Summer is, theoretically, upon us in Chicagoland. It’s somewhat hard to believe given that the high today is 68, but we’re supposed to see 80 again over the weekend. Even though it’s in fits and starts, my garden is growing.
Starting in the front, the small rose bush I transplanted my first summer in the house has finally bloomed. I trimmed it back early spring because it was sticking out into the grass – a spiky hazard for mowing – and that seems to have been exactly what it needed. The mint, chives, and cilantro have returned to the star bed in full force, including the need to weed mint and cilantro out of the other sections and the surrounding mulch. It’s totally worth it on the days I want fresh mint tea or for the cilantro that will undoubtedly be used in salsa and other tasty dishes. I planted basil (again) in one section, and added a parsley plant to another. The center is generally a flower bed, though I haven’t seen any of the sunflowers sprouting yet; the weird weather fluctuations probably aren’t helping them. I decided the garden tower should also be an herb and flower bed, so it has a mix of random pretties and herbs I thought I would cook with, including two kinds of sage, thyme, rosemary, and a purple basil.
The side garden is just strawberries, which are starting to bear fruit, and some catnip that was already there. Yes, the catnip is huge. The keyhole bed is mostly peas, so I added cages for them to climb. There were some squash plants (pumpkin? acorn squash? who knows?) that sprouted in the composter, so I moved those to the back beds. Photos of those beds will come later in the season, I’m sure, as the squash plants sprawl and we hopefully discover what kind of fruit they bear. There’s a bonus photo of peonies, which have bloomed with their pretty pink flowers (every yard around here seems to have a different color of peonies) and are almost done for the season. There may be a family of rabbits living under them; they certainly like spending time there. Additionally, I’m learning which birds eat mulberries, as the mulberry bush is adjacent to the bird feeder. The mulberries are a bit small and underripe for me at this point, but I’ve watched robins eat them straight off the tree. I’m looking forward to a mulberry crumble once they’re larger.
Of course, all of this assumes that any of my tasty treats are left in the garden, between the birds, the squirrels, and the woodchuck that’s digging into my lawn at the moment. From past experience, I know woodchucks will go after peas and corn (though I didn’t plant corn this year), so I’ll have to see what survives the local wildlife.