Volunteers–how would the Olympics manage without them?!
This is not about people though, it’s about Mother Nature.
Each year we are surprised and delighted by unexpected guests–volunteers.
Hollyhocks called Henry and Californian poppies…
…wild strawberries and Love-in-the-Mist (aka Nigella).
Some, after an initial scattering of seeds, make their seasonal re-visitations–like the swallows on Corfu–adding to the color and general well-being around here.
Mysterious and miraculous are these return visits to the ignorant–like me.
Bring them on–I say–you’re welcome anytime–see you next year!
They were followed, closely, by two strong tomato plants–the real thing rather than the tiny cherry variety that pop up everywhere–with big green bunches ripening soon (we hope!).
There are the volunteers who like it so much here they decide to dig in and stay en permanence–sometimes raising a family too.
The self-planted Judas (Redbud) tree close to the house in the courtyard is growing apace and will soon provide us with an emergency exit from the first floor in case of fire!
Three years ago, a “thing” grew out of the mint patch and started heading for the compost heap.
Charting it’s progress we laid bets on how far it would reach. Then–wonder–it started having offspring.
Beautiful yellow marrow-like fruit appeared at regular intervals.
I tried to make a dish with one, but it collapsed.
They made a pretty picture against the wall though.
Yellow mellowed into burnished orange as these courge aged.
The following year, it reappeared, travelling in the opposite direction from compost heap to the mint patch–throwing off fruit like the year before.
Welcome–volunteers!
* Our friend and neighbor Alice thinks it was a hungry cow who was the mystery muncher of the sunflowers. I was hoping for something more exotic!
Robin Ellis 
Robin: What are the yellow/orange things? Are they melons? Vegetables? Have you dared to eat one?
Nice pictures Robin & Meredith!
These unexpected visitors are a real delight. They brighten our lives without any effort on our part. Glad you welcome them in
Lovely thoughts and photos,
thank you so much for sharing! I’ve always been amazed by plants that just appear like magic and grow like mad without any care on my part, while seedlings that I coddle and baby refuse to do much apart from eking out a spindly existence, despite expensive and exotic foods and fertilizers.Nature certainly has a mind of Her own!
Meredith writing: I so agree with you! Things I hover over fail while nature’s volunteers prosper! I’ve decided that Mother Nature and I
are co-creators of the garden and I’m definitely the junior partner!
Hi, Robin & Meredith,
Is your “courge” a gourd or an edible squash?? It reminds me of a ‘thing” that grew in our garden one year. It was bright yellow like our summer squash, but big & round like a pumpkin! We called it our “squmpkin.” But the local farmers’ exchange chided us for growing our plants too closely together: “They should be at least an acre apart!” …which made us laugh since our whole yard is only an acre, and the garden was 20 by 30 feet!
Perhaps a new recipe is on the horizon for this one??
I just love the silkiness of the californian poppies which suddenly appear in the middle of other plants. Such a pity they are so short-lived. In this area we also get monbretia as a ‘pop-up’ – a fiery mass, but a sure sign that Autumn is not so far away.
Meredith’s pictures are beautiful and she is blessed with wonderful subjects too.
Some while ago you promised us a stir-fry recipe – have I missed it or is it in the pipeline?
How always delightful it is to see something new and unexpected sprouting and growing in the garden. It’s one of Natures’ wonders and surprises. But we shouldn’t overlook another type of “volunteers” – our colourful wild birds. They travel far and wide gathering the seeds. They aren’t very particular where they scatter or drop them – in our garden beds or compost heaps…
So this way I’ve acquired several capsicum plants growing among Clivias. On a sadder note there are several Red River Gums (Eucalyptus) and a Brazilian Pepper tree (Schinus molle) growing where decidedly they aren’t welcome. On an even more sadder note the wild mustard, horehound and elephant grass have reached plague proprtions… Who’s the culprit? The birds or our strong Aussie summer winds?
Up late watching the Olympics closing ceremony–did you folks catch it? Eric Idle was perfect, doing “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.” And it was pretty strange but neat seeing a resurrected Freddy Mercury leading the audience in a sing-along! What were your favorite parts this time?
(Also watched Donald Douglas in “Bridget Jones’ Diary.” We’re squeezing in all the time we can before school starts again!)
‘Nite for now! 🙂
I love your take on these “invasives” :). I also like to see what the odd seeds will produce. Wild strawberries and Nagoon berries are throughout our lawn. Again I say “Come on in! Good to have you.”. Wish we could grow tomatoes, so I’m jealous of your intruder.
I stumbled on this old post today and wondered if what you had there was a spagetti squash. They have a very short shelf life compared to other squash and have a tendency to suddenly collapse when you least expect it. However, they do make a great “spagetti” dish when you manage to cook them before they collapse.
Hope you are enjoying some sunshine these days. It has been a strange warm and wet and very cloudy early 2018 in my neck of the woods (Grenoble).
All the best
Tina
I do sometimes cook Spag Sq but I find it a bit mushy.
This method avoids the mushiness that usually makes ‘spag sq’ rather unattractive on the plate
https://cookieandkate.com/2018/how-to-cook-spaghetti-squash/?utm_source=Cookie+and+Kate+Newsletter&utm_campaign=7ae046460d-Mailchimp-per-post&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_dc2361842c-7ae046460d-243540362
Look forward to reading this, Tina–thanks.
Pretty sure that your collapsed vegetable is a spagetti pumpkin.
Tina