I could blog about gardening or I could garden

And that goes for photos as well.  Since today is overcast, though, I may try to snap a few between showers.

Veggie highlights:

• I planted a hill of cukes and a hill of zukes.  Both are up and on their way.
• I managed to revive ten of the tomato plants from the paste collection, and in the process of transplanting them to the garden, mixed up which were which.  I doubt the individual fruit will be that distinctive visually, but one can hope.  Then maybe we will be able to have a taste test.
• The snap pea vines are about five feet tall this year, and starting to sport pods.  The Blue Lake bush beans that I planted inside the pea fence on one side are up.  I planted Provider on the other side this past week, and only then remembering that I was going to plant the Provider first because they are supposed to be a good cool-weather bean.  Not that it has been very cool around here.
• One of the garlic varieties developed scapes, which I dutifully trimmed off.  Both varieties are starting to turn brown at the tips.  All the onions are in the ground.
• The potatoes are finally shoving their way through the straw.  I was beginning to get worried.  There is one more variety that needs to be planted, and they are going into more grow bags.  
• More grow bags means I need to blend more container mix.  Vermiculite and perlite are kind of difficult to locate, and then can be found only in smallish amounts.  Does anyone know a good online source?  If you buy baled packages of sphagnum peat moss, Menards is the cheapest, then Lowes, then Home Depot.

Avian update:

• The baby robin in the clematis flew the nest last Thursday while I was dragging the mower past the front door.  Still unable to fly properly, it scrambled through my open garage door, so I had to (gently) chase it out of there.  It continued down the driveway and across the street, parents in hot pursuit.  I hope it found a good bush to hide in.  The three eggs in the juniper nest are now one naked birdling.  Wonder what happened to the others.
• Robins take baths even when it is raining.
• The wrens were showing an interest in the bluebird house where the sparrows live, so I put up a second wren house.  Within minutes, wrens, sparrows, and goldfinch arrived to check out the new digs.  It was like an open house in a seller's market.  Only the wrens could fit inside.
• Still no takers for the bird bottle.
• I think the cardinals have a nest in the "John Clayton" honeysuckle.
• Hummingbirds are back.  They seem interested in the wave petunias, but I'm not sure they actually get any nectar from them.

Pest post:

• From where I am sitting in the West Wing, I can see a young rabbit in the garden, nibbling on whatever.  As long as it leaves the good stuff alone!
• My SO and I filled up one side of the compost bin with Canada thistle, and there is still more!
• While chatting with my neighbor the other day, I witnessed two carpenter bees duking it out over the prime real estate of said neighbor's shed.

My pretties:

• Most of the marigolds have been transplanted.
• The smoke bush is starting to smoke.
• The blooms on the 'Chicago Luster' viburnum lagged the ones on the 'Blue Muffin', so I don't think there will be berries this year.  I wonder if it is the difference in the ages of the two shrubs, and in future years, their bloom time will overlap?
• The phlox are about done.  Now they look kind of ugly.
• The Stellas are blooming, as are the coneflowers.
• Roses are red, and so are keys of heaven and columbine.  Tiger lilies, on the other hand, are orange.