Gardens are lovely distractions

This is the best time of year to garden here. Our vegetable garden is growing wildly. And my flower beds are being filled in with new plants, some on sale as the summer weather heats up.

Here's a look at our garden a month ago. We had just planted most of our seeds. The biggest plants then were herbs that came up on their own: sage and chives. The Mexican oregano went wild - I had to transplant it elsewhere.

Look at it now! We're eating lettuce, radishes and swiss chard. We're looking forward to lots of tomatoes, basil for pesto, peppers and zucchini. I need to get the tomato cages out before they get out of control.

The flowers have been lovely this year too. I just planted more lillies and a rosebush. Look at how the front flower garden is doing....it's taking a little time away from quilting but it's inspiring in its own way. Shown here are coneflowers, larkspur, red yarrow and a few asiatic lillies in the back. I can't wait for the bee balm to bloom.