And here's the other half of my summer garden pictures, dealing with various flowers encountered during our first summer in the new house. The previous owner was an avid gardener, so there were plenty of flower beds already established and filled with random little surprises. Also, a few wildflowers that I'm hoping my ever-knowledgeable [...] 
Right around now, when your eyes are inundated with the glare of white snow as far as you can see, it's nice to think about the equally blinding green that will take over a few months later. Seriously, I'm looking at these pictures and squinting from green overload. I don't remember it being quite [...] 
One of the things I love most about spring in the north is the bonanza of flowering bulbs that burst out nonstop the minute the snows recede. I spent several years back in Cali trying to coax reluctant daffodils and hyacinths into bloom through rigorous refrigerator chilling regimens before finally giving in to the fact [...] So back in Cali, the main thing I knew about blackcurrants were that they were a strongly-scented European fruit that was used to make booze and Ribena. The main thing I knew about Ribena syrup was that it was really handy to use when mixing up blood substitute for film and TV productions. Never [...] Apologies to anybody who was having issues with using the comments system these past few days — there was a glitch involving a naughty plug-in that I just got around to figuring out last night. Everything should work just fine now. Yeah, I take pictures of random food-related things when the mood strikes me. These [...] I’ve been mentioning the food items coming out the garden recently, but haven’t really done any posts on the general state of things. So this is a post to remedy that. Finnish summers are all about a surplus of daylight and moisture, so things get ridiculously lush in short order. Our current look is somewhere [...] At least, the calendar says it is. The snow is also mostly gone and the ice is nearly melted off all the bodies of water. The leaves aren’t out on the trees yet, but we’re seeing all kinds of stuff starting to emerge. Like these pretty little snowdrops sprouting right next to our building. [...] This is mämmi. It’s traditionally served in Finland and Sweden during the Easter holiday, hence why I’m posting about it now. We had some this past weekend along with dessert – a big dollop served with cream and sugar. It isn’t the most attractive-looking holiday dish on its own, no. Taste-wise, it’s balanced between [...] Did some much needed work on the plants in the apartment this past week. The two backyard gardens thrive on benign neglect, since they have access to plenty of sun and rain, but the ones here need a bit more attention to be at their best. #gallery-6 { margin: auto; } #gallery-6 .gallery-item { float: left; My hanging herb garden, before the monthly harvest/grooming session. My hanging herb garden, after the monthly harvest/grooming session. You can see out the window again! A handful of the old standby, sweet basil. A new herb this year — Mexican hyssop. I grew this from seed but am finding it amazingly similar to store bought lemon balm. Store-bought lemon balm. Second year planting this. It supposedly overwinters well, so I’m gonna put it out this year. Home-seeded peppermint is coming along nicely. Will be overwintering outside as well. Home-seeded cilantro! Hard to come by at the market, so glad to have some on hand. I had to give Misu a blade of lemongrass to keep her occupied and out of the way while I was tending the herbs. All harvested herbs packed and ready for freezer storage. The balcony garden, end of July 2011. The nasturtiums are going nuts! They should cover the balcony by the end of summer. The yellow flowers are so cheery. First time planting sweet peas, so not sure if this is normal. They seem sort of slow, though. Too sunny, maybe? Baby leaf salad basket is starting to see the effects of heat. This lasted for a few good weeks of plucking, though. Amaryllis bulbs are enjoying the sun! They should have plenty of energy for a winter display of flowers this year. These mini bell pepper seedlings were starting to get gangly from sharing the same pot so long. So they have all been transplanted into roomier accommodations to be moved to separate gardens. The baby strawberries are taking their time. I should probably transplant soon, but they are growing so slow that I’m not too worried. Just finished updating my folia account with the latest happenings in my backyard gardens and thought I’d share the photos here as well since I like to look through these galleries during the cold months :-) #gallery-7 { margin: auto; } #gallery-7 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 25%; } #gallery-7 img { Vegetable garden mostly growing in bags of potting soil at a friend’s house. Transplanted tomatoes on their first day in the same backyard garden I used last year at T’s parents’ house. Transplanted tomatoes on their first day at the other garden. It’s been fun to watch the different growth rates in different gardens. Some nasturtiums stashed in a pot with datura at the parents’ house. Backyard II tomatoes a day later, looking a little more comfortable with their transplant. Pots of sweet peas, cucumbers and basils also coming to live in the backyard where there is more sun. Baby tomatoes starting to leaf out in backyard II. Basils in backyard I looking comfortable in their bag. 1 of each variety ended up dying, leaving 2 of each. The lemons look the best — the reds aren’t bad and the Thai basils are just scraggly :-( Beans in bags are starting to flower! They’re still not huge — hope the cucumber sharing their bag doesn’t cover them up. Backyard corn patch is growing impressively fast. My friend’s patch, which she planted a couple weeks before me, is already tasseling! Cucumbers in bags are flowering liberally. These guys are gonna get huge. Tomatoes in bags are also flowering liberally. I’m thinking having their rooms in soil kept warm and insulated by the plastic is good for them. Potted sweet peas at backyard II are getting very leafy. Their balcony counterparts are scraggly. Strangely enough, these basils in pots at backyard II are looking much better than the ones in the bag. Backyard II cucumbers are in pots and growing a bit slower than the bag ones. This one just started popping out a few flowers. Backyard II tomatoes are growing at about the same pace as the bag tomatoes, but having started flowering yet. I wonder why? Gooseberry bush with fruit at backyard II. Currant bush with green fruit at backyard II. Wee baby apples in backyard II. Thriving stand of raspberries at backyard II — we’ve been picking handfuls every day. Plenty of rhubarb also at backyard II. I’ve been cutting and freezing a few bags to keep for later in the year. And yet more currant bushes that should be ready to harvest in a few more weeks. A pretty honeysuckle vine growing on the house wall :-) |
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