Well, the tomatoes aren’t too big, but in Seattle any ripe tomato is a wonder some years. The little yellow ones were from a volunteer plant in a flowerbed, unlike the started plants I bought and planted in black containers back in May, and sure enough, the volunteer is far bigger and happier in every way. It’s a puzzlement, because the plants in the ground last year refused to ripen, even cherry tomatoes. Sigh.

There’s also broccoli rabe in the basket. I planted seeds pretty early, and they were so spindly, went to seed right away, but THOSE seeds grew and now I have these huge, healthy plants, yielding like crazy. I like it steamed with olive oil, soy sauce and lots of garlic.

Happy Ruby Tuesday!

This is another bouquet creation that I photographed at the recent flower show put on by the local garden clubs. The lighting wasn’t as good for the “designs” (arrangements) as it was for the horticulture. And I detest flash on most things and especially flowers. But even so, the warmth and cheeriness of this one seems to shine through. I hope so, anyway. It’s for you, dear reader!

For more close ups, visit Macro Monday. And for more splashes of yellow, visit Mellow Yellow Monday. And for extremely colorific photos, visit Color Carnival.

I love the macro setting on my little point-and-shoot Canon. It lets us really look at something in a way we rarely think to do. These three small pansy blossoms from my garden (from a volunteer plant!), each less than an inch and a half (4 cm) wide show us their perfection. Visit Macro Monday for other interesting close ups, and Mellow Yellow Monday for other photos with some interesting yellow components.

The best part of the district garden club meetings held every three months is the horticulture they show. You can see the lovely things people grow and be inspired. Here is a blossom of Japanese Anemone, a late-summer perennial. You can see more pink things of all kinds at Pink Saturday.

Next week we are going camping again, and my favorite part is the campfires. Not for cooking, because that makes such a mess on the pots and pans, and washing dishes is so hard when camping, but just to gaze at and enjoy. The sight, the smell, and the soft sound of the flames in the quiet woods, is one of my top fave experiences. A photo is a small slice of that, but it reminds us.

It’s Macro Monday time. This Black-eyed Susan or rudbeckia plant is a real winner to me because it blooms midsummer and later in sun or shade and survives really tough conditions. This lovely blossom was in my friend Eileen’s garden. And happy Mellow Yellow Monday!

Flowers, flowers, flowers. I can’t understand why some Seattlites say that Seattle only does Spring well, in the garden. Hogwash. There are so many lovelies blooming! Here’s a sweet begonia, about four inches across. I took the hanging basket in over the winter, and here it is again. How easy is that?

It’s a close-up, so fits the Macro Monday meme, and the splash of yellow qualifies it for Mellow Yellow Monday. Both excellent and exciting memes, filled with creativity. Visit or better yet, participate!

These shasta daisies are a yellow color that I haven’t seen before. I saw then on a walk in the neighborhood the other day. Nothing like seeing what grows in your neighbors’ yards for ideas about what to plant. I’ll have to try these, I think.

For more close up shots of everything imaginable, visit Macro Monday, and for more golden goodness, visit Mellow Yellow Monday. And have fun, hear?

Everyone loves to grow tomatoes but not everyone knows how to make sure there are lots of tomatoes on the vines. With bees experiencing serious decline for unknown reasons (although I seem to see more this year than last year in my own garden), pollination can be a problem.

The solution? You! Assisted flower sex is the answer, and you get tomatoes for your trouble. Unless you are a farmer with acres of tomatoes, for a few backyard plants you can make a big difference in yield by going around your plants with a child’s little paintbrush, or even a cotton swab, and brushing each little yellow flower in turn. Do this every few days to catch as many flowers as possible, and you will be amazed at the results. And it’s fun!

Visit Think Green Thursday for more takes on the meaning of green.

I am so happy to see the sweetpeas finally taking off. I planted them from seed myself, and that always adds to the gardening enjoyment, I find. And sweetpeas love to be picked! You can only enhance and prolong the blooming period by picking them as they come into flower. Of course, I always leave a few.

For more flowers around the world, visit Today’s Flower.