Garden Blogger's BLOOM DAY!

Well, I've entered into a whole new weird world.  Apparently in the garden blogosphere, there is this thing called Bloom Day.  Every 15th day of every month is dedicated to what is in bloom in your garden.  Of course, I love this idea!  Unfortunately, a lot of things just went to seed, so here's what bloomin' around these zone 6 parts...

I can't tell you how thrilled we are that our Crepe Myrtle finally bloomed!  Well worth the wait, approximately 2 years.

I bought my husband this Crepe Myrtle a few summers ago on the Eastern Shore.

This is our garden on the hill in back of our house that is ever-changing.  Blueberry bush in front of the Cleome.

Senorita Rosalita Cleome, given to me by my Aunt Susan.

That Black-Eyed Susan sure put out this year!

Our last Gladiola is really making a show... is there really any room for anyone else up there?!

What a SEXPOT!!!!  This color is so vibrant, my camera flips out and doesn't know how to capture it.  So, this photo does no justice, and please ignore the dead grass in the background.

I have grown to love this Nasturtium that overtakes EVERYTHING!  That's our Oakleaf Hyrdangea on the right.

I'm gonna eat you, just you wait!

The Jasmine plant is finally blooming...it just loves this spot!

Can you smell that Jasmine?!

The Creeping Verbena is still blooming!  Apparently it adores arid climates like parts of California and does much better than it does in Central PA.  I really like it paired here with our lemon Thyme and Licorice plant.

Tall, happy Zinnia!  I'm a born-again fan of this one.  Great for filling in between the perennials, as is the Cleome. 

 

I feel compelled to include the veggie garden in this Bloom Day report.  It's looking great!  Our first squash is almost ready for picking, the tomatoes have been doing great, the peppers are about ready to start producing, the cucumbers are starting to come out, and even the swiss chard and beets are coming up from seeds I recently planted. 

Sarah & Mark's Urban Cooking Garden

Sarah checking on the peppers, which are cleverly hung to get more sunlight and create space.

I love hanging out with Sarah and Mark... especially late nights, when Mark decides to whip something up for everyone to knosh on.  A late night favorite are his to-die-for CARNITAS!  Mmmmmm, I diverge...
Anyway, they live in a fairly typical South Philly row house with a fairly typical amount of outside space.  It's not uncommon in Philly to have a fraction of the space that they have, so their plot seems spacious in comparison to others'.  Because their yard backs up to about five others, they are forced to deal with pre-existing sun/shade conditions. This year they decided to do a container garden focusing mostly on veggies and herbs, so the containers have allowed them more freedom in finding the best sun/shade conditions.  They've been extremely creative with their plot, and are growing all sorts of goodies...  cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, squash, tomatillos, zucchini, an assortment of herbs and even PUMPKINS!  I stopped over the other day to see Sarah and hang out in the garden.  Everything is healthy, lush and beginning to produce!

They've been really creative with the containers they use, choosing more cost-effective alternatives like these adorable red Ikea waste baskets!

Pumpkins on the left, tomatillos on the right!

Home-made Topsy-Turvy tomatoes!

Their clever hanging system for the peppers on the left.

Plants so huge they even dwarf Godzilla!

Peppers and sweet potato vine...cute!

Sarah inspecting the odd-shaped zucchinis growing.

Thanks to Sarah and Mark for letting me creep around and take pictures of your green urban retreat.  I'm looking forward to another visit to see what's cookin'!

Inspiration: Brooke & David's Little Slice of Lush Green Heaven

Mmmmmmmmmmmm...what a wonderful night of fresh summer eats, beautiful surroundings & great people (and animals).  Thank you to Brooke & David for such a nice evening, and for letting me creep around to take admiring photos of your hard work!  Each intimate little nook had its own way of seducing you... see for yourself!

In addition to being a passionate gardener, David is also a master woodworker and restorer.  Here are pics of his studio.  Oh, all those finials!!!!!