Virginia Creeper

 

    

Virginia creeper (*Parthenocissus quinquefolia*) is an indispensable plant for vertical landscaping! It is a large climbing vine reaching up to 15 meters in length. Young shoots are reddish, later turning dark green, and feature tendrils. The leaves are palmately compound and oblong, with pointed tips.

 

 

It blooms in the first half of July. The fruit ripens in mid-to-late September. The flowers are greenish. The fruit is a dark blue berry that is not particularly palatable.

 

In my garden, I grow Virginia creeper in several spots, including near a trellis and a pergola. It anchors itself beautifully using its tendrils, twining around the upright posts and spreading onto the horizontal sections of the pergola, creating shade on hot days.

 

 

It is highly winter-hardy; growth begins in late April and continues until mid-October. It thrives in any soil type and tolerates a wide range of conditions. I have never noticed any leaf diseases, nor does it suffer damage from insects or fungal infections. It is long-lived—my neighbors have had a plant in the same spot for 30 years—and it withstands transplanting well; summer cuttings take root easily.

 

 

 

I prune it in the spring, removing dead shoots and excess branches. When I see it growing beyond its support or the designated area of ​​the garden, I cut the shoots all the way back to the roots.

Do you grow this plant in your garden, or does it grow near your home? Do you like it? 

Has summer really ended?

Has summer really ended already? It certainly seems so. The vibrant flowers have finished blooming; the dahlias, delphiniums, lilies, and roses are gone. Now, the flowerbeds are adorned only by sedums with their tiny, bright red blossoms.

 

 

Young fruits have appeared on the raised beds, nestled among the large zucchini leaves. They are beautiful—striped, dark green, and some yellow. I love young zucchini because they have no seeds. I usually fry them or stew them with sour cream; it makes for an excellent dish. 

 

The vegetable harvest began in July and August. Green peas were the first to ripen; their pods had grown large. I harvest the green peas to make a side dish and freeze some of them for the winter. 

 

In September, the last of the phlox are still in bloom. I enjoy their vibrant flowers and their fragrance. It is a pity, though, that the petals fall off quickly when they are in a bouquet.

 

The peppers began to ripen in late August. The weather has turned cooler, especially at night, so I decided to harvest all the peppers and let them finish ripening indoors. They are currently sitting on a pantry shelf, gradually turning red. 

 

 

As it happened, the tomatoes went without watering for nearly two weeks. Despite this, they ripened beautifully. They are sweet and juicy; I plan to use some of them to make tomato sauce. I blend them, boil the mixture, add spices, and then pour the sauce into jars.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

The white hydrangea blossoms turned pink in late August and early September. 

Autumn has arrived—another beautiful season. 

 

Friends, I will try to visit all your blogs as soon as possible. All the best.

 

Veggetables in the Garden

 

July has arrived—the warmest, even hottest, month here in the north. Plants grow and bloom profusely this month, especially vegetables. I try to grow a few simple vegetables to eat in the summer and preserve them for the winter. It's so nice to open a container of tomatoes, peppers, or beans you grew yourself when there's snow outside.

The zucchini has sprouted large green leaves. They're already blooming, and soon I'll be harvesting small, delicious zucchinis.
In another raised bed, beans are growing. They're also blooming, and it looks like there will be a good bean harvest. 

In the northern part of the garden are several raised vegetable beds. Zucchini, green sweet peas, and sorrel grow here.

In the greenhouse, peppers grow well. This is a sweet pepper; I don't plant hot peppers. 

I always plant dill next to tomatoes. I don't know why, but they grow well together.

This year's tomatoes were very weak when I planted them in the greenhouse. Over time, they have strengthened, and green tomatoes are already visible. I hope to try my tomatoes at the end of July.

Flowers and berry bushes grow in the northern and southern parts of the garden.

Young serviceberry trees are popular with birds, who check the berries every morning to see if they're ripe.

 

This is the trunk of an actinidia tree; it's already 15 years old. The actinidia berries are sweet but fall quickly. 

Gooseberries ripen quickly. While they're light green and hard to see on the bush, in a month they'll be red and sweet.

 

 

Wishing you a warm, fruitful, and delicious summer! 

Colorful June

June in my garden. Simple, unassuming flowers and plants brighten up the corners. I want to show you what the garden looks like in mid-June. The rhododendrons continue to bloom because the end of May was cool, and now they're in full bloom. 

These are the rhododendrons 'Helsinki University' and 'Haaga' (photo above), and the rhododendron 'Grandiflora' (photo below). 

 

 

The clematis are blooming modestly; snails won't leave them alone. 

The white lilac is showing off its fragrant beauty; this is the second year since it was planted. The other white lilac died last winter.
 

 

 

I bought petunia seedlings and planted them in hanging baskets.I have problems growing petunia seedlings from seeds; I guess I just don't have the patience.
 

There are two azaleas in my garden: "Mandarin Light" and "Northern Lights." They started blooming late and are suffering from heavy rains. The "Northern Lights" azalea is blooming modestly, with only a few flowers; I guess the winter was tough on it.

 

Peonies begin blooming in June. As soon as the rhododendrons finish blooming, large peony buds appear. Their fragrance permeates the entire garden, especially in the evening. I have several varieties of peonies, but I can't remember their names.

  Daisies and violets have taken over a low flowerbed; they're growing and blooming on their own, which I'm very pleased with.

 

 

 The ever-blooming begonia and dahlias were grown in the city and have successfully moved into the garden and are thriving.

 

 

I like to spend time with the plants. And when I'm tired, I enjoy admiring the garden while sitting in a chair on the veranda.

Wishing everyone a wonderful June.

 

How to Protect Lilies From Pests?

 

 You'd probably say that the pests need to be exterminated. But these pests, especially the lily beetle, are quite cunning. They try to nibble on young lily buds when the gardener isn't looking or is busy with other plants.

 

I usually inspect lily buds during the day and see new ones appearing. If I don't treat them immediately, the beetle will inevitably find them and eat them from the inside. Within a day or two, the buds will turn yellow and fall off. Then, it's possible that several beautiful lilies won't bloom.

 

 

 

This bright red beetle lays pink eggs on lilies, which can deprive the plant of almost all its buds. Its bright color and impressive size (6-8 mm long) make it stand out against the green foliage. Red beetles on lilies are quite common.  

 

 

 

The lily beetle may look beautiful with its scarlet coloring, but it is a very dangerous pest. If this insect is detected, immediate control measures are necessary. It has powerful jaws. Its diet includes not only leaves but also buds, flowers, and even lily stems. 

 

 

 

 

 

To control lily beetles, I use an organic product: dolomite flour, a natural remedy. Dolomite is a naturally occurring mineral found in nature as a sedimentary rock. Dolomite is composed of oxygen, calcium, and carbon and is found throughout the world. Chemicals can be harmful to bees and other beneficial insects, as well as pets.

 

All the best!

 

Photos of lilies from my garden in 2025. Photos of beetle pests from the internet. 

The Garden in May

 

 

The weather has been strange: sunny, then cold, then strong winds, then torrential rains. The plants in the garden responded immediately to the sun, and vibrant flowers began to appear in various places. The primroses were the first to bloom. These easy-to-grow flowers always bloom first.

I'm pleased with the condition of the rhododendrons. My mature rhododendron bushes survived the winter well. I'm showing you the "Daughter of the North" variety, bred in Finland. Several young bushes overwintered poorly due to the constant temperature fluctuations between frosts and thaws.

 

 

 

 

A cascade of white flowers has formed in the front garden. The cherry tree is in full bloom, and beneath it the Spiraea cinerea Grefsheim is blooming with long white clusters. The apple tree, which produces small, sweet red apples, is also in full bloom.

 

 

The wood anemones turned out to be remarkably resilient. I didn't expect them to bloom in the spring. They have lovely, delicate blue flowers, and I hope I can keep them in the garden for the future.

 

 

 The Juniperus horizontalis 'Glauca' has begun to grow vigorously and is getting large and beautiful year after year. Three years ago, it started shedding its needles and turned brown, but now it's healthy.

 

 

Tulips and daffodils are blooming late, probably because of the cold nights. They'll open their buds soon.

 

In a week, I'll feed all the plants with a potassium-rich fertilizer. The garden requires constant care.

I wish you a wonderful summer!

 

 

P.S. Dear blogger friends, I always read your posts with pleasure and interest. I'm glad that people from different countries also read my posts. But! There may be a situation where I won't be able to access your blog because the internet will be completely down. I'm very upset about this, of course. As soon as the internet is back up, I'll definitely read your posts. Sorry.