A Summery Walking into the Woods and the River

We are in summer, it's hot.

Rains are warm. Mushrooms grow. In the river they say, fish is caught well.

A company of gardeners decided to walk into the woods and the river. I was also invited. The stroll wasn't far of the gardens, 5-7 km.

We left early and were on the river before noon. The day was great, not very hot, with light clouds, and wasn't rain forecast. 

 

The river is not wide but has strong flowing and some places of whirlpools, the water was of tea color due to turf. 

Fishermen began catching fish and I went to look at the river and to pick up mushrooms.A dry swamp overgrown with young pine trees was near the river bank. Everywhere in the forest large granite boulders covered with moss could be found. This is a reminder of a glacier passed here many centuries ago.

 

 I went on, the forest was clear transparent resinous of pines. Reddish-brown pine trunks seemed theatrical scenery in the sunshine. Nature has its own unique theater.

I climbed the hill and have seen low blueberries bushes growing between pines. Blueberry was sweet and juicy. To pick up berries it's necessary to bend, oh!

 

Between pines in the moss under dry branches, fallen leaves mushrooms had grown. There were chanterelles. They are considered as the most environmentally friendly mushrooms. Let's look closely: how many chanterelles have been there, they hid but were found and put in the basket. 

At my summer cottage I cooked soup with chanterelles, potatoes and carrots and will soon cook a blueberry pie. What a wonderful summer!

How about you, my friends? Do you like to pick up mushrooms or berries in woods (not in supermarket)? Do you love fishing in a small river or in a sea? Thank you!

This Summer Harvest

          Summer is in full swing and the result of labor in the spring garden (seedlings, seeds, watering, shelter from frost, feeding)  has already seen.

Currant bushes delight me with abundance of berries, although they were attacked by pests in spring . I had to spray two times until the leaves have been cleared. But now you can pick up the full palm of juicy berries, wash them and eat! Or eat berries right from the bush!

 redcurrant, gooseberry and blackcurrant bushes

Outdoors tomatoes survived all cold weeks in May and June, and now fruit grow and redden.  It is early to eat them, but it's a pleasure to look at.

I can already eat cucumbers, put in a salad with juicy lettuce, parsley and green onions. Cucumbers grow in the open soil and in the greenhouse, it is difficult to say where they are better and bigger. I bought hybrid seeds without pollination for the greenhouse. But it turned out "as always": seeds of different varieties were in packets. Outdoors cucumbers are cold-resistant, and they have stood the test of low temperature.

 

Cucumbers and lettuce

I've planted dill, onion for green leaves in my new raised bed. Now they are as a forest! Parsley pleases this year, sprouted and grew well. But I had to cover it in June cold weeks.

dill and onion, 'curly' parsley and lettuce, parsley

 

Apple trees  can not withstand great harvest this year, I had to put supports under their branches. Although apples ripening is delayed due to the cold early summer, they redden little by little.

Zucchini grow as well, blossom, young zucchini ripen, some of them are already eaten. I planted them a bit densely, I thought that someone would not survive and die because of cold. But all plants are alive and well and give the dark green and yellow zucchini.

That's the entire harvest for now. Broad beans, peas, haricot beans, beets, carrots on the way and will be collected later.

Do you grow veggies and herbs in your garden? What have you harvested for now?  Thank you!

Colorful Dianthus

Do you love Dianthus? I do, but Dianthus doesn't always grow well and especially winter well in my garden. Even so two years ago I planted mixed seeds of Dianthus barbatus or 'sweet William' or  'Turkish carnation' (as we call it) in my greenhouse and in autumn I had small seedlings.

These seedlings were planted in September, they wintered well and this summer Dianthus prettily flowers. Look at its different varieties:

Besides 'sweet William' I planted the seeds of perennial  Dianthus deltoides or 'Maiden Pinks', we call it 'Grassy carnation'.  I think 'Maiden Pinks' with little flowers on thin stems look beautifully when are planted very closely.

  
I have Dianthus deltoides of two varieties: with pink and white petals. 

I like this perennial 'Maiden Pinks' Dianthus because it perfectly extends and winters under snow. It's said if there is not enough snow this plant may be frozen but in spring quickly restores. My  'Maiden Pinks' did not winter well last year because the snow was not in its spot, but frost was. Even so it recovered and this summer blooms well.

What is Dianthus common name in your country? What species of it grow in your garden? Thank you!

A Tribute

 

  To all the innocent victims of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crash over Ukraine