I received my monthly newsletter from Hudson Gardens today and here is what’s happening for the month of September:

As the summer continues and the hot weather seems to go on and on….FOREVER, do you find yourself spending less and less time in the garden? I know I do. Usually, this equals some plants getting neglected, with the biggest victims being any pots. That’s one reason I always shy away from doing pots. There were a few years I had a whole drip system set up for all my pots in the backyard, but ever since we introduced the CRAZY DOGS into our lives, well…that has gone by the wayside. (that’s OK, I’m going to my happy place now. I love my dogs, I love my dogs…)

So, let’s talk about how the Topsy Turvy planters are doing. They would be better if I didn’t accidentally skip watering days every so often. It seems that for the last month or so I’ve not been able to skip a single day without MAJOR wilting going on. Yesterday was one of those days. I even took a picture to show you just how bad I’ve been. I’m not too proud to expose myself. You’ll be happy to hear I just watered them…

Whatever you do, don’t just give up and let it all die. Tuck your tail under, put your pride aside, and get out there and water your plants. You might be surprised what comes back with a little bit of attention.

What’s been really cool is that nearly every day over the last several weeks I’ve been picking tomatoes, peppers, and herbs to use in my cooking. My dogs now know the saying “OK, let’s go water the tomatoes”! They head right over to the gate, come into the garden area with me and watch me as I water everything. Such smart pups!

Late summer does offer its own wonderful flowers, with Rudbeckia as the star of the show. I have planted them everywhere. Roses are also making a comeback as they begin putting on their second flowering of the season.

There’s nothing more awesome in the garden than long lasting flowers. Even though daylily individual flowers only last a day or two, the entire plant usually produces a long series of flowers spanning several weeks. That, in my book, is good enough for me to put the daylily in my group of favorite long lasting flowers in my July Denver garden. Don’t you think?

Over the years I’ve collected several varieties of daylilies. Not all of them have grown into their final size yet. Many of them are continuing to only producing a handful of flower stalks. But still I love them so.

One thing I really love about them is that they are so very easy to transplant and to divide up. Also, they are not picky about soil, which is a good thing considering my soil that I can create clay pots out of. LOL!

So without further ado, here are pictures I’ve taken over the last few weeks of my darling, lovely daylilies. Hope you enjoy them.

Beauty abounds in the garden in July. The sweet scent of tall trumpet lilies fill the evening air.  Daylilies are in full swing, except for a few of them that bloom later anyway.  The promise of hoards of golden rudbeckia flowers are just around the corner.

This is the time of year I wished I lived on at least an acre, instead of my postage-stamp sized suburban lot. All I can think of are the other plants I don’t have room for. A bit of plant-envy, if you will.

red geraniums

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Gosh, I can’t believe it’s been 10 days since I posted last! Where does the time go?

Thought you would all appreciate seeing how the Topsy Turvy planters are doing.

I read somewhere that end of June and early July is the right time for including some more plant food in with the watering, so that’s what I did. The article said that if you’ve been watering regularly and creating a nice and strong support system of new growth, then the abundance of new fruit the added plant food produces will have stronger branches to support their weight. I don’t know. Sounded good to me.

The Roma tomatoes are growing like gang-busters, with over a dozen clusters of tomatoes doing their thing.  We’ve been able to pluck 2 of them and popped them in our mouths today. Sweet goodness!

Roma tomato plant is seriously heavy!

Bunches and bunches of new Roma tomatoes on their way!

Roma tomatoes getting bigger and bigger each time

The patio tomatoes look plump and round, just like little green apples right now. I’ve even seen a few of the beefsteak tomatoes the last few days. Not sure that was the right choice for the Topsy Turvy planter, but we’ll see as they get bigger.

Patio tomatoes look a bit like little green apples, don't they?

I’m most impressed with what looks like a bumper crop of banana peppers. I’ve been gathering a few recipes that sound like they are sure to please the tastebuds! Will fill you all in when I’ve been able to harvest a few and make my fresh-to-order goodies. The giant marconi sweet peppers are still happy and growing. These are supposed to get about 8 inches long. I’m not sure how much longer I can wait until I am able to grab a few, though. Looking forward to tossing some on the grill.

There seems to be a bad spot on one of the new bell peppers. Might have to cut that one off.

The first of the Anaheim peppers arrived! Just one. At least for now.

More banana peppers

Banana peppers anyone?

Giant Marconi are looking good!

More bell peppers

My first Anaheim pepper

The basil, oregano, cilantro and other pepper plants have taken over one of the Topsy Turvy planters. Can barely see it at all now.

Topsy Turvy planter with herbs and peppers is nearly overgrown!

A few of the sweet and bell peppers were ready to harvest…so I did. I can’t even tell you how scrumptious the banana pepper smells.

Need to cut these goodies up and have a nice, healthy snack on this warm summer evening. Bon Appetit!

My first picking of peppers and cherry tomatoes

Just a quick update on the Topsy Turvy tomatoes and peppers.

My last update mentioned that the Roma tomatoes weren’t producing new fruit. OK…I was wrong. I just didn’t see them. There are AT LEAST 6 more clusters of roma tomatoes growing, in various size stages.

A few of these new clusters look a bit deformed. What’s up with that? I’m sure it was something I did. Very odd looking indeed!

Deformed Roma Tomatoes

What’s even more surprising, the first group of tomatoes to appear are starting to turn red. R-E-D!!
They are still a bit small, though. Only about an inch and a half to two inches.

Roma Tomatoes turning RED

Roma Tomatoes beginning to turn color

The cherry tomatoes now also have several clusters growing, too. Can you spot them?

Can you see the cherry tomatoes?

Not to be outdone in the surprise department, look what has been hiding in the foliage! I JUST saw this banana pepper bad boy the other day, but it’s obviously been visible for several weeks now.  They are supposed to grow to about 6 inches, and this one is nearly there!!

You should have seen me do my happy dance. Hopefully none of the neighbors saw me.

Surprise! Banana pepper makes an appearance.

The sweet peppers are coming along nicely. Here’s an updated image for you. It’ll be interesting when it starts turning to the orange color it’s supposed to end up with. Will keep you posted.

I have about 3 sweet pepper plants and each of them have at least one each about the same size as below. Still, there are a lot of flowers on each of them and hopefully they’ll all turn into lovely peppers for me.

Orange sweet pepper

Joy, joy, joy!

I harvested about 8 sprigs of fresh cilantro today, about 3 – 4 inches long each. This is my first experience with growing cilantro (or even cooking with cilantro) so I was a bit surprised when my fingers smelled like citrus. Not sure what I expected, but it wasn’t citrus. Thought it might be more “herb-y”. You know what I mean, right?

I searched on www.allrecipes.com for a pico de gallo recipe and selected the first one, then made a few changes. Not that I know anything about making homemade pico de gallo, but the comments people were making sounded like good ones, so I went with it.

It was super-scrumptious! We threw together an impromptu dinner, grilling some hotdogs and heating up some of those awesome Grillin Beans from Bush (the Steakhouse Recipe is to die for, btw!) With fresh strawberries and tortilla chips, the pico de gallo was a perfect fit.

Here’s the Pico de Gallo we came up with, using our fresh cilantro picked from the garden less than 2 minutes before adding it:

• 7 Roma tomatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes or less
• 6 green onions, finely chopped using all parts of it (white and green)
• 1/2 large white onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• we substituted 2 small cans of diced green chilis for the fresh jalapeno the original recipe called for
• 1 fresh lime, squeezed juice into the mix (but could have used another lime)
• 7-8 sprigs cilantro, washed and finely chopped. We used the stems and all.
• 1 fresh avocado, diced (but could have used another avocado)
• salt and pepper to taste

Cut it all up, squeeze the lime juice in, and put it in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes. Serve cold with chips, or whatever you’ve got hanging around that sounds good. There was a lot of juice in ours and you may want to drain some of it, if you don’t like that kind of thing.

It didn’t even occur to me to take a picture of it until after 3 of us polished off nearly a third of it! LOL. This recipe made about 5 cups, as close as I can guess.

I wonder what else I can make with the cilantro. There will be plenty to use throughout the summer. My hope is that eventually we’ll also have fresh tomatoes from our garden we can use instead of the store bought ones we used tonight.

Homemade Pico de Gallo with fresh garden cilantro

Aren’t the months of June and July always spectacular in the garden? Seriously.

See what’s blooming in my garden right now and over the past week by scrolling through the slideshow below. I hope you enjoy it as much as I love taking the pictures.

That reminds me, I need to put new batteries in my camera. I’m getting a flashing red-looking battery.  Could have sworn I just did that a few months ago. Guess I’m giving my camera a real workout this season. LOL! Must always be ready for those Kodak moments, right?

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Celebrate Independence Day with The Hudson Gardens!
Here’s “what’s happening” this holiday weekend…

Happy 4th of July, USA!

Firefall: Sunday, July 4, 7:00 PM
This Colorado-based band with their mellow, easy, country/rock sound brought us many top 40 chart hits, including You Are The Woman, Just Remember I Love You, Strange Way, and Cinderella. Firefall is a pioneer of country/rock music characterized by mellow, easy country-rock sounds coupled with pop melodies and lush harmonies.
Fireworks display immediately following the concert.
Gates open at 5:00 PM. Concert at 7:00 PM.
Adults $20. Members $17.50. Kids (3-12) $10.
Purchase tickets online now!

Visit The Hudson Gardens! July 3 & 4: 9 AM — 3 PM; July 5: 9 AM — 5 PM
Don’t forget that our 30 acres of fabulous natural displays are open to the public all weekend long! Get out your walking shoes and bring your friends, camera, and picnic–and explore all The Gardens has to offer. From our classic Rose Garden to the new Plant Zoo and Chocolate Garden, you’ll be sure to find something for everyone to enjoy.
Adults $5. Seniors (60+) $3. Kids (3-12) $2. Members free.

Atlanta Rhythm Section: Sunday, July 11, 6:30 PM
Often described as a more radio-friendly version of Lynyrd Skynyrd or the Allman Brothers, The Atlanta Rhythm Section was one of many southern rock bands to hit the upper reaches of the charts during the late ’70s. Best known for the smoldering rock staple So Into You, the group continues to make concert appearances showcasing not only their hit songs, but their still outstanding musical abilities as well. The Atlanta Rhythm Section truly is the epitome of all the good things that the phrase “classic rock” implies.
Gates open at 5:00 PM. Concert at 6:30 PM.
Adults $20. Members $17.50. Kids (3-12) $10.
Purchase tickets online now!

Check out www.hudsongardens.org for more performing arts, visual arts, gardening, and educational opportunities.

There is always something happening at The Gardens!

With heat comes growth! Ain’t that the truth.

The tomatoes in the Topsy Turvy Tree are wild and crazy big. The patio tomato is now showing new tomatoes…finally! I am a bit surprised that I don’t see any new tomatoes on the Roma plant, but there are a lot of flower clusters that I’m hopeful will produce.

Patio tomatoes making it to the party

Roma tomatoes

These tomato plants are bigger than they look here

Yes, there is a Topsy Turvy Tree planter in there somewhere...

The peppers in the Topsy Turvy Pepper planter are also doing great. The sweet peppers each have one or two big ones on them, and the Anaheim and Yellow peppers have a lot of little buds that I think will turn into peppers as we head into later in the summer.

This orange sweet pepper is about 4 inches long now

Giant Marconi peppers happily growing

Topsy Turvy Pepper planter showing strong growth

The cherry tomato is nearly touching the ground and it’s time for me to find a new (and higher) home for it. Still working that part out.

Cherry tomato plant nearly reaching the ground. Need to move it.

The herbs are doing great, except for the marjoram. I think it’s dead. Basil, Oregano, Rosemary, and Cilantro are all happy campers. I’ll be harvesting some of the cilantro tonight for dinner. It’s time already, can you believe it?!?!

Topsy Turvy herbs are great!

The June bearing strawberries are done producing. Looking forward to seeing what the late season strawberry plants will give us.

Strawberry plants still plugging away, just not producing right now