Author Archives: thesalemgarden

I love to garden, and blog about gardening, horticultural therapy and gardening adaptations and Salem Massachusetts!

What’s Happening in the Garden- August 12, 2021

Hello from Salem! We’re having a very warm week in a very rainy summer, but, we have lots to be thankful for, maybe not tomatoes, but definitely kale and onions.

There’s lots of apples on the tree.. I hope they turn red!
Our Brussels sprouts leaves are being devoured by something .. any thoughts about how to manage this better? Betsy, what do you think?
The sprouts are starting, but I suspect that leaves are essential for them to develop properly.
The basil is prolific, the tomatoes, not so much.
But we have kale..
…. a few cucs
and onions
.. which are curing as of a few hours ago.
My dinner plate hibiscus had some beautiful blooms yesterday but I missed the window for a photo.
My cutting bed ❤️
Complete with milk pods,
Valerie Mix Aster
and I believe a Queen Red Lime Zinnia? This bloom is actually quite large, definitely larger than the Cut and Come Again zinnias.
Here’s the view looking down from the deck..
… which feels like a jungle at this time of year!

Wishing you well!

❤️Michele

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What’s Happening in the Garden – July 18, 2021

Hello there!

Mid July is a time of great growth and anticipation and there’s a lot going on in the garden this week, It’s fun to see things starting to come together, or not, in some cases. It’s been very very rainy here, almost tropical at times. The break from daily watering is nice, but we need sun, especially for the tomatoes!

Michael has been working all spring and summer on replacing fences… this is in the list of things that are coming together.

The bee balm has been full of perfect little pollinators and I’ve been watching a monarch butterfly visiting the milkweed plants. I would love to see our butterfly population increase.
This border is coming into bloom.
I found a little Anise Hyssop seedling at Maitland Farm on Mother’s Day and I’m so pleased with the plant that it’s growing into. I need to learn more about how to propagate this to spread it around the garden for next year.
Here’s something that’s NOT coming together. I grew cucumber seedlings and they looked great.. we put together this cool trellis, I planted the cucumber plants and they’ve almost stopped growing. Today I added good compost to fertilize them and new seeds to the soil in between the plants. Most years I have lots of cucs and no trellis…
The kale is happy and so are we. We’ve grown to love kale around here! I put it in salad and soups.. I even add it to Mac and Cheese!
For some reason I called this Russian Kale a few weeks ago.. I was wrong, it’s actually called Black Magic. It’s a little tough and not especially tasty, but it looks nice. Behind it we have lots and lots of tomato plants.. These are Big Rainbow and the plants in the next photo are Bumblebee Cherry. There’s also Green Zebra Stripe, Beefsteak and lots of volunteer Cherry tomatoes scattered here, there and everywhere.

Have I mentioned that they would like some sun?

We just added the top layer of trellis to the yard long beans and they instantly reached up for it like magic.
My cilantro didn’t reseed well this year, so I bought some plants and just planted them today (bottom left). I’ll cut them back in a few days after they settle. Hopefully the new leaves will fill in and be ready for salsa when the tomatoes are ripe. 😉
The Rose of Sharon that my sister sent years ago are sorting to bloom already.
There are so many seedlings.. please let me know if you’d like some. This has me wondering if they’re considered invasive, but I’ve never heard that they are.
This little nook below our sunroom/office is a new addition..
It’s a nice spot to sit and take a rest, think about things or have a quiet talk.
I’m especially fond of my lobster trap table, it’s a little shaky, but it’s fun!
I’m also fond of the view from the settee… it’s all about the view!

Wishing you all peace, love and time in a garden!

Love, Michele

What’s Happening in the Garden, May 29, 2021.

Hi everyone! We are in the middle of a beautiful spring here in Salem and I thought I’d share a few photos of our garden. I hope to blog more consistently this year. Please leave a comment and say hi if you’re here. I’d love to know who’s stopping by, and your energy will inspire me to post more often.

Lots of zinnia, nasturtium and basil seedlings are ready to plant. It’s very cool, windy and rainy today, so I’m waiting another day or two.
I’ve also started coleus, marigolds, hollyhocks, alyssum, dianthus, cosmos, Brussels sprouts, eggplant and some tomatoes…hoping to plant on Monday!
My greatest success so far this spring is the return of my perennial hibiscus. These take their time to show green in the spring and we have given up too early in the past and tossed them. This year I ordered everyone away, held my breath and here it is! I’m honestly not sure what color the blossoms were, but I do remember that they were large and beautiful last year!
Salvia and yarrow, with much more to come in this corner..
Kale, radishes, lettuce and onions..
This is a Russian Kale that I planted on Mother’s Day. I found the seedlings for sale at a coffee shop downtown..
New garden fence is in progress.. that rhododendron used to live in our front yard.
Lemon balm is everywhere. If anyone who lives nearby wants some, just let me know. This is one of my very favorite herbs. I put it in everything!
Bee balm is about to bloom. I’m trying to decide if the white flower is a weed or not.. if anyone knows, please comment so I can take care of it!
Siberian iris are starting to bloom ! ❤️
And the ducks are still entertaining us! We have ducklings and goslings, but I don’t see them today. They’re often out early in the morning with their mamas.

Wishing all of you peace, love and a moment of reflection and gratitude this Memorial Day, as we remember those who have sacrificed so much.

Love, Michele

What’s Happening in the Garden- August 12, 2017

Hi everyone!

Here’s a few quick pics just to stay in the game.   This has been the year of the bunny. We’ve been inundated with rabbits who have eaten everything! We do have decent rows of kale, swiss chard and Brussel sprouts but our harvest of beans, lettuces, tomatoes, cucumber and zucchini are very low.   Michael’s been working hard to secure the fence and we’ve finally got a handle on them inside the fenced area, but the wider yard is their’s to roam! There’s also a lack of black-eyed Susan and many of the other perennials that we enjoy every year. I keep telling myself that the roots haven’t been eaten, so maybe these plants will come back stronger than ever next year.

Thanks for stopping by! Feel free to leave me a comment or question. I love to hear from you!

Lots of garden love,

Michele