El Dorado Peaches. First Taste. 6.28.15

El Dorado Peaches.  6.28.15

Ed Dorado Peaches.  6.28.15

I thought it was too early but these are absolutely delicious.

Daylilies. 6.28.15

Chicago Apache.  6.28.15

 Some of the larger daylilies are coming into their own now.  They bloom a few flowers at a time, so they last a long time.

I bought Chicago Apache in 2012.  The cluster has enlarged nicely and is growing strong.  The flowers have sgtong substance and the color is great.

Somehow I've accumulated a number of varieties.

Ice Carnival has been in that spot for 2 years.  I blooms a long time, and looks like the label.  A pale, lemonade yellow.   Those flowers also have a nice strong substance.

Ice Carnival.   6.28.15

Daring Deception does not look like its label.  I was at Lowes this week, and their rack of this variety was in bloom.  They were all purple, not pink.  I saw a few images on the internet in the purple, although most are pink.  I wonder if, as it's in the location longer, the purple color will concentrate more in the center eye, and the petals will be pink.  The effect could be soil nutrition, pH, sun, hot day, cool night, or the pink on the label is just marketing.  I probably would have bought the purple version, but it's not what I thought I was getting.

Daring Deception.  6.28.15

Frans Hals.  6.28.15

Frans Hals is looking kind of nice, even if it's not even similar to the label and internet images.  The center eye effect is nice.  I also wonder what will happen to this one as it settles in.

More to follow.  Some older ones, unlabeled, or rescues, are also doing nicely.

Walking Around. 6.28.15

Kniphofia.  6.28.15

First Zucchini of the Year.  6.28.15

Squash Vines Growing Huge.  6.28.15

 Lots of flowers blooming.   This Kniphofia is a named variety but I forget the name.   This is a one year old plant.  Bees are not going after the flowers.  The web info says they do, but my honeybees do not have internet access to read that.

This is the time of year when squash and corn grow really fast.  That zucchini must be one week after blooming.  It's always amazing how fast they develop.  I pollinated with a different squash variety, because the zucchini does not have male flowers yet.

First Tomatoes of the Year.   Sungold.  6.28.15

 Back when I planted the squash seeds I didn't have much energy and neglected to label them.  I am guessing the most vigorous is Pink Banana but it could easily be another type.  The vigor must be in part, due to the nitrogen boost I gave them, pee-cycling.  Ditto for the corn.  It's been 1:4 dilution, about every 3 weeks, over a 100 sq foot are.

Sungold is the first tomato this year.  They are so sweet.  Others have their first tomatoes growing rapidly.

I'm glad I planted nasturtium seeds this year.  They are very rewarding.  The leaves are very distinctive and tasty in salads, peppery flavor.  No pests.  All of the types are nice, this one is from a mix.   In full sun, some varieties get a little sunburn on the leaves.  That does not seem  to hurt anything.  When seeds start to set, I intend to save seeds for next year.

Nasturtiums.  6.28.15

Trinity Sweet Corn, started in containers on  5.12.15.  6.28/15

Walking Around. 6.20.15

Monarda.  6.20.15

 Another walk around the yard.   Some nice stuff blooming.  The Monarda was planted in 2012.  Becoming a nice clump.  I found one tiny daylily from a group of roots I planted early this year.  I thought they were dead.  It's either Playground or Strawberry Candy, if labeled correctly.   It has a tiny flower bud.  Kniphofia is cool just for the name.  Planted this one last year.  Starting to come into its own.  According to Wikipedia, they produce large amounts of nectar and attract bees.  My bees are yet to discover it.

This was the year of heritage flower seedlings.  The marigolds have the typical marigold pungent smell. 

The Callistemon critinus was at Lowes a couple of months ago.  I bought it on impulse.  Hummingbirds liked the flowers, a lot.  Now it seems to be growing.  I don't know what to expect - just new growth, or flowers. 

Tiny Daylily Start.  6.20.15

Various plants in front bed.  Featuring Kniphofia.  6.20.15

Front walk with marigolds and nasturtiums.  6.20.15

Calistemon citrinus / bottlebrush.  6.20.15

Walking Around. 6.19.15

Ladybug  Browsing Aphids on Apple Leaf.  6.19.15

"Black" calla lily. 6.19.15

 Walking around.  I thought I heard teeny tiny  screams coming from an apple leaf  - looked down and saw a lady bug munching through a field of aphids like a Tyranosaurus rex munching through a field of bunny rabbits.

The "black" calla is kind of elegant.  This one is 3 years old.  Got the usual winter treatment, dry out in fall, store in garage, then move back outside in Spring and water / fertilize.

Butterfly on Tiger Lily.  Nice.  Lilies don't seem to survive at the Battleground place.  But this one did.

Squashes have flower buds.  Corn just might be knee high by the 4th of July.

Sal's Fig seems to be the best adapted to the Battleground place.  I don't know yet about the best adapted at Vancouver - Chicago Hardy, King, and Lattarula are in their first in-ground summer at Battleground.

Good demonstration of how much faster Four O'clocks grow from last year's roots, as opposed to this year's seedlings.   Today I noticed another plant coming up from last year.  Long dormancy - they must need a lot of warmth to awaken.

Tiger Lily with  Butterful.  6.19.15

Squash and Sweet Corn Garden.   6.19.15

Main Crop Fig Buds.  Sa'ls Fig.   6.19.15

Left:  Four O'clock from 2014 root.  Right:  Four O'clock from seed.   6.19.15