Go forth and produce!

My poor tomatoes have made a valiant effort to ripen. However, they remain pathetically pale and hard, despite the teasing rays of sunshine that continues to smile upon us each morning.

The batch of "Isis Candy" cherry tomatoes share real estate with "Chianti Rose" tomatoes. One brave soldier ripened. It's a nice somewhat deep red. and oh so sweet smelling.

They were starts and I'd hoped they would produce more successfully than seeds. Obviously Mother Nature had other ideas.
And I mustn't forget my baby squash. I got two good-sized fruit from this plant, but these little guys banded together and (because I didn't assist) never grew to adulthood.

Blogging Plants?

Look out, your garden may replace you in the blogosphere.

Reuters reports that a Sweetheart plant in Japan posts daily blog entries on how it's feeling. As a reporter, I'm automatically suspect of the actual "voice" of the plant but I do believe they too are living beings.

The plant is able to blog thanks to electric signals and a computer algorithm.

Check the story out for yourself: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081021/lf_nm_life/us_japan_blog_plant_2

The blog site (translated version): http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fplant.bowls-cafe.jp%2Findex.php&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&sl=ja&tl=en

Pumpkin Scribes

Seattle's evening temperatures have been dipping into the low 40s. I've been a delinquent gardener and have yet to pull my still-green tomatoes off their vines.

Instead we had a little gathering at our house and invited friends over for some pumpkin carving Saturday night. It was good to hang out and relax. We kind of utilized the new backyard, mostly for pumpkin photos.
It wouldn't be right not to show a little political spirit in our pumpkins.
We ended the night with a childhood favorite. Mmmm, comfort food on a crisp evening.

Bulb Bonanza

All total, 95 bulbs went into the ground today. We'll see how many the squirrels leave us come spring. I want this bed along the catwalk to be mostly bulbs and next year I expect to see Tulips, Daffodils, Iris, Crocus and Anemones. Keep your fingers crossed.
At least I had my trusty garden helper. He so enjoys digging in the dirt.
He really got into planting (read: throwing) the bulbs in the soil. The anemones were especially fun to toss, perhaps because they resembled rocks.

Boy vs. Mums

I knew the raised planting bed would be a hit with the little guy. Now I just need to not sweat his overzealous gardening techniques.
He likes to immerse himself in the task at hand. Surprisingly, the Chrysanthemums faired rather well.

Thank you dears

The backyard is coming together nicely. The spousal unit and son finished the last of the lighting for a pleasant evening glow.
Yardwork really is a family affair in this household. I say they're never too young to enjoy gardening ... of any kind!

New plants

OK, you can't see them in detail but those are the bulk of our new plants for the backyard, speeding down Interstate 5 toward their new home.
I could have spent all day at the nursery but alas, there's only so much time and money! I settled on two Birch trees, fire Redtwig Dogwoods, two variety of Azaleas, three Mexican Orange, some creeping Rosemary and Lavender, and too many groundcover starts to count.

Finito!

The backyard is complete, with lights, lawn and irrigation. Now comes more fun of picking trees and shrubs to complement such a pleasant space.

All you Pacific Northwest gardeners please pass along suggestions. I'm looking for mostly natives that provide color, berries, bark ... anything that makes for year-round interest.
The shrubs are needed along the fenceline around Arborvitae, as well as near the house. I'm also considering a few evergreen vines but haven't settled on one (more suggestions?).
There's a long planter that I'll primarily use for bulbs and perennials but I think it also needs a few staple evergreens to add permanent structure.

Let the planting begin!

Almost there

Work is almost finished in the backyard. John Miranda of JD Brothers has done a phenomenal job, working rain or shine (and weekends) to finish the renovation.
I was sad to see the Lilac go but it had outgrown that space and needed to be cabled to prevent it from splitting in two. In the end, removal really opened up this back corner. It will be a nice area for the boy to run.


The decking is complete except for lighting, which arrived today. This combined with leveling the yard has made a tremendous difference in the feel of the space. It seems so much larger. Even our dogs look small.



The guys even replaced the decrepit green garage door. Huge difference.


John and the crew have been extremely patient with all my questions and last minute requests, including adding a sprinkler system!