Where did the Summer go???

We have been so busy, I think Summer packed up & left without even saying good bye.  School registration was last week and the first day of school started  August 8th.   We have been swimming at our local YMCA, gardening, redo out master bedroom (more from that Summer project to come), crafting and reading all Summer.  

Our Garden has out done itself this year.  We have enjoyed sharing all our produce with our friends, neighbors and family.

Here is a few pictures from July/August:

Those are the Cherry Tomato trees bushes behind Baby J.  Last time we measured they were around 8 foot, crazy people just crazy I tell you!

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So last Saturday Dave started picking the garden and tying up all the super heavy plants and Baby J brought in what you see in my sink below.......and then..........

He just keep bringing in bowl after bowl.

After BOWL of tomatoes

I ended up canning 4 quarts of homemade tomato sauce & 4 pints of salsa 

Dad's great little helpers

We gave away tons of cherry tomatoes this weekend to our neighbors and my hubby brought a gallon ziplock of them up to his work Monday.

Link parties:

Cullen Gardens July 2011

Wow this summer is flying by so fast.  We have been busy swimming, vacationing, planning a complete redesign of our master bedroom, my husband has been refinishing an antique bed for our youngest peep and of course we have been gardening.  I'm not sure if it was the rain, soil, sun or the PERFECT combination of them but our garden has grown beyond words...........just take a look.

My husband picks around 30 to 50 yellow and red cherry tomatoes every day!! By the afternoon there are atleast a dozen more ripe and ready to pick.  Our neighbors are very happy campers, fresh FREE produce right next door!  You can't beat that~

Bell Peppers, sweet banana peppers and mild jalapenos (or at least the ones I made fresh Pico de gallo last week were mild) CRAZY Yummy

  

Our Roma Tomatoes are finally coming in too.

 

And the flowers:

This is our first year ever planting Gladiolas.  Guess where I got them??? Dollar Tree of all places.  I think there were 5-6 bulbs in a bag for a $1.  So far I have had the beautiful peach color below, the dark purple and right now a deep burgundy red bloom.  Needless to say I am very pleased with my dollar store finds.

Crepe Myrtles are a southern gardeners staple.  This one is a Candy Cane Crepe Myrtle that forgot it's top half was suppose the match its bottom half.  All the bottom limbs are the red candy cane color and the top is white but still very beautiful.

~Happy Gardening~

Cullen Gardens : June 2011

~ Cullen Gardens ~
We are in full bloom around here!

Hydrangea

 

Orange Lilies

    

  Rose of Sharon: 

This is a great hot weather plant, very drought tolerant.  Mine started out and bare root plant that was around 1 foot tall, now it is around 15 foot tall and 8 foot wide.

 

More Hydrangeas

Manda villa vine, just getting started.  My goal is for it to cover the ugly chain link fence this year.  And this is the vine to do the job,  once Manda villa Vine get started they spread like crazy and bloom all summer long, They are very drought tolerant, I planted this one in the driest part of our back yard.

I have never had my caladium bloom, so seeing this was a great surprise, now I just need the three plants I put out to take off and grow big Big BIG!!!

My yellow lilies in the front berm look beautiful!!!  I bought them two year ago at Lowe's on the clearance rack after Easter for around $1.50 each,  The blooms were almost done but I knew that the next Spring they would be beautiful all over again.  Now two years later they are triple the size and all the neighbors love my yard! (Big smiles from me)

I do not have any type of brick or metal border around my berm.  I didn't want to have one that had to be reset/leveled or the weeds pulled out of it or anything my husband could hit with the lawn mower.  This is a natural border, all it takes is a little work around the edges about every couple of weeks.  My husband does clean up the grass edge with the weed eater and cuts a sharp 90 degree edge when the grass starts growing good in the Summer.  I call it my paisley shape berm, my husband calls it an amoeba.... I find that offensive for some reason, I much prefer calling it my cute paisley print berm.    

My little peep approves!

These are Stella d'Oro daylily from my mother in law.  This is the second year they have been in the front berm and she was right they grow fast, I will be thinning them out at the end of the season.

Our Vegetable Garden:

Zucchini

 The blooms are so beautiful on these plants.  Today I spied the first zucchini growing, I'm so excited.  I consider the plants just growing a success.  They never ever grow for me, I mean NEVER!  But this year is looking up!!!!

 Tomatoes: 
Yellow & Red cherry tomatoes
Yellow tomatoes (less acidic)
Roma
Better Boys
Big Boys
Plum tomatoes

  Lots of fresh basil to go with all our tomatoes this year.

 Flat Leaf Parsley too...

Other herbs growing in our yard: Rosemary, fennel & chives

Cullen Veg. Garden

Our backyard: June 4, 2011

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I forgot to add this little find!  

I was thrifting at my favorite secondhand store and came across this umbrella stand for $4.  I think it will be perfect in my garden......somewhere.......maybe with a fern stuck in the top or an ivy vine growing around it!  

I love finding treasures like this!  So what would you do with it, have an idea, please share!

Happy gardening and STAY COOL!!!!!
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