In the garden now...

It's the most wonderful time of the year: the peak growing season. Christmas for gardeners.

Alas, as always, I am so busy with work in the summer and our growing season is so short that the entire season often passes me by. But in between all the work and the rain showers and the mosquitoes, I have managed a few evenings in the garden this summer to take stock of my little harvest. Here's what's growing in my garden right now:

Hollyhock "nigra," a rare breed that's as dark as they come and is the current crowning glory of my garden. How big do they get? Take a look ...

Masses of Bachelor's Buttons and some cheerful daisies--well, they were cheerful, until Colin went and plucked off all their petals...

My favourite addition this year: a bird feeder. It took me months of coaxing, but finally the birds have started flocking to my yard. Now they are so numerous they wake me up in the early morning and are about to eat me out of house and home.

More rhubarb than I know what to do with...

Carrots are doing well, but for the second year in a row something has been attacking my chard...

Sugar snap peas. This year I didn't forget to water them, although I did forget to pick them, so now they are almost too huge to eat. This year I did something rather clever (I hope): I planted my zucchini underneath my trellis of peas. Now that pea season is about over, I can remove the peas and my zucchini can have the extra head space. At least, it works in theory. I'll get back to you on how it works in practice...

The incredible Scarlet Runner Beans--Colin's favourite. (We've been reading a lot of "Jack and the Beanstalk" lately.)

Runner beans, bush beans, and my lettuce that's about to bolt...

And, of course, raspberries. There are never enough of those...

What's growing in your garden right now?