what vegetables should i plant in july?

my vegetable garden is in shambles...again. it has been the second driest july since records have been kept. i missed two weekends of maintanance: the bugs ate the potatoes to skeletal form; i guess the actual potatoes dried up due to lack of water; the deer ate the 'bright lights' swiss chard; the onions and leeks look ok, but they are ensconced in weeds; i had mulched the tomatoes, so no weeds, but the deer trimmed all their new growth; i cant find my sweet potatoes. one surprise, though: i have two very large 'moon and stars' heirloom watermelons! the mister wants to abandon the whole project. i have done this too long, however, and am unwilling to give up! so...i am going to try and salvage this growing season by planting some fall crops right now: i have a whole box of unused seeds. i need some help and inspiration, though. found some on youtube (of course!) via gardengirltv. she has some great ideas and makes it sound do-able. back to the field!

paula hayes

i was introduced to the amazing terrariums of paula hayes in last week's blogisphere posting on etsy. she is an amazing environmental sculptor who also makes aquariums, planters, living jewelry, bird stuff and landscapes that evoke envy. her website is really cool too.

south face

stunning south facing vertical garden designed by italian architect iosa ghini as part of the interni design energies exhibition held during salone del mobile in april.

mile-a-minute weed

wow...this stuff is taking over! Polygonum perfoliatum was first recorded in oregon in 1890 and then in beltsville, maryland in 1937: both "mile-a-minute" weed populations were eradicated. it popped up between the 1930's and 1946 at a rhododendron nursery in york, pennsylvania and was kept and studied by the nurseryman. this invasive non-native plant species is now found radiating 300 miles from the york nursery. i took this shot in rock creek park today. vine-y!

sunflower in the summertime

sunflowers in my front yard reseeded from last year's batch. totally summer!

the knitted vase

another modern vase...this one is knitted!

warp-ed design

i love these modern flower vases from warp design.

that is truly brooklyn in the house.

eastern bluebird babies coming soon!

i am so excited: a lovely couple of eastern bluebirds have a clutch of four eggs in one of my bluebird houses! cant wait to see little blue baby birds! this photo was taken with my iphone (as usual) and modified with the color splash app.

i ♥ san francisco geraniums

geraniums blooming big-time in the city: fantastic shot from my dad's iphone of their amazing flower boxes on the roof top deck.

blooming postage stamps

they have been around for about a year, but i still love the idea of the blooming postage stamp put out by the dutch postal service. not that i am getting anything other than bills these days!

grow shelter, grow!

the growshelter from brooklyn-based xlxs is this year's winner of the schuykill environmental education center's sustainable design/build competition. The shells of the GrowShelter are embedded into a 100 x 100 sq. foot space within the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, a 350-acre nature preserve near Philadelphia. Each shell is made out of lime mortar, which is 80% more environmentally friendly than regular mortar, formed around a reinforced frame, and embedded into a mixture of mud, seeds, nuts, and water. 18 species of Philadelphia native plants and flowers, along with birdseed ingredients, like peanuts, sunflower seeds, and corn, are planted in the growing layer of the shelter. that is thinking outside of the box!