Garden Joy in July

The gardens are in full bloom now, with the zinnias, coneflower and daisies putting on quite a colorful show. I think my favorite flower changes almost daily now – I love all my zinnia varieties because the colors are amazing and bright and so happy. But, the coneflower is a classic Minnesota perennial that is super hardy and can handle our tough winters. And then there is my favorite daisy – “Becky” – which I have a love-hate relationship with. I love it because the flowers are abundant and so crisp and stunning, but I also get frustrated because I can’t seem to get this plant to make it through one of our winters. (My mom has much better luck with this. I just end up treating like an annual and buying a new plant every year.)

These lovelies are “Bubblegum Petunias” – believe it or not, this is actually one plant and it’s quite a bit larger than this picture shows. It’s amazing to use at the front of the garden because it covers a big area full of bright bubblegum pink flowers.

This is a pot of lantana and a couple of varieties of coleus – I am loving how lush this looks right now. Later in August, my pots get a bit more neglected so the plants tend to get a little leggy, but right now,  it’s full glory!

Vegetables! While Joe (who I think might possibly claim all vegetables are evil) is not altogether thrilled with the fresh produce that is growing in my vegetable beds, I am thrilled to have these multi-colored carrots and loads and loads of yellow beans to harvest. All I need is a plate full of steamed yellow beans with a little butter and garlic salt and a glass of wine and I am set. These babies are like candy! (And if you’ve never tried yellow beans, you really should – I totally prefer them over green beans.) Soon I will have several varieties of tomatoes, as well, and I’m hoping my peppers pick up the pace a bit.

There is one more family member who loves when the vegetable garden harvest begins – Earl the Pug. He is obsessed with carrots fresh from the garden, so I usually pick one or two small ones just for him. I wish you could see him when I leave the house with a basket and head to the garden beds – he absolutely knows where I am going and acts like he’s a puppy again. 🙂

Do you have a garden? I’d love to hear how your flowers and/or vegetables are coming along!