Let’s just start with the flowers this week. This bearded iris bloomed for the first time in several years. Credit adjusting the sprinklers and adding some compost and mulch to the planting. Simple measures that will benefit most plants.

Sentimental gardeners have stories about special plants. My dad grew this iris at their home. He was fond of irises, likely from time he spent in Oregon. Many years ago, I ordered a number of varieties from Schreiner’s Iris Gardens in Oregon as a gift. Under his care, they bloomed well each year. In remembrance, when we closed the family home, I dug a few rhizomes for my garden and also for my sister.

Dealing with a glut of other vegetables in the garden, I let the ‘Catalina’ spinach grow with abandon. And with the garden looking like an armed fortress—to protect from ravaging raccoons and opossums—it’s not easy to do a quick harvest. Thankfully, with cool weather and rain it hasn’t bolted but has yielded several substantial takes for sides, salads and entrees.

I usually just grab enough greens for a salad with a few extra leaves for sandwiches. Here ‘Dark Red Lollo Rossa’ lettuce and a standard romaine that replaced lettuce damaged by critters. Arugula has suffered the same fate as the spinach. The open-pollinated ‘Tango’ celery nears the end of its run, though still suitable for cooking.

I continue to revel in the winter garden salads, this one featuring arugula blossoms, kumquats, golden snow peas, calendula petals along with the usual. I did a post last week on Arugula Blossoms.

The late afternoon light highlights the similar hues that find their way to my kitchen in this season.

You may enjoy seeing what other garden bloggers around the world harvested last week at Harvest Monday hosted by Dave at Happy Acres blog.

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