato cages or rig up some kind of wire netting to tie the branches to.

Marigolds, happy little flowers growing amongst the veggies.

Some cosmos stuck in a pot at the base of the apple tree. I had so many tiny plants this spring that I had grown from seed that I had to put them somewhere, anywhere as there weren't enough flower beds dug for them  all. You can see just how dry the soil is, the grass in the back yard is yellow and the ground is just like dust. We  have been 3 weeks without rain now.

This year has been a steep learning curve for me.  And I have a better idea of what to do next year. First off, a proper compost bin has to be made this summer. Then two more raised beds for vegetables. Then more hydrangeas for many spots in the garden, to demarcate the boundaries and to provide some focus. More plants that are low maintenance, more plants that will endure dry summer heat. More mulch, widen the existing beds as they aren't  big enough to have much impact. And devise some way to water all of these babies. Many people here have giant water containers that they either use to collect rain water or they even truck them down to the lake and use a pump to fill them up. Town water is expensive and  few people use it to water their gardens. I guess I am  helping to support the municipality with my daily watering schedule.