Tuesday, June 3, 2014

A bountiful walk



In need of basil to make pesto, I took a basket, some snippers and walked out to the greenhouse. On my way, I passed Ralph's vegetable garden where I noticed some ripe tomatoes so I picked them and put them in the bottom of the basket.

A little further along by the barn, I was greeted by a scattering of Rudbeckia hirta, bright black-eyed Susan blooms. Some were streaked with brown while the petals on others were pure yellow.  How I love their cheery appearance.
 

 

I hadn't been in the greenhouse for several days.  It's generally Ralph's domain, although I'm always welcome especially if I want to weed. Weeds were lush, so I pulled quite a few before settling in to gather the basil leaves I had come for.  Before leaving, I also picked some cherry tomatoes and one huge ripe red pepper.  Nice surprises.

On the way back home, I stopped to take a few pictures of some persimmons, which are growing bigger although far from ready to pick.


Persimmons will turn orange in late September when they're ripe 


By the lake, a clump of Blue Timber Bamboo (Bambusa chungii) caught my eye.  I can't believe how huge it has gotten over the years.  I think we planted it in 2007.  Over that time, its grown into such a thick, tight clump, you'd never know it started out as two separate 3-gallon plants spaced 6-feet apart.  When it was first planted, each plant only had one or two canes.  To say they have a lot more now would be stating the obvious.


You can estimate how tall the bamboo is by comparing it to the two chairs on the left 


New Blue Timber Bamboo shoots began to appear in April and will continue to do so now through early November.  What a spectacular plant!


It only takes 45 days for new shoots like the one on the left to grow as tall or taller than the existing canes.  Bamboo is so amazing!


My walk out to the greenhouse for a few basil leaves turned into a mini-excursion.  I not only returned home with a basket of herbs and vegetables, I fed my senses with beautiful blooms, lovely plants and interesting observation of nature at work.  It was a bountiful walk indeed.


I'm not the only one who appreciates Rudbeckia blooms.  Seems like this hungry grasshopper does too.

2 comments:

  1. I just ;ove walking thru the garden in the late afternoon,expecially if I have a glass of wine with me....It is so peaceful and relaxes me.

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    1. I like your idea of a glass of wine...but how would I hold it? My hands were already full with camera, basket and snippers. Ah well, hot tea was waiting for me when I got home.

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