Garden scenes

The onions have finished drying and are ready to store.  The outside layers are all papery, the roots have dried to hard little strings, and the necks aren't juicy.  Ready to trim and stash. 



I got a total of 12 pounds of onions from that $1.99 bag of onion sets.  Not a bad return, but I plan on doing better next year. Still, this will last a while.



So the onions have left, but the peppers are coming on strong.  There are lots of little ones growing.



The sunflower has lost its youthful beauty, but is ripening beautifully into maturity.  It looks like all the flowers were pollinated, and there are plenty of plump seeds forming.  I haven't decided yet if I'll let the birds and squirrels have the seeds, since they were the ones who planted it in the first place, or if I'll keep them for a people-treat.

I'm leaning toward keeping them, since the squirrels are greedy little buggers.



The mint continues to explode with growth.  I've sheared the peppermint and chocolate mint back twice already and it's time to do it again.  The orange mint has quadrupled in size since I planted it a month ago.



Emma'a first zinnia is open, a very vibrant red.  We can't wait to see what other colors are in the planter.



And my direct-seeded marigolds are blooming.  Every flower is different, all beautiful.





But this remains my favorite.