Tableau Vivante

And Tableau Vivante looked upon the porch and said, “Let there be tomatoes.” And upon finding a variety that would cope well with intense afternoon sun, there were thus laid down tomatoes. And Tableau Vivante looked upon the patio, noticed the tomatoes, and declared, “You can’t have tomatoes without BASIL!” And lo, the patio made basil. A lot of it. But one can never have too much basil. So Tableau Vivante watered the basil, smited the cabbage worms that found it tasty, and declared it good. Oh so very very good.

I haven’t had the time or energy to put into a full kitchen garden this year (as it would mean doing battle with some seriously tenacious morning glories…and I need to fortify the troops for that). But my patio, being small and within easy reach, usually gets a full container garden treatment in the early summertime. June is usually its prime month for showing off. July becomes a struggle. By August, everything is barely hanging on due to the unrelenting heat. So I thought I’d take a few shots of what’s looking good right now - which is to say everything.

I have a low-chill fuji apple tree in my yard, too. Last year’s yield was phenomenal. I ended up using the smaller fruits as garnishes for everything from napkin decor to desserts. This year we’ll probably get a small basketfull, assuming the pesky parrots don’t get to them first. Little, green, apple-stealing bastards is what they are. Last year they got super smart, realizing that the opening of the door wasn’t a sign of danger if they just held still and waited for me to pass by. Their leaf green plumage would keep them hidden for the most part. So I ended up training my eye to find that one telltale patch of red on their heads. Then as if on cue, they all tilted their heads to angle the red patch away from me. LIKE THEY KNEW. Freaking tricksy little apple stealing bastards! Since last year’s yield was so huge, losing a few to the parrots didn’t dent our harvest too much. But this year? Oh no. No no no. These are my apples. Mine.

Such pretty little flowers. Too bad they’re all essentially useless. This is a very happy Armenian cucumber plant. It grows and grows and grows. But all the little female flowers go into the aether unfulfilled. The male flowers just don’t bring forth the bugs. So I have these pretty wandering vines with dots of little yellow flowers, but no cucumber to be seen anywhere. I planted four of these. Seems I need a more established row of them in order to guarantee a good yield. Sadness. Not so much of a garden goddess here. But live and learn.

There’s also thyme, rosemary, a blood orange tree, a Santa Rose plum tree, volunteer nasturtiums, etc. My neighbor across the street just informed me she has an unloved fuyu persimmon tree - her dogs chew the fruit as it falls (!!!). I’ve been promised access this fall. And then down the street a ways is Neighbor D who has a very mature hachiya persimmon tree that gives some of the best tasting fruit ever. Walk a little more down the way and you come across a mission fig tree that hangs over the sidewalk. Sidewalk is, legally speaking, public domain for picking so if it hangs over public space, it’s fair game, but it’s always best to ask the owners of the tree first. Then down a little further is a pomegranate tree, a mulberry tree, a peach, a few lemons, a few oranges, and some loquats.

What’s growing in your neighborhood?