Backyard Orchard and Bee/Butterfly/Hummingbird Garden

[PlainJane]

Plums and figs on the way; can’t wait!

IMG_3511.jpeg

IMG_3512.jpeg

[PlainJane]

I’ve tucked bush beans everywhere so I’ll have to warn the neighbors not to buy any. The herb garden is full of Borsalino.

IMG_3507.jpeg

[karstopography]

@PlainJane what is the tall flower in the back? Pink and purple flowers, the foliage reminds me of coreopsis.

[PlainJane]

@karstopography it is coreopsis!

[MissS]

No it's Cosmos. An annual that can also re-seed.

[PlainJane]

I went back out and looked, and yes - that specific planting came from some self-seeded cosmos I moved from the side of the house. Seed strain is probably Rubenza or Sensation. My bad for not looking, @karstopography and @MissS!

[PlainJane]

Early morning in the pollinator garden.

IMG_3594.jpeg

IMG_3596.jpeg

[Rockporter]

What a beautiful sight to see.

[karstopography]

IMG_1456.jpeg

Anyone able to Identify this caterpillar on my dill?
There’s several on the dill. I see lots of butterflies around.

Looks very much like a Black Swallowtail to me. Definitely have those butterflies around.

[PlainJane]

Looks like a black swallowtail to me @karstopography. Lucky you!

[davood]

What a beautiful garden!

[PlainJane]

Thank you @davood!

[PlainJane]

Yesterday I pulled the last of the Borsalino snap beans as this extreme heat had pretty much done them in.
We have at least 5 more days forecasted of high 90s and no rain.
The blueberries have stopped growing but everything else is at least surviving.

IMG_3709.jpeg

IMG_3705.jpeg

The herb garden area really bakes in the sun so it’s mostly given over to annual flowers for the next 2 months, rosemary and sage excepted.

IMG_3708.jpeg

For yucks I planted some sweet potato starts in the pollinator section between the lime and avocado trees.
For a month I didn’t notice them much but this morning realized they’re starting to swamp the thyme and verbena.
I’ll have to tease them out and redirect them if I can, or else do some trimming.

IMG_3712.jpeg

[PlainJane]

Hard to tell amidst the jungle, but orchard trees except for the citrus got their summer prune over the weekend.
Lol it’s lots of fun trying to hop around in there to replace spent annuals or deadhead.

IMG_3761.jpeg

IMG_3758.jpeg

IMG_3755.jpeg

[PlainJane]

The Tecoma stans ‘Bells of Fire’ has bounced back pretty well from the freeze last winter. I had to cut essentially to the ground and they’re all 3 ft or so and flowering. I did lose one of them.

IMG_3756.jpeg

[PlainJane]

The Wurtz avocado is pretty happy with the weather as long as we continue to get rain every week. It’s roughly 6x6 ft and I’m contemplating a shaping trim soon.

IMG_3802.jpeg

[PlainJane]

The lemon is loaded with fruit so I’ll have to wait to give it the annual thinning.

IMG_3800.jpeg

[PlainJane]

Rest of the orchard space is holding on through the heat.

IMG_3779.jpeg

IMG_3777.jpeg

[PlainJane]

Getting some color change on a few lemons. Everything else is just waiting for the rain.

IMG_3829.jpeg

IMG_3838.jpeg

IMG_3837.jpeg

IMG_3830.jpeg

IMG_3828.jpeg

[PlainJane]

Really happy so far with the dwarf ‘Day’ avocado.

IMG_3903.jpeg