Back in the city -- with lots of updates and a few trivia questions

So much to report about this weekend! It was a true a sensory overload! I got to see the garden for the first time after a 3-week absence, having abandoned it amidst a horrendous drought… Until last night, it hasn’t rained all of July, and if it weren’t for Jesse & Barbara’s diligent watering efforts, we would have suffered countless casualties.

There’s a whole progress report to file. But also, thanks to the Dean Hill News Network, I learned about and visited a secret garden oasis, only about 5 miles away.  And now I have tons of really inspirational images and many helpful gardening tips from this magic place that can’t wait to share!

But because I’m still overwhelmed from all the new information, the trip, and the work, let’s start with a little trivia. I’ll completely ignore the fact that my last photo quiz had been completely ignored and just recycle its material, accompanied by an intriguing clue this time around…   There are 3 ID questions and 1 bonus question (in case of a tie).  The prize — I’m totally serious (as long as I can have it legally delivered) — 3 heads of garlic from this weekend’s harvest that is currently ‘curing’ in the basement.

(1)

CLUE: I’m named after a very large berry from the order Cucurbitales.

(2)

CLUE: That pink thing above and I are from the same family. We both need to be peeled and taste kinda similar (and similarly awesome) raw.

(3)

I am a pretty flower from the Asterales order.  My roots are not only edible but also used in traditional Chinese medicine as an anti-inflammatory.

Bonus question:

There’s no correct answer here. I took this photo on the aforementioned magic garden tour and couldn’t believe this was Upstate New York.  For all the widely-traveled folks out there: where in the world would you expect to behold such a landscape?