I'm still here!

It's been a long time since I posted, at least for me.  This has been a busy summer so far, lots of fun, but blogging has taken a  back seat.  I debated many times recently just stopping blogging altogether, I'm in my third year and feel as though I've taken the same pictures over and over.  I know others probably feel the same way at times.  But I found myself wondering what others have been up to; what they have growing in their garden, what they are picking to eat from their garden right now, how big their baby turkeys have gotten, what their weather is like and how it's affecting them and or their garden, what new plants they bought (I might be missing out on something really good!) and just in general how things are.  So I thought I'd share a little of what is happening around here:

We recently returned from a trip to Oregon.  The first part was spent in Cannon Beach where we had fun taking walks along the beach, flying kites, building sand castles, shopping in the cute little beach towns and eating!

Then we spent some time in one of my favorite cities, Portland.  Here is just glimpse into the International Rose Test Garden.  It was so beautiful, if I lived nearby I'd be there all the time.  We all had fun showing each other our favorites, finding unusually colored roses and seeing what roses that we also had growing in our garden.  The Littlest Gardener has already asked when we could go back.

We also visited the Pittock Mansion while in Portland.  I'd never heard of it before, but we saw a picture of it in our hotel and decided we had to visit.  It was just amazing there, and I recommend going to visit both the mansion and the gardens.

Just one tiny part of the garden with a view of downtown Portland in the background.  It was very overcast the day we were there so the mountain views weren't visible.

After we got home (and after many loads of laundry) I went out to work in the garden.  It had grown like crazy in the week we were gone.  I found a new butterfly that I haven't seen in our garden before.  I'm not sure what type it is though.

The Bee Balm 'Jacob Cline' had come into bloom and the hummingbirds were already at it.

Of course while on our trip I had to find a few things for the garden.  I walk right past the clothing stores, it's the garden stuff I look for even at the beach!

I found this birdhouse at a cool store in Portland called NobaL Home.  These birdhouses are made in Haiti.  Apparently after the earthquake artists went there and showed the local people how to use metal scraps from cars and other things destroyed and how to create art from it.  This created jobs for people such as metal workers and welders and a way to earn money.

I spent 3 hours cleaning up the front yard, deadheading, weeding and cutting plants back.  Lots of flowers are getting close to blooming soon.

An update on our new raised beds.  They aren't doing quite as well as we had hoped.  I mentioned awhile ago that we found out after the soil was in, that they had delivered the wrong type of soil and even with amending it, the plants are struggling.  Next spring we will have a lot of work to do to fix the problems the "dirt" caused.  It was pretty much fill dirt that we were given.

The other raised bed is doing a little better, but still not as good as it should be.

A baby artichoke!

Success!!!!  Here it is the middle of July and we already have an eggplant.  I've only gotten flowers before.  (I'm growing these in big black, plastic containers)

Last year I redid this bed and divided up an Astillbe that had been struggling in the backyard.  I can't believe how big and healthy they look, in fact I think they are the happiest Astillbes I've ever grown, probably because they are growing in perfect conditions for them:  moist soil and part sun.

I hope everyone is having a good summer so far, I am trying to get around to visit and see how things are in your gardens now.  I'd love to know if you are eating anything yet from your garden?

All words and photos in this post are property of A Gardener in Progress.

Some things that made me happy!

Well, first of all I just got a big surprise when getting ready to write this post.  Blogger sure changed things!  Hopefully I'll be able to get it all figured out without deleting anything.
We had several very nice days in a row.  Temperatures in the 70's and mostly sunny skies, that really made me happy.  Yesterday while reading Grace's blog and looking at her new blooms I spied something pink out the front window.  Of course being excited to see what it was I walked across hot crushed gravel in my bare feet with my camera.  I guess I'm just toughening them up for summer?  Anyway, the pink was not only one rose bloom, but many!  How did I not notice them the day before?
Here are a few of the new blooms I found while tip toeing across the gravel:

 Can you see all the spots of pink?  There are lots of buds to open still too.

 A close up of 'Gertrude Jekyll'.  If I remember right she was the first to bloom last year too.

 Rose 'Kimberlina' is right next to Gertrude.  I highly recommend this rose.  It has a very light scent, but gets loaded with flowers all summer and is very disease resistant.

 Persian Cornflower

 Another Lupine started from seed last year.  Last evening I found the Littlest Gardener rummaging through the book shelf in her room searching for a book.  She told me they read a book in preschool that day and she thought we had it.  "It's about the Lupine Lady" she said.  I had no idea what she was talking about, but sure enough we found it on her bookshelf.  My Mom had given it to her and I guess we forgot about it.  The book is called Miss Rumphius.  I'm just sorry I hadn't read it sooner, what a wonderful book with a great message.  Here's a link to it.  Even though it's a children's  book I think adults would appreciate the message and artwork in it.

 Red Valerian - the only one to survive the winter.

 A new Clematis blooming on the picket fence.  I will find the tag and post a better picture of it soon.  It's very unusual - dark red with purple bars.

This might have been the most exciting thing of all.  I found blooms on two of my eggplant plants.  I've never gotten an eggplant because they usually don't flower until too late in the summer.  Fingers crossed we'll actually get some this summer.  Edited to add this is 'Millionaire Hybrid' an extra early hybrid.

Yesterday while the sun was out I decided to dig up the entry bed, and got about half way finished.  It's a tricky bed since it's got mostly shade except for one section that gets full sun.  Finding just the right combination of plants has been hard.  I'll share pictures as it progresses.

Today we are back to cloudy and cool, the good side was some housework was accomplished!