Phenomenal Father’s Day here today. Low 80’s, sunny and not the least bit humid.
After today, I can confirm that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.
Events in chronological order:
Breakfast in bed – Lemon ricotta pancakes, double thick bacon, pineapple/strawberry mix, black coffee.
Me personally running baseball/softball practice in the front yard – Impressive showing by both children.
Strawberry picking at a local farm – Impossible for me to describe just how good they are
Dinner – Filet mignon with blue cheese butter, corn on the cob, mozz and tomato salad
Dessert – Angel food cake, fresh strawberries and freshly made whipping cream
Walk – 2 mile family walk at dusk that capped off a perfect day.
And somewhere in between all of those activities, I managed to get out in the garden, pick some weeds, plan some future plant moves and purchases, find a bunch of infant rabbits living inside of a Barberry, get filled with plant related anger and take some photos.
Enjoy the pics.
Possibly my new favorite shrub – Physocarpus ‘Amber Jubilee’ – in a container on the deck for now. How about that foliage color: 
Still managing to keep the lettuce and kale going even as the temperature starts to trend higher:
We’ve got tomatoes:
I love the subsequent red seed capsules on the Physocarpus ‘Diablo’ more than the flowers:
I have found that Veronica likes my conditions more than I ever imagined so I have placed them all over the garden for much needed color at this point in the gardening season:
A new Monarda cultivar this year, ‘Pardon My Purple’, is performing well to date:
Maybe a bit boring, but Itea ‘Little Henry’ has proven to thrive just as ‘Henry’s Garnet’ has for so many years:
Astilbe love continues:
Still not sure about the color combo above, but for most of the year, it won’t be a concern. Have to let this one marinate for a while before I decide to keep it or not.
The first coneflower has appeared:
Um, what exactly do these “dots” represent? Maybe it is a secret message/code I am supposed to crack:
Rabbits didn’t get the memo that ornamental grasses are off limits:
Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there from a dad who has never felt more appreciative of all that he has in his entire lifetime.
Love me some ninebark & monarda! I’m wondering if your morse code on leaves is bug damage, specifically four-lined plant bug. I have the same morse code on my daisy leaves and the buggers fly away before I can pick ’em off. Pest rage!
Sounds like a happy Father’s Day! I’m surprised to hear that your Veronicas are happy. I’ve always liked them but been put-off by the warnings about root rot and needing good drainage. Maybe I’ll give one a try.
I can’t imagine a better Father’s Day. Your garden looks good too!
beautiful garden, beautiful kids = beautiful master
I have exactly the same looking dots on my basil, borage, and a couple of other plants. What the heck is it? I’ve never seen it before – and I grow a lot of the same things you do, being in Somerset County (Green Brook).
I think, these kind of gardens need sort of fencing. Secondly, those dots on the leaves may occurs due to the mites and for them you can find solutions here.