Today I’m joining with gardeners worldwide to post six things from our gardens. This weekly recap was begun by Jon, The Propagator, in the U.K., and links to other posts can be found here.
Fires have ravaged much of the west coast of the U.S. Our dry weather hasn’t helped. Heroic firefighters are working tirelessly to combat the destruction. Up here along the coast of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, we’ve experienced smoke from huge fires to our south and east, but nothing like the unhealthy smoke and thick orange skies experienced elsewhere. Here’s the current visibility from our mountain with a layer of smoke just arriving (taken on Friday).
ONE – Onto happier sights, these couple of raised beds in the veggie garden are fully re-planted for the fall season with varieties of broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and cabbage. Nearby, young beans begin to climb the former pea trellis. Late summer/early fall is an amazing season for growing veggies here.
TWO – I just harvested a whole load of beautiful beets — chioggia and golden varieties. I’ll roast some and pickle others.
THREE – Still in the veggie garden, these photos show why I appreciate Scarlet Runner beans so much. Half of this bean trellis was planted with Scarlet Runner and the other half with Kentucky Wonder. All receive the exact same amount of moisture and all have produced plenty of beans, but the Scarlet Runner just keep going — and may take over the Kentucky Wonder side before long!
FOUR – Heading up towards the house, Lupine Hill has remained in bloom for more than three months, longer than ever before. Re-doing all of Lupine Hill to remove weeds and replanting everything into great compost undoubtably helped. I’m amazed that these lupines have responded so well to regular deadheading and weekly watering. Now that lupine, liatris, and veronica are finishing, it’s time for scabiosa, some pretty white lavender, and eupatorium to shine.
FIVE – A quick stop in the perennial beds where asters are the current queens. Well, maybe they share the crown with anemones, but I’ll save those for another day.
SIX – And back up at the house, I’ve brought with me a basketful of gorgeous David Austin Golden Celebration roses, which haven’t quit blooming since June, as well as some fading-to-perfection hydrangeas that I have ideal spots for. We’ll be staying indoors for much of the weekend due to unhealthy air, so these brighten up the place.
Gardens at Coppertop 
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