Daylilies and Squash

Last March I wasn't certain I'd be doing much gardening this year. Chemo was hitting me hard. Thankfully, each session seemed a bit easier than the one before. And it's been four weeks since I completed the last in the series of six. So I'm feeling really well right now.

Our backyard garden area is pretty small. That's because our city lot is pretty small but that is not all that bad...a small lot means that we can mow the lawn in less than 15 minutes time. Er, I mean, my hubby does. He's in charge of the mower. I'm in charge of maintaining the flower beds and keeping the weeds out of the small vegetable garden.

Early this spring a friend mailed me seeds from the heirloom Potimarron Squash. Now if there is one thing I know about heirloom squash varieties it is that they are NOT the new, compact bush variety. I knew the vines would require lots of room...room that we simply did not have.

However, I figured if I planted these few seeds behind the daylilies on the far side of the garage and if I checked them every other day and gently coaxed the growing vine to remain within the flower bed, then we could have a few squash come fall. So I planted. And coaxed. And watered. And since this is the far side of the garage...the neighbor's side...I've tried to keep it all looking rather tidy. The photo may be a bit confusing...what you see are squash vines twining their way through the daylily plants.

So here's the progress to date.

The vine is still tidy. The blossoms have set fruit but I'm disappointed that there are not More of them! Seems like a lot of vine for just a handful of squash.

The daylilies still look lovely. Isn't this orange one a beauty! (Actually this one is photographed near the deck.) Here's an interesting fact about daylilies. Each bloom lasts only one day. Hence the name. The next day the blossoms wilt down. A friend told me that she plucks the spent blooms and she maintains that this encourages the new buds to be lush in size. So some days (not all days) I do that. It's a good opportunity to enjoy the loveliness of the day's blooms. (You can click on the photo for a stunning close-up!)