Month: July 2025

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Ahhh, the surprises of summer. Inside, I am wowed by my little water garden, in a sunny window, (above). It is re-growing romaine lettuces and celery, from grocery store produce end cuts. This is my 2nd growing. I ate the first salad, photo below:

1st salad re-growing.

I’m also attempting to root a cutting. After 1 week, it is not growing roots, (making me kind of sad), but this morning, VOILA! It’s giving me tiny blossoms bursting from the top. I had to look twice to be sure I was seeing what I thought I was seeing. So unexpected.

A little blue, emerging today. What will it look like tomorrow?
Plumeria? Across the street from 3 Sons, Milford. I pinched a couple of short branches, hoping to root them, and get a blue plant from it.

Outside, on a walk, rounding a corner near Tri-Boji, in Iowa, I am wowed by an extravagant garden, (Photo above, by Amy Farha Neary, who was with me on this walk, and equally wowed).

There are lots of surprises to explore just in viewing this one section. The differences in colors and textures are astonishing! I think the owner/gardener lives next door. It would be nice to share a few words with her/him.

In my own small garden, I have a Juliet tomato among a few others. I bought it because our daughter, Leigh, mentioned that she was looking for one to plant in her space. I knew nothing about it. So, it was a revelation to discover how it grows, and an education to learn that it is a cross between a roma and a cherry tomato.

The Juliet tomato. A cross between a Roma and a cherry tomato.
What is this? I didn’t know these grew like cherry tomatoes.
My Juliets.

There is a green bean plant (from seeds that I stuck in the ground) that survived the rabbits’ and birds’ eating. It is growing up and into the Juliet. Its large leaves made me think of Jack and the Beanstalk. I was thrilled to see it!

The first two green beans surprised me today. I ate one right away, fresh. 😋Instant nostalgia for the gardens of my youth.

However, the most staggering thing to me was seeing my CA Bluebells! Ordering them late in spring, planting them in June, and waiting, waiting for a sprouting, I thought I had mis-timed them, and would have to wait until next year to get a beautiful true blue flower.

A joy to behold! First CA bluebell from an early June seeding. I thought the seeds had washed away.

I almost took out all of these “weeds” a few days before. Something stopped me as I considered these leaves. Were they coming from a previous year’s annual flower? Best to wait and see what happens. Oh my!

Today at 7:30 AM, more BLUE:

My vision is a whole ground cover of these CA Bluebells.

I hope you are gardening, big or small, and enjoying the surprises!

Plant the Earth,

Shirley