Mid June, Almost Summer

Things are really settling into summer now. There is no fear of frost and all leaves are relaxed and growing confidently. We have almost finished moving the pile of wood chips out of the driveway and into the beds where they are needed. Just about three or four wheel barrows full remain on the concrete. I wonder weather the rain falling on them and thru them does good things or bad things to their chemistry. Or maybe nothing.

The trough on the deck is looking very beautiful lately. Our friend ( and 'second best' man in our wedding) Tim made it for us many years ago. I planted it then, and have left it outside year round since. Some things live and some don't, but mainly it comes back every year with something intact to form the basis for a pretty growing season.

The water lily is blooming. This year I decided not to put any tropical floating plants in the pond, and let the lily expand to its full capacity. It is nearly filling the pond already, and its early.

This photo, while not great, is a glimpse of the glory that is the nine-bark bush at the southeast corner of the gazebo garden. The shrub is pretty during its entire season of leaves, but most beautiful now that it is in bloom.

And the hostas beneath the willow are really stunning right now. I can't believe they came from a SAM's Club box.

Everything is Growing!

Even the weeds. In fact, mainly the weeds. Walking around the yard today I was pleased with the growth of the things I planted in the last weeks. But the weeds that I thought I was ahead of are catching up. This weekend will require much fine tuning and probably some poisons. I do try to be as organic as I can, but there is still a place for the judicious use of Round-Up here and there.

Rain!

Whoo Hoo! Two and a half inches and counting, with no severe weather. So far it's perfect. It can stop now, but if it goes another inch it will be ok. The wind over the last several days really took its toll, and dried things out severely. But they are re-saturated now for sure. The creek is up to the top of its banks, and there is a secondary channel through the yard. This is really good to settle things in.

Even the cats are happy with the soft earth. Kate has found a cushion of dying leaves of early squills that she really loves to sleep in. They will only last a couple more weeks at most, but for now it is heavenly.

Early June, Finishing Up

Well, my predictions of finishing all the planting last weekend didn't quite come to fruition. And of course, it is impossible for me to stop buying new things this early in the season. So, there was plenty to do today. I decided to put the elephant ear in the new deck planter. As I dug it up to transplant it from the flat it was growing in to the planter, I was surprised to find out that I had planted it upside down. I just don't have a good sense of how to handle the bulbs/rhizomes/tubers/?? of this plant. I'll have to study up on it. Despite being oriented incorrectly, they were growing pretty well, so I think they'll take off once the hot weather comes. Had a couple left over, so I planted up a pot full of them to move to a blank spot later on.


I threw away the agave plant that I've had for many years, having brought it home from Arizona. I think it was from the yard of the old man across the street from Mom & Dad's first house there. But its really meant to get much larger than I can afford to let it, and so it never looked good in that pot. I saved the single crown of a Queen Victoria agave, which is smaller and more well behaved. We'll see how that goes alone.

Planted allysum under the red cannas, put the two seedlings of 4 o'clocks in that bed also. 6 plants of Sundial Fuchsia moss roses in various cracks under the gazebo. I had a flat of marigolds that I couldn't find a place for, and finally put them under the correopsis among the ageratum. Added an eggplant to the vegetable garden, and also plunked in a single cleome seedling that had been among the elephant ears. Shopping at Steins this morning I found some beautiful hardy mum plants that were of sale for a pretty good price. So I bought 8 of them and put 6 into the tricorn garden in front. I hope they really are hardy.

Put the Sago palm that I've had for many years out onto the front porch to get it used to being outside. Usually I do that earlier in the year, but this year it was actually making new leaves during May and I didn't want to risk it. It looks pretty on the front porch, with the heuchera in full glory, new leaves still vibrant and young, but fully grown

Looking for rain as I write this. We had an inch this week, but then a hot dry very windy day yesterday took it all out. There are storms around, but so far nothing except enough to make it hard to sit out on the deck.







Also blooming this week: the wild viburnum in the woods are beautiful. Anenomie Canadensis, Japanese Lilac, astilbe that didn't get "frosted", Iris, Wiegalia, hosta in front, shorter larger allium near pond, beautiful columbines - many colors, all over in full bloom.

Planting Week 2008

The last three days have been pretty much nonstop planting and finalizing the Summer of 2008 look for the gardens. The frost on Wednesday was the last hurrah of the winter, and now I am confident that the weather will hold. I'm still seeing damage from the frost, but I trust that the things I plant out now will survive.

Finished the basic planting in the garden: tomatoes, peppers, cucumber have joined the broccoli, onions and potatoes that went in three weeks ago. I even put basil out into the herb garden. The flower gardens are evolving: put out the wave petunias, some alyssum, planted the pots for the deck. Finally decided what to do with the tall, green cannas, and put them out into the garden in front of the deck. Finished weeding and chipping the beds around the back yard, and am ready to finish tomorrow with any luck.

The dogwoods are blooming beautifully this week. Also in bloom: Bachelor's Button, wild geranium, swelling buds on the viburnum along the creek. Finally got a shot of the mother duck and her ducklings. Very cute.

The last tree to break leaves and begin to create shade is the Mullberry that I got from our friends Tom and Bea about, oh, ten? years ago. Took home a two foot sapling from their yard and planted it at the edge of the woods. Now it is 30 feet tall, and at least 5 feet inside of the treeline. I guess, as my father urged us when we first bought this property, we have let the treeline e dg e out into the yard,. It's not like we don't have plenty of lawn still. Less each year, perhaps, but still a large amount of monoculture to keep up and mow. Some day this will all be gardens,with only a tiny bit of lawn to create paths between them.

There are very interesting formations on the Austrian Pines that I've not noticed before. I think they are inflorescences, may mostly fall off with a few becoming cones if they are fertilized. Never noticed them before.

Busy Spring Day

The last three days have been pretty much nonstop planting and finalizing the Summer of 2008 look for the gardens. The frost on Wednesday was the last hurrah of the winter, and now I am confident that the weather will hold. I'm still seeing damage from the frost, but I trust that the things I plant out now will survive.

Finished the basic planting in the garden: tomatoes, peppers, cucumber have joined the broccoli, onions and potatoes that went in three weeks ago. I even put basil out into the herb garden. The flower gardens are evolving: put out the wave petunias, some alyssum, planted the pots for the deck. Finally decided what to do with the tall, green cannas, and put them out into the garden in front of the deck. Finished weeding and chipping the beds around the back yard, and am ready to finish tomorrow with any luck.

The dogwoods are blooming beautifully this week. Also in bloom: Bachelor's Button, wild geranium, swelling buds on the viburnum along the creek. Finally got a shot of the mother duck and her ducklings. Very cute.

The last tree to break leaves and begin to create shade is the Mullberry that I got form the Hoffmans about, oh, ten? years ago. Took home a two foot sapling from their yard and planted it at the edge of the woods. Now it is 30 feet tall, and at least 5 feet inside of the treeline. I guess, as my father urged us when we first bought this property, we have let the treeline edge out into the yard,. It's not like we don't have plenty of lawn still. Less each year, perhaps, but still a large amount of monoculture to keep up and mow. Some day this will all be gardens,with only a tiny bit of lawn to create paths between them.