All Passion Spent

Yes, unfortunately the lavender has done its best for the year and now it is time to move on to something else in bloom in the garden. This lavender is so hardy and hard working for me. I have had it for many years and it keeps coming back and giving me that sweet fragrance and gorgeous long lasting blooms. But this too shall pass; the gardener’s constant is change.

I had two red tomatoes on the Roma tomato plant in a pot on the deck. Unfortunately they both had blossom end rot. So I am still waiting for my first tomatoes and making do with what I get from the farmer’s market. I bought a variety of them at the Frankenmuth market Saturday, along with more kohlrabi (I can never have enough and fortunately it lasts awhile), peaches and blueberries. I don’t have any peppers yet either so I bought some jalapenos to make my first batch of salsa for the year. Fortunately I do have onions, garlic and oregano of my own to use.

Thursday my friend, Janet, and I went to Tipton, Michigan to visit Hidden Lakes Garden which is run by Michigan State University. It is an inexpensive visit ($3.00) and well worth it. Of course if you are a member of the Horticultural Gardens at MSU which I am, it is free. It was a relaxing visit after a day at Lilith Fair which came to the Detroit area on Wednesday. What a wonderful concert! I got to hear Melissa McClelland from the Cayamo cruise I was on last February. Yes, I know I am digressing from the garden here, but what the heck. Good music, beautiful flowers, all is fair in the world of art which is what makes living worthwhile.



There are some grand old trees in Tipton; Janet and I are just there as accents in some of the following pictures. And Hosta Hill is gorgeous as usual. I would love to bring my mother here in spring when the myrtle is in bloom since myrtle is her favorite plant. There are many wildflowers in bloom and the meadows are full of coneflower and black-eyed susans, two wonderful plants the home gardener can use.






I haven’t a clue what this plant is but Janet wanted a picture of it and forgot her camera so here it is. Here are some other pictures from Tipton. Enjoy!

Harvest Time

Well, not really. But since I do have garlic and basil in my garden, and since these tomatoes were grown in mid Michigan, even though they didn’t come from my own backyard, I decided that I was going to have one of my favorite dishes this week and that is exactly what I did. I took a good piece of bread (I get mine from an organic farm in Kingston, Michigan called Hampshire Farms) toasted it, spread pesto on top and then added a slice of tomato. I swear this meal is better than eating candy.



The garlic is now curing in my shed. Hopefully this will work and I will have garlic I can use for many months to come. Unless I use it up making pesto which could easily happen. The nice thing about cutting the basil is that it continues to grow and give me more leaves. What more could a pesto lover ask for! I used my muffin tin to freeze the pesto in smaller portions; I got this tip from a friend of mine in Pittsburgh and it works quite well.



The stargazers are putting on quite a show right now. They will probably be gone by next week. The ever changing garden. First it is the spring bulbs, then the bleeding heart, irises, and now purple coneflower is blooming prolifically. It seems early this year to me, but then everything seems to come early anymore. Some folks may doubt the existence of global warming, but in 26 years of gardening, the trend is for my plants to bloom earlier than they used to bloom. At least according to my garden notebook they do.







And now for something new. I have been meaning to plant a hibiscus and finally got around to it this summer. This is Luna pink swirl which I got from Abele’s Greenhouse. All I can say is whatever took me so long? What a gorgeous bloom this plant has! I should have planted it years ago.



There is always something to look forward to in the garden. As one plant goes another plant comes along to take its place. I guess if I can change through the years (and I certainly have more wrinkles) I can’t expect the garden to stay the same. But it does give me the same pleasures every summer. Not to mention the necessary ingredients for pesto, i.e., basil and garlic.

Garlic Galore

Yesterday I made some hummus with my own garlic. I am growing three different kinds, one of them a stiff neck variety called German extra hardy; the other two I got from Seed Savers Exchange, heirloom varieties called Broadleaf Czech and Lorz Italian. I know that I can make a garland with those that are not stiff neck, but I need to figure out the best way to preserve the stiff neck garlic as well so I can use it all winter long. Right now they are on the floor of my spare bedroom with the door closed (since the cat is quite curious) drying out. Where to put them? This small house of mine will have to find a place somewhere.

What goes with garlic? Basil of course! I have basil growing in several spots this year—all in hopes that I will harvest enough so I can eat pesto throughout the winter.






I am using maggot protection covers on the apples this year. Some of these apples have fallen to the ground, but others still remain. I hope to have some apples that I can eat whole without cutting out the bad parts.




I am using a grow pot for a Roma tomato plant-the plant does have some small tomatoes on it. The pot for the potatoes seems to be working fine, at least the potatoes are thriving. It is easy to just add soil mix on top as they grow.







These sunflowers are souring above me in the vegetable garden area. I suppose the birds will find the seeds before I do.




And will this artichoke produce anything for me this year? If so, I will enjoy the beautiful flowers before I have something to eat.





Knee high by the fourth of July. Well, actually this photo was taken on July 8th, but the corn is definitely knee high. Now if we can get some rain to help these wonderful vegetable plants along. This hot and humid weather is not just hard on me, it is hard on my garden and water bill as well.




I actually do have some flowers in bloom right now. The monarda and lilies make a nice combination and the purple coneflower has taken off. I usually think of it as an August plant, but here it is the beginning of July and it is blooming profusely.
Well, today it will be peas for dinner. Tomorrow probably a salad with my lettuce before it poops out on me. Such is life at the Birkam household these days. Eating good and enjoying all the blooms.