Keepin' On Keepin' On

It's time for the July post for the Seed GROW Project, organized by Mr. Brown Thumb, with nasturtium seeds (Tropaeolum majus 'Spitfire') donated by Renee's Garden.



Roooar! I love the fringed end of the petals, which I didn't even see until I downloaded the macro photo!



My three nasturtiums, which I affectionately call nasties, are still going strong. This one started climbing the trellis all on its own.



This one needed a little coaxing. And re-coaxing.



This nasty has the most blooms...



...and should be tall enough to start climbing the corn any day now.



Isn't the corn ('Bantam') tassel cute? Noogie. I only have this one plant, should I be making like a bee and pollinating? I grew it mostly as an experiment to see if it could be winter-sown. The staples in my veggie garden are tomatoes, which I grow in ridiculous quantities, a few hot peppers, and an eggplant. Then I like to mix it up a bit and try different plants each year, even if they aren't the most practical solution for my conditions, just to watch them mature from seed to plant to harvest. As a gardener, I just like to know veggies.



Well, that's it for nasties, but as long as you're still here, let's look at some of the other things growing in my garden. First and foremost, tomatoes! Yes, I have eeny beeny, teeny tiny fruits on five of my (ahem) 18 tomato plants, including 'Big German Pink,' 'Trifele,' and 'Red Short Vine' (all camera-shy).



The biggest is 'Black Russian.'



But 'Green Zebra' (which I can't help pronouncing ZEBra not ZEEbra due to certain English people) has twins!



The black cohosh (Actaea (formerly Cimicifuga) racemosa) on the north side of my house is one of my favorite big-impact plants.



It's pretty up close, too. I like how it starts blooming from the bottom up.



Another big-impact plant (about 6 feet tall) is queen of the prairie (Filipendula rubra). I first saw it during a tour at the 2005 International Master Gardener Conference in Saskatoon, Canada, and knew I had to have it.



I thought the buds looked pretty cool, too.



This 'Uchiki Kuri' squash is doing well. I like putting crazy growers in a container because I don't need the optimal amount of fruit. I've successfully grown zucchini and eggplant in containers, too.



All the rain this spring has been great for the plants, and it also means I've seen tons of these sweet dragonflies in my garden (I live next to a creek)...



But it also means I'm going to have to mow my driveway (ha!).



These are the common "ditch" lilies. I love them. I think if we take the time, we can see new things in familiar faces.



Shasta daisies always make me smile. They are in a huge clump, about 5 feet wide and nearly as tall.



I just love the orange cosmos, which look pretty good next to the chocolate cosmos.



I wasn't surprised a volunteer sunflower was growing in my backyard tree stumps, because I feed the squirrels there in winter.



I was, however, amazed to find four sunflowers growing in the front garden in the shaded interior of my ninebark shrub.



And finally, eight years ago today, Fiona found me. She had been abandoned by her previous family and decided I looked like an easy mark who she could train pretty easily. She is pleased with my ability to provide food, water, and various cat plants, but is amazed at the number of other basic commands I haven't mastered.



I'm growing Nasturtium 'Spitfire' for the GROW project. Thanks to Renee's Garden for the seeds.