I have always had a love for wildflowers and cottage garden favorites. One in particular that I always enjoy during the summer months would be Nigella damascena Miss Jekyll Dark Blue'. I first purchased this plant from Annie's Annuals in 2020, and since then, I've had blooms year after year.
The victims: In late June, wilting was observed above one stem near the top of the tomato plant. On closer inspection, a hole was bored below the wilting in a single stem and a hole in a nearby tomato. The autopsy: Evidence of tunneling and frass or caterpillar waste.
A couple of years ago, my husband and I decided to convert one of our raised garden beds into a pollinator patch. When we began searching for plants to consider for this space, I was so excited to see that there was a sale at the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden (https://arboretum.ucdavis.
I've seen Chinese Ground Orchids in my garden before but this year they're extra glorious which inspired me to blog about them. Honesty, before I moved into my house which I bought from an Asian gardener I had never seen nor heard of a ground orchid.
Early in June, we had the opportunity to visit the backyard of a friend who had lived in Fairfield for about fifty years. He is the only living, original owner left in his neighborhood. His space is shaded by a patio cover and multiple trees.
The leaves of this unique-looking house plant really do look like the rind of a ripe watermelon. The stems are also reminiscent of the fruit-they are a rich red, just like the edible flesh of a ready-to-eat watermelon. I purchased this houseplant as a gift to myself, and I'm very happy I did.
June 21st is considered the longest day of the year, or the summer solstice. On this day, I rage against the dying of the light, then accept that my onions and garlic will not get bigger, shift my focus to my summer fruiting plants, and breathe.
This year, did you decide that you were going to start a garden in your backyard and start growing your own vegetables rather than buying them from the store?
In Henry David Thoreau's essay, Walking, he observed, In Wildness is the preservation of the world. I have always viewed Thoreau's vision as a statement of forward-thinking hope.
