Fertilzer Friday - a cold wind comes...

Friday again?  Already?  Where does the time go?  This time of year, the time seems to speed up.  We're still working in the yard, but already looking ahead to the holidays.  The weatherman says we'll have freezing temperatures for a few nights beginning Saturday and I'm thrilled.  (Terrible, aren't I?)  

We harvested our final two zucchini today and those plants will soon be in the compost pile.  Valiant blew out our sprinklers yesterday and we've removed the dogs Lixit.  No more water outside.  Even though it is Fertilizer Friday, I'm not fertilizing anything!   Quite the contrary, in fact.   I've been pulling up my potted petunias and am bringing the geraniums and gerbera daisies in for the winter.  We're pruning trees and bushes and generally getting the yard ready for "bed".  We're almost there...some more pruning, burying some tulip bulbs and we're done.  Then, finally, we'll be ready to move indoors and I, for one, am ready!

In the meantime, Mother Nature gave us a little "fall color" show in our own backyard....

All the fall colors in one tree/bush...isn't it lovely?  I have been putting off pruning it because I think it is so pretty.  This week, however, this pretty little tree will get a much needed haircut and begin looking like a tree again.

Oh, and here is my "pumpkin tree" update.  It is really hanging from a tree.

 
Too funny, isn't it?

Our little pumpkin is now 5" in diameter.  With the weather changing this week, I don't suppose it will ripen, but it is just trying so hard that we're hard-pressed to interfere.

Our yard is pretty much done for this year, but it isn't that way in other places.  In places like Southern California, they're finally relaxing a bit as the heat abates and the blooms start to emerge again.  The stress from trying to keep things alive during oppressive temperatures gives way to enjoyment of balmy temperatures and cooler mornings.  When I lived there, fall would bring fresh blooms on my Peter Pans (Lily of the Nile/Agapanthis) and the anticipation of my Amaryllis blooming in time to paint my yard red for Christmas.  My Night Blooming Jasmine would be keeping the yard fragrant and my Impatiens would be happily enjoying the cooler weather.  My Bird of Paradise would be flaunting their feathers and it would feel like gardening season had just begun.  Different climates, different plants. 

Head over to Tootsie's place to take the weekly garden tour.  It is always inspiring and sometimes humbling!  (Did you see those topiaries she featured last week?  They were amazing!)

Fertilizer Friday - Second Wind

A few weeks ago, the weather here in Eastern Washington seemed to be turning.  The nights were hitting lows of the mid-30s and the days weren't warming up.  Fast forward a few weeks and we're back in the 80s and nights in the high 50s and low 60s.  I handed Buttercup the camera and told her to take pictures of the backyard - whatever she thought was beautiful.   We're definitely getting a second wind and staying in flip-flops a few more weeks will be fine with me.  (Especially because they're beginning to predict a brutal winter...sigh.)

So, for now, here is what the backyard looks like, through Buttercup's eyes.  (It was a beautiful day; not a cloud in the sky.)

Big!  This is me mowing the lawn.  (See me over there?)

We have a lot of trees and they haven't changed color or dropped their leaves yet.

Dogs!  The backyard has dogs and she loves them.

Buttercup and Daisy...

Buttercup and Lucy...
She is scrupulously fair in paying attention to them both.

 

 The tomatoes are finally starting to ripen.  Don't know how many of them will turn, but we're getting there and it is supposed to be hot through and including Sunday.

A few more apples have ripened on the trees. 

There you have it...a few more weeks of wonderful weather means a few more weeks for our garden.  Before you know it we'll be getting our bulbs planted in anticipation of spring, blowing out our sprinkler systems and making sure we have plenty of de-icer and snow shovels in the ready.  That is what life with four seasons is like.  Did I mention we can hardly wait?

In the meantime, enjoy the garden tour that Tootsie hosts each week.  Head over to Fertilizer Friday to see what is going on all over the world (!) and maybe, just maybe, learn something new.

Fertilizer Friday--Season is winding down.

Nature's bounty...

Look at what our apple trees have produced thus far this year.  Isn't this absolutely amazing?

Buttercup took these fabulous pictures of our first apple harvest and there are still a ton of apples on the tree.

Our tomatoes look fabulous.  They all started growing well and bearing fruit.

Now we're just praying for the freeze to hold off long enough for them to ripen.

We had pollination issues with our zucchinis and pumpkins (as in, they weren't pollinated unless we did it manually with paintbrushes!), so we've planted some "bee attracting" echinacea in hopes that we'll have better luck next year.  (Anybody have any other tips?)

We'll be wrapping things up in the next few weeks.  Two bags of bulbs need to be planted and our poppy seeds need to be planted.  Our vegetable garden needs to be cleaned up and prepared for winter.  I love this time of year, as fall is making herself known and summer is having her last fling.  I'll miss all my flowers, but I like the downtime that winter provides.

Head over to Tootsie's place and join Fertilizer Friday.  You can always learn something new and at the least see some gorgeous gardens.

Fertilizer Friday - Road Trip Edition

I'm on the road today, taking a quick little vacation with my kids and some friends.  Before I head off, though, I thought I'd share some pictures of things that caught my eye this week.

Look at these sunflowers!  Aren't they gorgeous?  They were on sale at my local Albertson's for the low, low price of $5.99.  I bought some for myself, bought some for my neighbor, and even bought a bouquet for my aunt.  They're just amazingly vibrant and are such a wonderful way to help me get in the mood for summer to wind down.

My aunt has a summer cabin on Priest Lake in Idaho.  Every year she invites us up to visit her while she's got her cabin open (she lives in Minnesota).  Wednesday was a beautiful day.  Fluffy clouds and blue skies...looks like a postcard, but we were sitting right there.

The kids love to swim in the lake.

Buttercup spent her entire time in the water. (Do you see how clear the water is?  It was like looking through glass.) 

Valiant even tied a bag around his cast and got into the water.

I snapped these gorgeous little wildflowers on the way up the hill as we headed back to our car.  Aren't they pretty?

Oh, and all my "clearance" plants have been planted and are enjoying life at the Nagle homestead. 

Head over to Tootsie's to see what everyone else is sharing for Fertilizer Friday this week...some gardens are winding down and some are just hitting their stride. 

Fertilizer Friday - Evening Edition!

Phew!  Fertilizer Friday already - where does the time go? What a busy day...I Skyped with Superman this morning, the last of our kittens has now been fixed, my back was adjusted by my amazing chiropractor, and I even managed to go to lunch with a bunch of the ladies in my neighborhood.  Still, it wasn't dark when I got back from picking up the kitten from the vet, so I headed outside with my camera to show you some of our mid-summer garden progress.

Look at this lily.  I got these bulbs on clearance from Home Depot last year and really had no idea what would come up.  This bloom is already four days old and it has been HOT here...still, it is gorgeous, isn't it?

My neighbor gave me this plant.  I can't remember what it is called, but I keep moving the pot around to see where it will shine in my garden.  The reddish leaves make it stand-out amongst the rest of the greenery.

The zucchini and pumpkin plants are doing well, too.  They're actually loving the heat...we just harvested 3 zucchini last week.

The koi love it when I add water to the pond...too bad they won't pose for pictures!

The apple tree is bearing so much fruit, now I have to figure out how to save it from the birds!

Even the tomatoes are getting into the act.

Finally, these orange day lilies have been blooming beautifully...see?

There you have it...the Nagle5 garden Mid-summer 2010.  What is going on in your world these days?

What a Difference a Day (and modern drugs) Makes!!

I woke up feeling much better than yesterday; a phenomena I attribute fully to the power of Doxycycline and ibuprofin.  (Sorry about the whining post.)  Regardless of the reason for my improved health, I am grateful.  Grateful enough that I'm combining two posts into one and joining both Shoot Me (23 of 52)...

...and Fertilizer Friday with this post.
 

The days here, like in so many parts of the country, have been unseasonably HOT and my potted plants have needed some tender loving care.  The sun is HOT, however, hot enough that I've been forced to drag out my sun hat, which doesn't stay on well, but does shade my face.

As you can see, I'm still under the weather and feeling tired, but being outside feels fantastic, even with the hot sun.

My garden makes me smile and I love spending time in it.  If you had told me give years ago that I would be a budding gardener, I would have said you were crazy and yet, I love it.  It is so gratifying.

Here is a glimpse of the back of my house as viewed from the backyard.  When we bought the house, the deck was uncovered and bare.  There were overgrown bushes everywhere and we didn't even know that was an apple tree.  (It didn't produce fruit for the first two years we lived here.)  Look at it now!  Covered deck looking out onto a gorgeous garden.  Superman and I did it all, with the help of our children, the donations of plants from generous neighbors, oh, and five 8 yard dumpsters stuffed full of ripped up, overgrown, plants.  I love how it has all come together.

These  lily-type plants with little purple flowers were gifts from a neighbor who was desperate to get rid of some.  You just separate them the way you do day lilies and plant the sections. They grow so quickly, they already need to be thinned.  The petunias in the hanging pots were wintered over in my dearly departed greenhouse.    (The silly lights are Buttercup's under deck lights, but something chewed through the wire last winter, so I have to get them fixed.)

Sorry for the horrible picture, but this is our koi pond.  I don't even remember what was here before...I don't think anything other than overgrown bushes, but maybe Superman will remember better than I.  It has a waterfall that burbles all the time.  I love the sound of the water feature.  Since two of our koi were roughly 2 feet long, we found new homes for them and only have two little ones in the pond these days.

Not part of the view, but still amazing are these Asiatic lilies...look how many we have!  The pink color has faded, but they're still gorgeous.  (Doesn't the football add that little something?  Yes, this yard gets used!)

Superman, look at the day lilies we transplanted last year...we put them along the fence to add some no maintenance color and they are doing so well.  They obviously love this strip of fence because they don't look like stragglers, do they?

Oh, and look at our squash...they obviously have no problem with the lasagna gardening technique I used to plant them.

So, there you have it, my garden tour for this week.  All these plans make for a beautiful view out my window as I sit at my computer.  I love sitting down here, listening to the waterfall and looking out at the fruits of my/our labors.  Head over to Tootsie's to see what everyone else is up to.  Oh, and don't forget to join in the fun at Forever in Blue Jeans...get yourself in the picture.  You won't regret it.  (Three more and I'll be halfway through!)

Fertilizer Friday--Rainy Day Edition

I know I've been a no-show to Fertilizer Friday, but it is not because my garden isn't doing anything.  Really!  On the contrary, our garden is thriving.  Unfortunately, my life is crazy chaotic right now and blogging is play I'm struggling to make time for.

Still, I love Fertilizer Friday and decided that I'm allowed to run a week behind until life calms down.  To that end, I took pictures last week (which I intended to post last week) that I'm sharing this week. 

It is pouring rain today and I can't do yard work (darn!) and pictures taken today won't be particularly good, so having pictures from last week is just perfect.

My Asiatic lilies are blooming...

Our littlest apple tree as tons of fruit.  (Superman, this is the one by the back fence...go figure!)

My broccoli formed florets too soon and so their tiny. Does anyone know why they're doing this?

Our tomatoes are doing really well.  The one we wintered is already producing fruit...and the ones we started as seeds are thriving.

Finally, our squash plants are going crazy and our lettuce is loving life.  Growing plants from seeds I've sown has been so rewarding.  Yes, I'm still making mistakes, but I'm just so gratified to have the success I've had.  We've already harvested a zucchini and it wasn't even July.  We've got an orange-sized pumpkin on the vine already and more zucchini on their way.  It is so weird (but good).

So, there you have it!  Our Fertilizer Friday contribution.  The Nagle5 have been working hard to make our gardens grow this year and we're having fun doing it.  And really, isn't that what it is all about?

Head over to Tootsie's to see what everyone else is sharing this week.  You'll be amazed.  Me?  Oh, I'm enjoying the rain...it came just in time and now I don't have to feel guilty for not wanting to mow the lawns!  Yippee!

Fertilizer Friday...Rainy Week Edition

In our region of the world, our last freeze date is supposed to be May 15th.  Unfortunately, we got a surprise late freeze last week and people had some serious damage.  Fortunately, my plants did fine...we covered them for the night and they were fine in the morning.  Since then we've had a few days of warm weather followed by gentle rain for the past few days.  The plants have loved it.  I am so excited that my garden is doing so well.  It makes my heart smile to see all these plants I started from seed. 




Tomatoes and peppers from seed.  Why did I say both?  Because I can't tell which is which, so I don't know if the picture I took is of a pepper or a tomato (but I think it is a tomato).

The squash patch...this is where I did the lasagna gardening and just put my not-quite-done compost material on the dirt, mixed it around a bit, and called it good enough.  The pumpkins and zucchini seem to be fine with it.

My broccoli and lettuce are doing well in the actual garden space.  I have two watermelons that survived the drama of the spring, but I'm thinking I lost my last surviving cantaloupe. 

My verbena and cosmos and even my petunias are doing well, too.  Did I mention that Tootsie taught me how to harvest my own petunia seeds.  (White seemed the most prevalent last fall, so I have a lot of white petunias this year!)  I'm just so excited to see them all.

Fertilizer Friday is the time to share our gardens...our triumphs and our failures.  Tootsie's encouragement and all the other bloggers who jump in each week have definitely made me enjoy my garden and gardening so much more.  Head over to Tootsie's and see what is going on around the gardening world...it is always inspiring.