2014-07-22

Colors of July


Now that we're way past mid-July, a new phase is starting in our garden. The midsummer roses, lilacs and most of the daisies have gone, and they have made room for new, bright colors. Redcurrant bushes have turned red, berries are almost ready for picking.

 

Gooseberries are turning deep, rich red too, they will need a few more sunny days still - ouch how tart they are just before they turn into perfection. I could eat gooseberries for breakfast, lunch and dinner and snack them between, so I feel very lucky to have two big bushes just outside our living room window.


Strawberries we have just a few little plants from my sister's garden that were moved into ours. Harvesting them will not be too hard this year, what you see above is just about what we'll get, and those I am still sharing with those sneaky fieldfares. But we'll still get our freezer full, I already have gone through two (five kilos each) boxes of store-bought strawberries, and some got into plastic bags ready for the winter too (quite a few were eaten while cleaning *ahem*).


I have written earlier of my missing gardening-gene, and this year wasn't that much of an exception. I bought a few pretty geraniums in early June, and they were officially declared dead by Midsummer. I partly blame cold, rainy weather, but I am sure my missing gene was actively helping too. I was going to toss the very sad looking brown spines (all the leaves were gone), but decided to give them a go still. I planted them all in one big pot, and look what happened! Those corpses have recovered, and there are tens of little buds all over! It will be a mystery what colors we'll see, but here's to zombie-geraniums!

I am next off to patio with Hercule Poirot (outside 23,7C , inside 25,1C), and I wish you a lovely, sunny week! 

Yours,
Mia

17 comments:

greenrabbitdesigns said...

Well perhaps the gene isn't missing at all, it was just a little bit hidden! ;)
Look at all those amazing currants, just beautiful!
I'm afraid I had to share my strawberries too not with pretty birds though but with greedy slugs! :(
Keep on enjoying those wonderful temps!!!
V x
P.S. Thanks for all the bunny love over at mine! :)

Mia said...

Hello Vivienne,

Thank you for the encouragement, but I think the gene really is missing not just hidden ;) but sometimes it just happens around here too! We'll have a LOT currants (both red&black) to pick this year, but it is a happy task! Sorry you have had those slimy visitors to eat your strawberries :(

Wishing you a lovely and sunny week!

Yours,
Mia

mynestofyarnandbuttons said...

So many beautiful reds and pinks dear Mia! I'm not familiar with gooseberries, but I bet they are good, if you say so! Love the currents and of course strawberries. I have blueberries and they are quite yummy too. Enjoy sweet Mia, xoRobin

Jane said...

Mmmm fresh fruit from the garden Mia, just delicious. Your freezer must be smiling with all those strawberries too. Welcome back to the world of the living little plants...you must have blue fingers?? Enjoy the sunshine my dear x

Unknown said...

Looks delicious....I've never seen pink/red gooseberries before. Happy picking!! My grandparents always grew strawberries, red and black raspberries. There is nothing in the world like freshly picked berries!!
Enjoy the last days of July, Mia.

Anne
PC22

Crafts @ Home said...

Such a juicy looking post, amazingly colourf , suex

Crafts @ Home said...

#colourful

Mia said...

Hello Robin,

We are so happy to have many berries in our yard, and blueberries (mmmm!) quite nearby in woods to be picked also. This is a lovely time, sun, hot&berries - what could be better?

Wishing you wonderful July days!

Yours,
Mia

Mia said...

Hello Jane,

It is so wonderful to have fresh fruit by just walking outside (and that also gets me pie-baking quite often *ahem*), and even I wish not to think winter yet, it will be great to have a freezer full!

Enjoy the beautiful July-days!

Yours,
Mia

Mia said...

Hello Anne,

I know, the green gooseberries are quite familiar here too, but ours bushes are all red. They are delicious, mmmm.... By the weekend I should get loads!

Wishing you happy and exciting days :) and talk to you soon!

Yours,
Mia

Mia said...

Hello Sue,

Thank you! It is wonderful to have new colors (and edible too!) in garden again.

Wishing you wonderful last days of July!

Yours,
Mia

Megumi said...

Oh, I didn't know how gooseberries look like. How pretty. Your fruits look very good.

Enjoy your summer!

Megumi

Mia said...

Hello Megumi,

Gooseberries are really common here, both green and these red, well at least in older gardens, and those are with strawberries my favorites! Those can be eaten straight from our bushes, and I am quite often snacking there...

Happy weekend!

Yours,
Mia

Helen Philipps said...

Those berries look so gorgeous, Mia, I love the redcurrants especially. I have only ever had green gooseberries, have never seen red ones before!
Happy weekend!
Helen xox

Beth of The Linen Cat said...

Oh you have the same berries as us - redcurrants and pink gooseberries, except no-one here really eats the pink gooseberries! (the boys aren't convinced) I also have a blackcurrant bush, now that's my favourite. Glad your fingers may have a touch of green in them after all ;) Bethxx

Mia said...

Hello Helen,

This is such fun - the berries I have known from childhood, gooseberries, and then they are that common after all! We had first go on redcurrants on weekend and freeze is almost full already...

Wishing you a wonderful week!

Yours,
Mia

Mia said...

Hello Beth,

We have tiny blackcurrant bush too, but very little berries this year. The smell of the leaves is beautiful though, and juice of them is my favorite (store-bought this year!) too.

Wishing you a lovely week, and hope that the heat&humid is not too much. We still have a sauna-effect here...

Yours,
Mia

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