Kitchen Window View – 2022

As I look out my kitchen window this April, I see wonderful flowers and interesting vegetable plants growing. My garden iris are bursting into bloom. Their delicate blossoms are some of my favorites. Iris grow well in Louisiana; I have divided the bulbs and moved them into five garden beds. They like any sunny spot but otherwise don’t need really much gardening attention.. So I have a sea of color around my yard. 

Other than the iris, you have to look just a bit harder to see color in my yard. The showy azalea blooms have past.

But there are smaller, more hidden signs that spring and summer are coming.  These blueberry buds mean that we should have a huge blueberry harvest this June.

Here some of the buds have turned to fruit. A welcome sign.

One of my favorite flowers are the yellow blossoms of summer squash plants that seem to hide under the large leaves. I hope these will pollinate and make a bounty of squash. This year I planted yellow squash, zucchini and patty pan squash. The patty pan squash are small, white and spherical in shape. They are good ones for stuffing. 

The dainty flowers of dill plants make a striking contrast to the squash blossoms.  After the dill blossoms mature, they will turn into seed heads. Harvest the seeds to add a bright dill flavor to many dishes. The seeds, when stored in a dry and dark place, can last several years.

The yellow flowers of arugula, however, are not a good sign as it means that this leafy-lettuce plant has gone to seed.

I think that dinosaur kale is such an interesting plant with the dark bumpy leaves. This vegetable is tasty and a power of nutritional value.

The pak choi plants, similar to bok choy, are ready for harvest, too. This plant, used frequently in oriental cooking, is in the cabbage family, along with kale. It has a zesty and spicy flavor.

This year I re-planted several varieties of mint in my herb garden — peppermint, spearmint, mojito mint and chocolate mint. Mint spreads by underground runners and the plants can be quite invasive. For some unknown reason, however, all my mint plants died last summer.  So I’m starting over. But I love the flavor of mint and will add it to ice tea or mixed drinks or use the leaves as garnish.

 

I end my garden tour with the delicate blossom of the walking iris plant. This iris consists mostly of long, slender stalks. The white blossoms, which occasionally shine through, are a treat.

I enjoy walking through my front and back year to see what is blooming. It’s not only flowers that brighten my day — but the “weeds” and vegetables bloom, too. This year, I planted several sunflower and zinnia varieties so I am hoping to enjoy a “showy” summer. In the mean time, I can’t help but take another photo of my beautiful dark blue bearded iris.