Fertilizer Friday: In the yard

Today I'm linking to this wonderful blog party @ Tootsie Time ! Join in the fun!

I was really surprised to see this flower so big!

 A couple of bees were visiting! This one will bear fruit; I can't wait to eat squash!

On the other side of the yard, I decided to try growing pole beans. It was a first for me because I usualy grow bush varieties. The variety is Kanawake beans and they are heirloom

and originally grown here in Quebec.

I still don't have beans...But they're really growing !

Have a great friday and don't forget to participate in my B-Day Giveaway right here !

Fertilizer Friday: Lupins Gone Wild

Oh I've been a very lazy girl this week, it's only my second post....Bad Miss V!

I'm hooking up with Tootsie Time for some garden fun and Fertilizer Friday ! Last Friday just as I was packing my bag for my weekend at the shore...I was complaining that I didn't have any lupins in bloom yet; well mother nature sure did surprise me!

With all the heat we've been having, by tuesday morning all the lupins were in bloom and all over the place! I got back real late on monday and was unaware of all this gorgeous display!

 My love of lupins began innocently enough...In 1988 I vacationned in St-Thomas New Brunswick near Bouctouche and lupins were growing wild all over. When I bought my house in 1995, I was a beginner gardener and all I had was grass, lots of unmowed grass. I got the shovel out and dug borders. I was on a tight budget and bought only 6 perrenials including a yellow lupin.

Every few years I would buy a new color. I wanted to have the whole rainbow. However I find lupins are fickle and even if they are real hardy in the Maritimes and New England, they often die over the winter (I live in zone 5). So I never really got my rainbow....

But I got white! I never bought white....so funny the way nature works!

And I got blue and pink and funky mélanges of blue and red. By the way the yellow one is still with me but did not bloom this year. Oh well! I'm not complaining; I will just enjoy this beautiful gift of blooms while it lasts because one never knows...Will they grow back next year? Only Mother Nature knows!

I just got my 57th follower! Welcome Heidi, I hope you enjoy your visits!

Lélélé It's FRIDAY!

Well I survived my first night shift at the postal counter! 1 to 9 . Yiiiiipppppeeee! Just one more before the ROADTRIP!

I'm already planing what places I'll be visiting and yes Dad, I'm also thinking of what I'll be eating! Fisherman's plater anyone?

I'll be stoping at the pie shack in the mountain. I blogged about it HERE (way back when about 3 people read me) and HERE.

 I'm looking forward to breakfast in Colebrook, NH at Howard's and the Undercover Flea Market in Oxford Maine. I found some great Pyrex there over the years....The last 2 years I spotted a small primary green 401 bowl that is graduated inside like a measuring cup....It's un-marked but definitely the Pyrex shape....I passed it up because of the price....Will I bring it home to play with the rest of the 401s????

I'm also hoping for some lawn,yard and garage sales on the way down.... Actually I'm opened to ALL thrifting opportunities! Since I started peddling stamps, I haven't been to the Salvation Army...so I'm like a junkie...I NEED A FIX! (Will A&E make a new tv show, a cross between Intervention & Hoarders?)

I was hoping to see some lupines in the mountains but it's way too early. Mine are just starting thinking about flowering, which means I'll be able to enjoy them in about a week. I couldn't find pics to share with you..so instead I give you

Echinacea! One of my favorite perennials They are usually very sturdy, but i find that the new fancier variety are more susceptible to die during the winter. So far I've lost 3 Sunrise (pale yellow) and 2 Sunset (orangey red) echinaceas, and those puppies don't come cheap! The sturdiest of the fancy pants varities are PC brand (yes my canadian friends President Choice!) and less expensive as well!

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That pic was taken about 2 years ago in July. In the background you can see Pink delphinium, next to it is some dark Pink lupines (at right) and left of the delphinium you can see penstemon and in front some brown eyed susans.

A close up of the pink delphiniums.

Those dark blue (purple) delphinium are my favorite! I started them from seed about  12 years ago and they are still going strong! They are more beautiful every year! So I'm really looking forward to those!

Today I'll be joining Fertilizer Friday @ Tootsie Time .Hop on there for some beautiful blooms!