It's always a bit of a thrill when the garden begins producing. One evening this week I thought I'd go out with a small bowl and see how many ripe strawberries there might be. I ended up returning to the kitchen for a bigger bowl and filling it to the brim. Sweet and juicy strawberries are a great way to kick off almost-summer.
Then I pulled up a bunch of radishes. I got mine in late this year; usually they are the first thing to harvest.
To go along with dinner last night I paired the radishes with cucumber, fresh snipped chives, and a simple dressing with olive oil, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Crisp and delicious. Bring on summer food!
My potting bench needed a serious tidying up, so that was done this weekend. I cleaned up the paperwhites from Christmas (still in their glass containers), scrubbed pots, threw away old plastic pots, and swept off the bench. It looks much better now and is actually usable for potting, not just for throwing things onto.
The stars of the garden just now are the roses and peonies. I'm torn between clipping them for the house and leaving them in the garden. Fortunately, there are enough to satisfy both places.
I've been talking to the roses and peonies out in the garden, complimenting them on their showiness. I do it quietly as I wouldn't want the neighbours to think me entirely batty.
A day or two ago, I heard my neighbour talking: "Good morning, Mrs. Robin," she said, "I can hear you singing your pretty song."
Instantly, I felt better. Do you talk to your garden or the wildlife that happens by?
Linking with Mosaic Monday, hosted by Maggie of Normandy Life.
That last part made me smile! I don't talk to my garden, but I certainly have conversations with the birds and rabbits and squirrels and the occasional cat who pass through my yard!
ReplyDeleteLuxury is having enough peonies for the garden and the house!
You are definitely ahead of us gardenwise. Strawberries are coming but nowhere near ripe. The roses like yours are looking beautiful though. Yes I talk to the garden, flowers, birds whatever is there. It’s very therapeutic:) B x
ReplyDeleteI always talk to my garden! Plants thrive on encouragement. Your roses and peonies are far ahead of ours, and are so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThat cucumber/radish salad looks divine. Happy Mosaic Monday
ReplyDeletemuch love...
Yes, I do. I yell at the squirrels scrambling up and over anything, I chatter with the chipmunk and the birds, and I sympathize with the flowers for their having such a bad gardener who does not water them as she should.
ReplyDeleteNow I want to chat about nuts and bolts...I see you have followed some others in this new blog format. It makes a post appear beautifully on the page and it also holds a comment without flipping out. On the other hand, there are things I do not like about it. Just wondering how you are finding it.
I talk to my trees all the time, not my plants just my trees. Your garden looks fantastic, enjoy!
ReplyDeleteIt looks as if you gone serging ahead of my garden here - my strawberries are still white.
ReplyDeleteI never thought about pairing radishes with cucumber but it looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteI didn't get any radishes planted this year...Maybe in the fall. Your salad sounds wonderful and your peonies are beautiful. I do talk to my plants and the wildlife!
ReplyDeleteA stunning mosaic! I don't think I've ever talked to the garden; I'll have to see if the Gardener does. Our garden is about to produce and we've barely had to water with all the rain. Nice.
ReplyDeleteTotally, totally gorgeous. I'm ready for summer food, too. Although having said that, we had thunderstorms and flooding all day yesterday and all I really wanted was a hearty bowl of lentil soup! x
ReplyDeletewe are now naming the critters that appear on our night vision camera in the woods. !!!! so far we have had the camera capture a raccoon raiding our birdfeeder, (Raider is his name) and a lovely little deer in the forest meadow. She's names Miss Vito after the deer scene in My cousin vinny.
ReplyDeleteOh, what pretty garden goodies! Yes, I talk to my garden buddies. I talk to the geckos that live in the pots on my terrace, and once we had a hawk family that lived in one of our trees. It would sit on the branch above me as I worked in the garden and I would talke to it. Amazingly, it would sit and listen to me, moving its head as if wondering what I was saying.
ReplyDeleteLOL Lorrie now I am thinking that knowing me even as we do from afar, you must know that I speak softly of course to the wildlife. I have names for a few of the Deer and I promise they know their names. Especially Mannie the Doe of twin buck fawns last season. She is expecting again and she assuredly knows my voice and her name ;) As for talking to the plant life...it's usually not so much how beautiful you are, but more like now what I have I done to allow you to look so shabby, you were just starting to look so pretty ;) Yes I talk to all of nature as I walk along it's path~
ReplyDeleteThe strawberries look divine and the salad so good. A fantastic rosemosaic.
ReplyDeleteI definitely talk to the wildlife. But I have outgrown talking to my plants (only because I don't have a garden any more ;>). I do love looking at the beautiful ones created by others -- thank you for sharing yours. I'm looking forward to Oregon strawberries when we get home. (They ripen here in Florida in February/March, which is still fun and a novelty, but honestly they aren't anywhere near as delicious as the ones in the Pacific Northwest!) And roses!!!! Peonies remain a memory because I'm pretty sure they'll be gone by the time we get home.
ReplyDeleteYour strawberries look delicious...nothing tastes sweeter than home grown! Love your roses and peonies. I haven't been talking to mine....I must change that! heehee! I smile at them...does that count? Enjoy your day!
ReplyDeleteI do talk to the birds, at least. On the walking path and in my garden, it often seems that one or another of them is being friendly with me. Also, when we are the only ones around, I want to acknowledge our companionship!
ReplyDeleteSuch pretty flowers! I'm still waiting for my peonies to bloom...
ReplyDeleteI don't really talk to the flowers (I'm not much of a gardener), but my neighbours have probably heard me yelp out loud when I accidentally stumble onto a creepy crawly while weeding. Heh.
P.S. Nice new layout!
Whether they be of strawberries, veggies or flowers...your photos are beautiful! I like your potting bench.
ReplyDeleteDearest Lorrie; How wonderful that you can enjoy your own fruits,vegetables and flowers♡♡♡
ReplyDeleteI could see you have fun or blessed feeling growing them by reading "singing" part♪ By the way, I didn't know the word "batty" p;-) Your potting bench looks really tidy and handy.
I can see you you have changed your format of your blog, really great♧♧♧
I have done anything to my blog; so I don't understand what to think about E-mail issue we have.
Thank you so much for your sweet comment and Have a wonderful rest of the week.
Sending Lots of Love and Hugs from Japan to my Dear friend, xoxo Miyako*
How wonderful that your strawberries are full in the bigger bowl!
ReplyDeleteThey look so fresh, and I see the rich soil for the radishes.I believe you must have taken care a lot for the harvest. Your flowers are so lovely.
I like your potting bench,which reminds me of my old white bench painted by me.
That was the one my mother-in-law used as a tea table around 70 years ago.
I found the table thrown way in a hut. I decided to paint it white as my potting bench.
The old table revived again.
Your new blog format is so lovely. Sorry, honestly, I almost missed your post!!!
Where is your blue header with pretty shell buttons?(#^.^#)😊
Have a good new week、Lorrie.
Here in PA I tried for several years to grow strawberries in a raised bed. I was very successful until we had too much rain / they would end up with a fungus etc. Nice to see your success! :)
ReplyDeletetesting again
ReplyDeleteI’m envious of your garden full of peonies and roses, which must be the result of your green thumb. The mosaic is perfectly lovely. The look of radish/cucumber salad whets my appetite. Your potting bench looks tidy, all the tools look ready to be used.
ReplyDeleteYoko
Oh my Lorrie, your homegrown produce looks so incredible, and that salad...yes, please! Yes, I talk to the birds in my garden, and shoo off the squirrels.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your visit to my blog. My comments aren't being emailed for some reason, but I wanted to thank you for your sweet comment.
Your peonies are wonderful! I love this time of year in the garden!
ReplyDeleteI love your delightful garden and it's delicious produce. Oh, those roses and promise are superb!
ReplyDeleteThat's beautiful - things just suddenly take off don't they - your garden produce looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteHi Lorrie, You certainly do have a green thumb!! Those strawberries look luscious, and your peonies are just spectacular!! Unfortunately, we've had so much rain here that most of the strawberries ended up as mush. So sad, as we just love strawberries. I like your potting bench. :D I agree with you about bringing on the summer food. I am a tad worried about what kind of local produce will be available in our area, due to the extensive rain and flooding we're having.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have a great weekend!
Warm hugs,
Denise
Lorrie - those strawberries and radishes just jump off the page - so colorful and juicy looking. No surprise your salad has me salivating as well.
ReplyDeleteI certainly do talk to my plants and to the wildlife - the difference is I don't have any neighbors nearby to think I am batty!
Beautiful mosaic. Peonies are a favorite around here. What a lovely bounty of strawberries and radishes. The salad looks so refreshing. Happy June to you!
ReplyDeleteLorrie, love this post! I really must revive my garden. All I have to do is go to the garden center and get some soil amendments and plants, but I can't seem to get around to it! If I keep looking at your garden photos, though, I'm sure to get motivated!
ReplyDeleteI just love summer foods ...
ReplyDeleteWe had some wonderful British strawberries earlier ... delicious!
Happy June Wishes.
All the best Jan
Now those are some great looking berries! Even the salad looks great and I am not a fan of radishes. I will start potting up plants this weekend. So I better clean off my bench. :) Kit
ReplyDeleteYour peonies are gorgeous!!! And strawberries and radishes, what a wonderful early gift from the garden. I did buy a bunch of strawberries today and are they ever yummy. Your berries are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteGracious me at your garden of plenty! Those radishes look good enough to eat or paint! And I laughed at the thought of talking to my plants... of course I do, doesn't everyone? 😉
ReplyDelete