June is flying past!

Sometimes things don't work out as planned.

My 'quiet' country life has been anything BUT quiet these days!

I'm back to work full time, Little Country Girl has just finished a session of Spring Skate and is now playing soccer. I am busy at the soccer field 2-4 days a week.

Country Boy is working lots of shifts at a local fast food restaurant, as well as getting ready for a summer job with the Pan Am Games coming soon. He is saving for a car and that will surely help loosen the load on Big Country Girl and I, who have been driving him around.

Father has started a new job, and so this means more time away from home.

There has been so much to do around the yard!

The grass hasn't stopped growing, nor have the weeds.

The veggie garden is now planted, and the pool opened.

2 more weeks and Little Country Girl will be on summer holidays.

It might almost be time to slow down a bit!

We had a very wet week, and so yesterday was spent cutting grass, weeding, and planting.

Today was another rainy day and so the housework was done, and I even had a chance to sit down!

I have been snapping photos for weeks, and finally I can post a few of what is going on in my yard.

I finally got the veggie tomatoes, peppers and zucchini's planted, and Little Country Girl talked me into trying watermelon one more time. Now the hard part ... keeping ahead of the weeds!

Our Asparagus patch was bountiful this year and I think we can all say that we had our fill.

Planted a whole lot of spinach and salad greens that should be ready to eat any time now.

I thought this Red Romaine looked good, but so far it just tastes bitter.

The first big weeding out there took almost all day, and filled the wheelbarrow!

Have you ever seen such a HUGE Rhubarb plant?

 I found a new recipe for Rhubarb Cinnamon muffins that everyone seems to like, and we have had stewed rhubarb and rhubarb strawberry crisp. I have also frozen some and given lots to friends. I think this plant really likes the yearly topdressing of manure!

I've been trying to get the back flower beds cleaned and planted up too.

Thank goodness for the perennials, or there would be no color out there. I just haven't had the time to get all the annuals in yet! There are some pretties out there...

Snow in Summer

 

Garden Loosestrife

 Maiden Pinks

 Allium

 Flag Iris

 Iris

 Spiderwort

The Hosta beds are coming to life, some are getting split 

 The Peony's are starting to bloom 

This week things should slow down for me a little.

Hopefully the weeds don't get away from me before then.

August 10th in the garden

The time continues to pass so quickly, I can't even believe we are into August!

In a few weeks time, Little Country Girl will be back to school, and Country Boy will be heading off to college! Our soccer season ended yesterday, and so I will have a little more time to spend at home with the kids and gardens. The veggie garden continues to produce peas, beans, tomatoes, and cucumbers, but I have given up hope of any zucchini this year.

This week we also had the first harvest of Cucamelons!

These cute little fruits taste like a mixture of cucumber and the white part of the watermelon. They have a tough skin, though, and so I'm not sure that they are loved enough to replant. I think they are more of a novelty item.

A friend gave me a much appreciated gift this week that I am still bubbling about...

49 packages of seeds!

There is a huge variety of lettuce, spinach, herbs, cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbage, onions, squash, tomatoes... this is almost everything I need for my vegetable garden next year. The only thing missing is Sugar Snap peas! Thanks NS  :)

A few photos from the flower gardens, which will be getting a good watering today...

The garden in mid July

I had a little bit of time yesterday to snap a few pictures of the garden, and some current bloomers.

'Navona' Lily and Veronica behind

In the same corner of the garden is Mallow 'Party Girl'

The first 'Crazy Love' Dahlia bloom of the season

A volunteer Poppy, this time a delicate ruffled pink

I've save the Mirabilis for several years now, and it is getting to be shrub size!

An interesting Nicotiana, an almost green plant

The Butterfly Weed, absent of Monarchs this year

I've thanked the birds for planting this sunflower for me this year

I put this chair here and planted a Moonflower Vine at its base. The vine is still only 6 inches tall!

Daisy and Monarda are a striking combination

The view from the back porch

I just wish I would learn to sit and enjoy it more!

The early July garden

Life has a way of getting so hectic that sometimes you just have to STOP and force yourself to take some time look around. School is out now and so the kids are home to help with chores.

Even having help with a few simple things eases the load a lot, and makes room for a few other things ... like JAM!

Big Country Girl and a friend went strawberry picking. Nothing quite like the taste of fresh picked Ontario strawberries still warm from the sun!

And so, with my plan of canning/preserving this year, I made jam.

2 batches and I ended up with12 jars of various sizes.

I also learned the sweet sound that other canners said I would learn to love ... the sound of the "ping" that means the jars have sealed. The jam is a hit, so I'm not sure how long the 12 jars will last.

Despite the bunnies, beetles and lack of fence, the veggie patch is doing well. The first zucchini is almost ready to pick and I can't wait to stuff it!

The radishes have all been picked and have been re-sown

And the tomatoes are coming along nicely

Spinach is producing, and so is the kale.

Cucumbers are growing and there will be peppers to pick very soon.

And the bunnies (so far) have saved me some peas!

Hubby says today MAY be the day for the fence to go up IF he is home from work early enough. Keeping my fingers crossed!

A few photos from the flower gardens - the first being the Black Lace Sambuccas that I thought was dead from the previous post. It is growing back in well!

I am really impressed with my Blue Oat Grass this year

And also the vivid blooms on the Rose Campion

Last years Daisy's from the discount rack are putting on a show

A few Roses

And a few overall shots of the gardens, which are starting to fill in quite nicely

Next Sunday, our local Horticulture Society is having a garden tour.

I can't wait to see other people's gardens :)