Pink in July? It sounds like too soft and delicate of a color for the searing heat and harsh sunlight of mid-summer, but most of the pinks in my garden are strong and vibrant. Those that are a bit lighter add an illusion of coolness that is most welcome.
Above: poppy mallow, Callirhoe involucrata
Below: purple prairie clover, Dalea purpureum
Below: purple coneflower, Echinacea purpurea
Below: pink Maltese cross, Lychnis spp.
Below: culinary leek, Allium spp.
We've had a relatively relaxing few weeks at City Square. Mostly everything is in the ground, and we've planted more lettuce, carrots, and spinach in the few spaces we had. We've harvested parsley and peas, as well as
radishes
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lettuce
and 
calendula
to make yummy
salad!!!
And as always, weeding and watering
little boy, big (fava) beansWe're looking forward to doing some long-term planning for the garden, if you would like to contribute ideas or just come help in the garden, email bakervicky@shaw.ca
The tomatoes are coming!
The vegetables and flowers are absolutely loving the sunshine and hot weather we have been having here in Vancouver. Sometimes a little too much so. The heat can get a bit extreme on the roof. That reminds me....we should get a thermometer to record what's going on.
Jennifer, Laura and I pruning, staking and securing the tomatoes. The wind blew over a whole bunch the night before.
Laura is our new summer intern. She will be working with SPEC's Food Safety and Security Committee on a number of projects. Welcome aboard Laura!One of our many varieties of tomatoes.
Marigolds and other flowers have been placed between the rows of tomatoes to attract pollinating insects to the tomatoes. 
Our nasturtiums grow like crazy. We had to do a massive trimming because they were growing so much that they were starting to block the solar panels.
Our nasturtiums grow like crazy. We had to do a massive trimming because they were growing so much that they were starting to block the solar panels.
I will forever think of my cabbage patch kid - Ken George when I see cabbage plants.
Jennifer and Laura are hanging out with the solar cooker.
The tomato growing upside down (to the left of Jennifer) in the topsy turvy is doing okay. It does not seem as large as the other ones but there are a few small tomatoes coming in.Time will tell.
These are pictures from Karen's garden on Bowen Island. The pea trellis is made from bamboo that was invading the community garden site.
Hoop house over raised beds.
Container gardening for your boat!
Meet. . . Verbascum!
Two mulleins reside in my garden. Both plants have large, felt like leaves and yellow flowers that bloom along tall (up to 8 feet), candelabra type stalks. The common or flannel mullein (Verbascum thapsus), pictured above, is a common wildflower of the west. It blooms for a long time in mid-summer and provides sculptural interest in a naturalized garden. However, I much prefer its fancy “city cousin”, the giant silver mullein (Verbascum bombiciferum), pictured below. Something about the dense white “fur” that clothes the huge leaves and flower stalks is almost magical. Both of these plants are biennials; the first year produces the huge foliage rosette—often three to four feet in diameter---and the second year provides the flowers. Let these plants go to seed to keep their presence in the garden. Small seedlings can be easily transplanted or removed.
Verbascum bombiciferum
Total trivia: In the movie Pride and Prejudice (Focus Features/Universal, 2006), Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy have a brief conversation on the stone terrace of his estate, Pemberly. I’m not positive, but I think that the huge plant growing in the terrace floor is a giant silver mullein! (OK, OK, I’ll admit it. Yes, I own the movie and, yes, I’ve watched it more than once.)
