The local farmers’ market started yesterday. I always get at least two lavenders there – ‘Lady’ and ‘French Fringed’, which are consistently sold by one of the longest-running organic farms there and not usually hardy here – as well as cooking thyme if it hasn’t survived the winter and some six-packs of annuals. So this week I got both lavenders and the cooking thyme, as well as lemon thyme, an especially pretty geranium (this one has petals with bright pink outer petals and white inner petals, as well as unusual leaves that are much darker in the rest of the leaf than the very outer edges) and six-packs of marigold ‘Safari Red’, marigold ‘Honeycomb’, and generic mixed gazanias, all from one farm I’ve been buying plants from for many years.
I also found out that the farm that’s been selling the best, most robust perennials I’ve ever had the pleasure to grow is leaving the business after sixteen years, and next week will be their final time at our farmers’ market, so I got two perennials from them (at least half their week’s plants had been sold in the first half-hour of the market by fellow panic buyers, so by the time I stopped there, their stock was already limited), monkshood ‘Sparks’ AKA ‘Spark’s Variety’ and delphinium ‘Butterfly Blue’. The farmers told me that unlike other delphiniums, this one prefers full sun and likes hot conditions, so that’s where I planted it when I got home yesterday, and so far it’s doing great even though I haven’t even taken the time to hand-water it and it’s almost eighty F and brilliantly sunny today. According to the farmers, monkshood ‘Sparks’ can easily attain heights of six to eight feet (two-plus meters) and is completely unfazed by strong winds. Today I poked about a bit online and so far, nothing comes even close to that estimate. However, I think it’s the monkshood grown by a local gardening friend and hers easily reaches five feet, often more. I don’t know if New England is a better place to grow it than the climates of what I’ve been reading or what else. I’ll be curious to see what height it gets to in the garden here.
There’s a new farm at the market this year that specializes in herbs, and yesterday they had a stand full of herb plants, but they didn’t have any signs identifying themselves as organic and the staff wasn’t the friendliest yesterday so I didn’t ask them about it, and am not sure yet whether they use pesticides/etc. or whether they are like some of the other farms and just aren’t certified as organic despite using all-organic practices (which means that they’re not allowed to use the term, now that the US government has a certification process for it). There are a few other farms at the market that are the latter, so I know it’s a possibility. Hopefully I’ll get to ask them next week. They had some gorgeous geraniums, but I forced myself to stop at buying the one from the other farm. My geranium fanaticism is getting to be a bit much.
On Tuesday (the 27th) we had severe storms, thunder rattling the buildings with rain coming so fast and thick that the gutters couldn’t hold it all and it rolled off the roof in waves, pouring past my windows as I stood at one watching newly fallen rain blow off other roofs before it even had a chance to roll off. This rain has apparently been most excellent for the garden, as so much more has been happening in it since.
For example, some of the California poppies have finally abruptly budded; here’s one:
The sundial lupine has continued its blooming progression:
A third bud has formed since the rain, too.
The blue-on-blue felicias have gone crazy, tons of their buds opening now.
The salpiglossis have budded:
Shown here with stock (peach bloom in center), euphorbia (upper left), and quicksilver (silvery fuzzy leaves on right).
Some of the new stuff –
Marigold ‘Honeycomb’
It is one of my favorite marigolds.
Marigold ‘Safari Red’
Lemon thyme
Gazania (orange) with pansies and a snapdragon
Most of the gazanias at the farm stand were already blooming. I picked a pack in oranges and yellows to balance out the (still not blooming) ‘Talent Mix’ gazanias I bought at the nursery. In my experience ‘Talent Mix’ tends to bloom primarily in mauve and pale yellow.
Another gazania (two blooms)
The two bronzy-leaved plants and the variegated one are all lantanas. The two are ‘Lavender Trailing’ and the third is a new-to-me (not sure if it’s new-in-general) one, ‘Samantha’. I’ve grown ‘Lavender Trailing’ several times before and it’s the one lantana I try to grow every year. ‘Samantha’ is budded (has been since I planted it) but has not yet bloomed. It’s supposed to bloom in a lemony yellow.
Another gazania
I don’t know if you can see the tiny pollinator on one of the perennial sweet alyssum blooms down below the gazania in this shot. This is the first year I’ve grown perennial sweet alyssum and I’ve been amazed at just how big a hit it is with small pollinators (many of whom also go on to either kill pests or lay eggs that turn into hatchlings that kill pests).
One more gazania
Dianthus ‘Double North’ with lavender foliage and iris foliage
This one’s new at the nursery this year. I got it there recently and planted it yesterday. It’s got a nice fragrance.
The front garden, half in sun and half in shadow:
