Fruitful Fertilizer Friday.

Another week has flown by with barely a chance for me to really get outside.  Every time I walk past parts of the garden or look out the window I see something new or a chore I'd like to get done.  Our weather is still not very good.  We've continued to have mostly gray or rainy days with highs still only in the mid 60's.  We've been breaking all sorts of weather records because of it.  I'm starting to ignore the weather forecast since it changes daily and not usually for the better.  Anyway, school is finally out today and so even if the weather doesn't cooperate we still will have time to just relax and enjoy our free days.  School in the Seattle area usually ends around this time and the school district we are in generally starts back a few days before Labor Day.
Quite a bit of the fruit bearing plants are doing really well.  Blueberries are getting close to ripening and the girls have been eating Red Currants even though they are on the bitter side.  The apple tree produced few blooms this year and I'm pretty sure we'll have few if any apples.  I've heard that it's not uncommon for apple trees to have years like this.

Even with the cool weather some of the tomatoes are getting flowers, this is 'Black Krim'.

The 'Desert King' fig tree is full of figs, this first crop is called the breba crop.  The breba crop is grown on last years growth.

So far I haven't had a chance to try a strawberry, the girls have been eating them, but they say they are good.

The two small pear trees each have a few pears on them.  I'm really hoping they'll keep growing so we can try them.

These are more of the Campanulas that I showed a few days ago.  The flowers are different on these, almost like the Cup and Saucer type.

I've been meaning to post a picture of the Nigella or Love-in-a-Mist.  They reseed in the same little area every year.  I love the dainty flowers and foliage.

To see who else is flaunting their flowers today visit Tootsie at Tootsie Time, who is the host of Fertilizer Friday.

Up high and down low - Fertilizer Friday.

I love this time of year, I look up I see flowers and I look down and I see flowers! And of course everywhere in between has flowers or buds that are very close to blooming. But, one plant I've been anxiously waiting to see bloom is my Lilac. I've been patiently driving past many houses in town admiring their Lilacs and trying not to feel too jealous. I wonder if some of the homeowners even pay attention to them. Are they going out and smelling them? Cutting fresh bouquets of them? Well, my patience has begun to pay off...my Lilac finally is deciding to bloom.

Lilac (Syringa vulgaris) 'Ludwig Spaeth' is a beautiful deep purple and it sure has been worth waiting for. I am so lucky that it decided to bloom on some lower branches this year which makes it much easier to smell. I even saw blooms on the lower back which will be perfect to cut and bring inside.

And also blooming up high is the Pink Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida). It's at it's peak right now. The windows at the front of the house look right out at it, and I find myself stopping and looking out frequently. It definitely has some years that bloom better than others, and this is a great year for it.

I just love those flowers!

At the base of the tree is Deutzia 'Pink Minor' which I showed about a week ago. It looks just perfect with the Dogwood, the flower colors are almost exactly the same.

The Iris from my sister's yard are getting flowers. Last year I just had a couple, this year I see quite a few buds coming up. I wasn't even sure when Irises bloomed here because I hadn't grown them before.

Saxifraga 'London Pride' has blooms! Linda brought me this when she came to visit. This is the neatest plant, I love the variegated leaves.

And over in the raised beds in our side yard up high the Fig tree 'Desert King' is leafing out and producing it's first crop of fruit which is called the breba crop. The breba crop grows on last years growth in the Spring. Another crop will grow later in the summer. 'Desert King' is a variety known to do well in the Pacific Northwest.

Down at the Figs feet are strawberries. This combination seems to do very well. The strawberries have lots of time to fruit before the leaves of the fig are fully leafed out.

Speaking of fruit the Meyer lemon tree which has been growing inside all winter in a pot has now moved back outside. That one little lemon is still growing (the Littlest Gardener's hand gives an idea of the size) and I'm guarding it with my life ☺

Fertilizer Friday is hosted each Friday by Tootsie at Tootsie Time. Visit her to join in or see who else is "flaunting their flowers."