The first of my Asiatic lilies opened at the end of June: a variety called “Easy Samba”. These blooms are so bright and showy that my friend Karl-Heinz asked, “Those are real, right? They almost look like plastic.”

Other lilies of unknown varieties have grown thick, tall leaves, but no sign yet of flower stems. One of the gladiolus bulbs, however, has a stem of buds that will likely start to open this week. This plant's in full sun, unlike the gladiolus bulbs that were planted in partial shade, which is likely why they're a bit behind this summer. Curious to know more about typical performance and care preferences of these and other popular bulbs, I found some good articles: Companions For Lilies In The Garden: Plants That Grow Well With Lilies, and Jazz Up Your Garden With Spring-Planted Bulbs, and How to Grow Gladiolus.

The fragrant flower clusters adorning our privet hedge are starting to dry out and drop off now, but there are still bees buzzing about the remaining blooms. Other flowers are now commanding more attention, from a variety of pollinators including Anna's Hummingbirds: blackberry bush flowers, deep red roses (which also smell amazing), the shooting star hydrangea, abundant cascades of yellow and orange nasturtiums, and my two hanging fuchsias.

Over in the vegetable patch, I continue to harvest snap peas, spinach and mustard greens. Soon I hope to pull up a few radishes, and see nice big round roots. Basil and parsnips have been slower to grow. I'm confident that the quality fertilizers I've been using (including Early Starter and Deep Rooter from Envii products) will provide the nutrients they need, so I think all they're missing is more heat and sunshine. We've had mostly cool, foggy mornings, typical for July along this stretch of the California Coast. But the days are still long, and temperatures are getting into the 80's at times now, so I could have all these tasty vegetables and herbs maturing before too long.