Tree Tomato update - June 26th

I thought it was about time for a Tree Tomato update...

They had a slow start, but I still put them out in the garden after the last frost date with the other tomatoes. From the 2 kits only 4 Tree Tomato plants survived (sown April 14th), and 8 'Big Early' plants (sown March 28th)

3 Tree Tomatoes went out into the garden and the other was planted in a large pot on the back deck. The garden soil was amended with composted manure and the pot was a mix of manure, compost and black earth. They are all looking healthy, but small and still lacking blooms.

Here are the Tree Tomatoes in the garden

Here are some of the Big Early plants

Note the 'Sweet Million' plants on the far left...much larger and already producing tomatoes. They were planted out the same day as the others.

The Tree Tomato in the pot on the porch

It is a little larger and has blooms

So far, they aren't impressing me. Remember the claims on the box?

"grow bushels of tomatoes as big as grapefruits"

"grows up to 8 feet tall"

"up to 60 pounds of extra large tomatoes per plant"

They have a lot of growing to do to live up to those claims before the season here ends!

Fertilizer Friday-Finally!

This was the slowest week of my life...I thought Friday was NEVER going to get here!
The last 3 days were rainy, but I did manage to snap a few photos for Fertilizer Friday with Tootsie !

2 more varieties of Peony have opened

Lysimachia

Campanula 'Blue Chips'

Dianthus barbatus

Digitalis

Lychnis Chalcedonica 

A view of the Wisteria 'Aunt Dee'. After being in the ground for several years, I got my first bloom last year. This year she is giving me more and I couldn't be happier!

An unnamed Petunia

 A few Roses have decided to bloom despite the dreary weather

'Carefree Beauty'

'L.D Braithwaite'

'Marmalade Skies'

'Midas Touch'

'Home and Garden'

Fertilizer Friday - Flaunt your Flowers June 17th

Joining Tootsie for Fertilizer Friday again this week! Things are really starting to bloom now!

Empty Nest

You may remember the 3 little Robin's I saved not just once, but 3 times?

The Robin's have fledged!

Yesterday I got a few shots of them in the nest and thought how quickly they had grown

They filled the nest and I knew they couldn't stay much longer

Good Luck little birds!

Don't touch Mother's Peony's...

I still remember my father saying that when I was a little girl.

'You can look, but don't touch Mother's Peony's'

I would sit out in the back yard looking at the big buds

I liked to watch the ants

I never did touch Mom's Peony's...but I really WANTED to!

They always started to open on my birthday and Dad would bring one inside to me

 'Happy Birthday Sweetheart'

I always remember how happy it made me to have my very own, and to this day Peony's are one of my very favorite blooms.  2 years ago, Mom and Dad brought me a piece of that very same Peony.

Today, the first bloom opened.

Just in time for my birthday

A busy week - storm's, birds and blooms

Wow! What a busy week I've had!

42 hours at work this week, 5 out of 7 days at the soccer field with the kids , as well as the regular errands, cleaning and other 'stuff'. I finally understand why I am just so TIRED! 

Wednesday brought a severe thunderstorm that (thankfully!) didn't cause any serious damage. But it did cause havoc in the gardens. Remember those beautiful Camassia blooms?

The storms wind and hail did quite a number on them...blew off every last petal and snapped them off clean

The Lilac tree outside the kitchen window suffered some damage. The baby Robin's  must have had quite a ride too...the nest was almost blown from the tree and Mama Robin was having trouble sitting. When she left for some food, I went and re-secured the nest for her. This is the third time I've come to the rescue of this bird family! Those little birds do nothing but eat and sleep and GROW!  These 3 little guys are filling the nest quickly and soon there will be no room left for Mama.

After yard clean up the fire pit was full of branches. But it could have been so much worse.

I hope this female Hummingbird didn't lose her family in the storm. She spent a very long time hanging around the Lilac tree and feeder.

I later noticed her buzzing around the Columbine-too quick to snap a photo though!

Funny thing about this Columbine...I didn't plant it! I just appeared here one year and I've never seen another one like it anywhere. I love surprises like that!

A few other storm survivors