Urban Garden Update

It's been a cooler than usual summer in Seattle. I'm pretty sure the cooler weather is all my fault. Why? Well, two reasons. First, I wrote a post in May about planting my deck garden and at the end stated that I hoped for "plenty of sunny and beautiful days." Clearly the Goddess of Seattle weather chose to blatantly ignore my wishes and squash my hopes by dialing up the "cooler than usual" weather. Secondly, I bought a portable air conditioner.

Don't get me wrong, I actually LOVE the cooler weather. However, had I known it was going to be a cooler summer I may have made different plant choices.

Color Bowl, originally uploaded by JewellsinSEA.

My flowers are doing really well, both in the color bowls (see above) and the planters (see below). They have grown a ton (newly planted pics here) and continue to produce blossoms. I was disappointed by the Blue Forget-Me-Nots as they were done blooming by mid-June. I cut them back at the other flowers have filled in the space quite well. I've never planted Forget-Me-Nots and will "forget" them next year.

Planter, originally uploaded by JewellsinSEA.

I am really pleased with the Sundial Pink Portulaca. I've never planted Portulaca but will again, I LOVE it! The leaves give the pots great texture the the flowers are so petite and pretty. You can see a close up shot here.

Tomato Plant, originally uploaded by JewellsinSEA.

The big disappointment of the summer has been the herbs and tomatoes. The tomatoes have grown a ton (see above) compared to the beginning of the season. But with the cooler weather the fruit produced is not ripening. I remain optimistic that a few weeks of sunny days may do the trick, we shall see.

My herb garden has also suffered from the lack of warmth. I didn't realize how spoiled I was when I grew herbs in Utah, they would end up 2 feet tall by the end of the season. This years herb garden remains small, and isn't even worthy of being photographed. The oregano and thyme have died off. The basil, sage and rosemary are okay, just not really growing. I've always thought indoor herb gardens were silly and now I think they were invented for people who live in Seattle.

I'll keep you updated on the progress of the tomatoes. Think warm weather fellow Seattleites!