06-30-12 Too hot even for the bees!!!!

Mind you they never quit their gathering no matter how hot it gets but by early evening, some of them have started hanging out ...outside the hive like city dwellers trying to escape stuffy apartments by hanging out on the fire escape. At times, I have seen the whole front of the hive covered with bees who prefer a little fresh air.

Other pix:

The one you will not see: myself early morning and late evening in long pants and shirt sleeves to limit mosquitoes ravenously feeding on me while I water, trying to combat serious evaporation and lack of rain. Here, we've had a 1/4 inch in the last two weeks. Way insufficient! That leaves me with the hose.

I happen to be very partial to that" yellow with a red blush" combination, however discreet the blush is.

A Chicago fig I am growing for a fig aficionado living out in the country

Bumble bees city! Those guys can't stay away from sunflowers.

Look at the amount of pollen this guy's carrying on its legs. I am not sure how it still manages to move and add more.

Sorry, just like bumble bees I never tire of sunflowers! Call me bumble me!

Hibiscus

06-27-12 The heat's coming!!!

I decided I better write my blog now before the "over the 100s temps" (for the rest of the world, we expect the next few days to be over 40 C) there is no telling what the place will look like after such heat and no rain. Rain has fallen heavily in a number of places the last few days but missed us. I have had 1/4 inch in the last two weeks. Not good!

Talking about other frustrations, although fun ones: for the last few days I have tried to take a decent picture of the visiting hummingbirds that flit in and out of the garden but no luck. As soon as I turn around or raise the camera, they're gone. This afternoon I had one taunt me by facing me on the other side of the glass door. It hovered there for a while, most probably admiring its reflection and even landed on a branch for a brief moment...and I had no camera handy :( but I must say the sight was worth it. Beautiful areal ballet!

Along the same lines, I have been keeping an eye on butterflies but the numbers are down and continue to be down for the last few years. Just ten years ago I could capture several of them in the same shot. Not any more; they come one at a time and the real pretty ones seem to come hardly at all.

I almost forgot, I ended up with the picture of one of my nemesis: the young rabbit that is fattening nicely on my veggies. It's less cute than the hummers but easier to take in picture.

I mentioned in a past article that a couple of my fig trees were producing their "breva", first, early flush. It is now all over; I ate my last fig yesterday and it was huge as you can tell from the picture. In another few weeks, we will get the regular crop. It looks very promising.

We have been eating some totally delicious sweet corn. I now am between two crops, the one I finished a few days ago and the one coming in a week or two. There is nothing like good, fresh corn picked while the water is boiling besides, maybe, bush beans. My crop has been less than exciting this spring with early insect damage but the taste has been just what I love about fresh beans. I usually cut them a little under size since I don't sell them by the pound but it makes them so much tastier. You will notice from the picture that I prefer the golden varieties to the green ones. Matter of taste!

I have been spending time feeding the skeeters, watering my tomatoes since nature hasn't helped, and for ever tying my tomato plants to their stakes. They grow like crazy but, on the plus side, also have started yielding some early samples of that summer taste. Can't wait to have enough to cover a good size home made pizza and even more to start drying them for an even better pizza!

I have specially enjoyed the last couple of mornings out there in a 60 temp, a major gift in this part of the world and at this time of the year. Next few days will be much rougher!

Nice surprise in the mail today: a card from a lady who came to a yard sale in the neighborhood and was dying to come into my garden. I told her what I tell everyone: the garden is always open to visitors whether I am home or not.

Cana lilies

Among my favorite flowers. I love they Italian and French name: girasole and tournesol--that turns with the sun since the flowers have a tendency to follow the daily sun run. Also, nowadays they come in multiple heads and all kinds of size or colors. My challenge, catch a picture of  gold finches as they take of from those flowers. Their bright yellow and black colors perfectly match the yellow ones on the left.

Da jungle!

Looks, light and textures!

Early morning light play on the crepe myrtles.

Asian pears growing nicely.

Two different colors of four o'clock. (the third one is white)

My "Vanity" is re-blooming, covering the arbor's top.

Glads

As you can tell, I never tire of sunflowers; even the buds are pretty. Van Gogh has painted a few gorgeous versions of these flowers, only the old variety: big and yellow.

06-18-12 Butterflies

White and little brown butterflies have been back for a while now but I was waiting for a swallowtail or a monarch to get excited. I saw my first swallowtail of the year, all by itself. Its visit was of very short duration, it has since been hiding or visiting someone else's garden.

Figs have started doing well in their first flush. I can now leave them long enough on the tree to get that sun soaked flavor and the beautiful dark purple skin. Another few weeks and I'll be inundated!

We've been eating some of the corn: nice and sweet but fairly small ears. I planted my corn a little too early. The second batch is coming right along.

That red silk reminds me of some of my former students'hair (at least the color does)

That red silk is awaiting pollination from this male flower. This one is all done by wind, no insect needed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                Rainy day in the garden; everything looks different

06-11-12 First fig(s) of the year!

I have been waiting for this moment for the last few weeks, even since the first flush of figs appeared even ahead of the leaves making them look even larger and more tempting.

And, finally, this morning, after bringing the paper to my elderly neighbors and taking my morning stroll through the garden, I immediately noticed that a few of the figs had changed color. They responded to a gentle squeeze by giving in when, until yesterday, they were hard as rock. While they do not have the full summer flavor (I should have left them on the tree for another couple of days) I was not about to leave them for the birds (literally) and took a few very satisfactory bites.

This specific fig is named, alternatively: Celeste, La Negrita, Negronne, and Violette de Bordeaux. It usually does not grow very large (the fruit, not the tree) and has a nice, sweet taste wrapped in a purplish skin.

The common fig --Ficus Carica-- originated in the Middle-East and has since spread to warm climates all over from Afghanistan to the New World. It can grow in pretty unforgiving places as long as its aggressive roots find access to water. It's the perfect fruit for the Middle-East, since it reproduces parthenocarpically --meaning asexually-- it does not offend the prudish followers of the three main religions born in the same area.

Calling them a fruit really is a major misnomer; figs are a syconium or inverted flower and what we eat really is a collection of tiny florets rather than a fruit (a fertilized ovary). This is what the inside looks like; don't let it turn you off, they're great eating:






















































Most figs will produce two crops, a first, small flush in June called Breva or Breba to get your mouth watering and the regular crop in Summer. This Summer crop looks like a major one, winter not having been rough on the trees themselves.

I'll conclude the fig section with a quote from the bible (also originated in the Middle East) :"Every man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the LORD Almighty has spoken."
I take that to mean that however much I sit under the fig tree, my wife will have the last word.

What else is going on in the garden this week?

Asian pears are growing nicely

Those new cukes taste so good!

This is a volunteer tomato plant growing from some lost seed from last year. Gardeners have a hard time not keeping those. Who knows what new cultivar can pop up from those?

Thyme encroaching upon the walkway. You can stop thyme!