Vegetables to the Rescue

My well thought-out flower garden, especially the part I see from my bedroom window, is a sad sight.  I had pinned my hopes on veronica speedwell 'eveline', a deep pink veronica, carrying on all summer long.  It will bloom again, in a week or two.  Now there are few blooms and little color.

The lawn is even sadder - full of dead and dried out spots.  My less than perfect lawn prep of 25 years ago always haunts me in mid-summer.  The lawn is uneven.  When mowed, the high parts are shaved rather than cut - leading to burned-out patches.

I always find redemption in my husband's vegetable garden.  Despite frequent, heavy rains that knocked the young fruit off the tomato plants early in the season, it looks like we will have a good crop.  My husband followed a neighbor's lead, and added several loads of compost, free at our town dump, to the vegetable patch.  Even though the tomatoes have not ripened, there are lots of them, and they look healthy.

We have been harvesting green beans, zucchini, and cucumbers. Butternut squash, a surprise plant, will be ready to be picked soon.

The squash blossoms are lovely to look at.  Some day I will try cooking them.  The zucchini will be ready in a day or two.