Apricot Poppy and Non-Stop Sun

 

Now that the "sun switch" has been turned on, our suburban vegetable garden has reached a nice state: The plants have come into their own but have not yet gone wild.  Well, that is, all but the flowering phlox.  The phlox (not shown here) is another story.  Phlox is considered a bit of a "thug" plant by perennial gardeners in Oregon because of its rampant spreading tendencies.  It has systematically crowded out our strawberries and is now threatening our few blueberry bushes.  Furthermore, it has paid no attention to our property line and has spread unrestrained into our neighbor's yard.  I have begun an earnest campaign to eradicate it but as my husband pointed out, it will continue to trouble us as it will simply march back across the property line! 

I am almost finished reading Barbara Kingsolver's 2007 book, Vegetable, Animal, Miracle. Even though I have been tuned into the local, organic, sustainable food movement for over ten years, and my husband has faithfully planted and maintained our vegetable gardens for twenty-seven years, I gleaned many new insights from Kingsolver's book, which also features contributions from her biologist husband and her grown daughter. I wouldn't say it is a particularly fast read; rather it moves along at an enjoyably leisurely pace with each chapter reinforcing the tenets set forth in prior chapters. 

While on the subject, I feel compelled to mention, again, the lovely book that Kerstin Svendsen edited, From Orchards, Fields, and Gardens, first appearing on this blog here.  Such a simple, beautiful and moving book. . . . .

Hope this week is treating you well!

And thanks for following!