a nice normal, wet spring to deceive one about a hot, dry spell. Lulled into false security and all that.  Hopefully, the peppers will perk back up over night. And the beans, and the tomatoes, and the….  Actually, it is finally looking like a vegetable garden.  The peas are going along in good style, as is the lettuce, the beans are about to start setting flowers, the squash almost look like squash plants. The parsnips can be found (especially easy to find is last year’s missed parsnip: at six feet tall with flat chartreuse flower umbels, one ought to be able to find it!) After umpteen tries we have a row or two of chard and beets. I think I beat the Colorado potato beetles, so an eggplant might be a possibility.  Oddly, the Japanese beetles have yet to show up. This makes me nervous, I am waiting for a sudden infestation.

An interesting, random tip, if you want a lovely, purple, long blooming flower in your garden? Don’t cut your common, ordinary garden sage back.  Second or third year growth rewards one with elegant lavender purple flowers all through June.  I still can’t figure out how to use it in cooking, but it certainly is a good garden plant on aesthetic principles!