More Summer 2010 photos, just for fun.

 

Second Half of October, and Still Beautiful

The weather this fall has been unbelievably fantastic.  Day after day of perfect, warm, sunny days.  And with the amount of rain we got this summer we can handle the dry fall.  The yard is gorgeous even as it declines.  And it is so nice to be able to work on it an hour or two at a time instead of spending entire weekends doing essential chores.

Today a flock of Cedar Waxwings descended upon the spruce in our evergreen garden to savor the ripe berries there.  Two or three bold Robins joined them.  I expect that all of the berries will be gone by tomorrow or the day after.  The Waxwings are such dressy birds, like men suited up for a formal event.  Not flashy like the Cardinals, they are smooth and green, with a yellow border at the end of their tail and a small crest.  I noticed them earlier as they gathered at the top of one of the Ash trees along the creek.  They flew away then, but I suspected that they had identified the Juniper berries as a feast.  An hour later they were back, devouring the berries.  Couldn’t get any really good shots, but had a fun time watching.
 
Been cleaning up this fall more than usual, and have every good intention of being more disciplined next year.  This summer was so wet and hot, and I couldn’t get out into the yard very much when it mattered.  The vegetable garden was pretty bad, even though we did harvest at least 20 pounds of potatoes and 10 of onions.  Tomatoes died early, peppers never got going, great cucumbers for the first half of the summer, and must admit I let the zucchini get overgrown.  Next spring we will build raised gardens, with bark chip walkways between, and try to civilize the area once again. 

The pond was cloudy all summer this year.  But late in July I became aware that somehow the three fish that survived the winter had passed on their genes and created at least 30, maybe 40 offspring.  Some of them are almost two inches long by now, and I hope they survive the coming winter.   Working now to stabilize the Ph levels before we put in the aerator and heater for winter.

Summer Solstice

Amazing Spring.  Hot days.  Plenty of rain.  Things grew so fast.  Welcome to the Summer.  Hope the plentiful moisture continues, with perhaps less wind.  And it would be nice if the rabbits would not be quite as successful.  They have been eating everything, or at least biting into it enough to kill it.  I guess the good weather is good for everyone. 

It has been nearly impossible to keep the grass cut to a reasonable length.  And everything is growing SO fast! 

Iron Birds Rule

Bill has been pushing to find some “yard art” for a couple of years.  And I haven’t been so sure about the idea.  But last weekend we went out for a country drive with our good friends Tom and Bea, and found “Digger Dan’s” place.  We knew about him through Katie and Webb, and Bill has been wanting to go there for awhile. 

When we first looked at the display in the yard I was un-impressed.  But, as with much art, you have to look for awhile, and let your eyes and your mind settle around what you are seeing.  There was just so much there!  And, although Dan was not home, his lovely wife was, and I was enormously impressed with her gracious hospitality.   This was Memorial Day weekend, and we were intruders in her lovely yard and garden.  Yet she was welcoming and friendly, and made us feel welcome. 

After a half hour or so of the four of us walking around and looking at things, Bill and I both noticed a couple of large iron birds.  They were, all of a sudden, totally different from all of the other pieces, and exactly what we wanted.  We asked a price for one, and then asked if we could buy two at that price.  She wasn’t sure if he would be willing to part with both.  We gave her the price of one, and a card with our name and phone, etc. saying that we’d make contact the next week to finalize and pick up one (or two) birds.  Since Bill loved one of them, and I loved another, it was important to have them both. 

Two days later, Bill went back and was able to buy and pick up both birds.  They look great in our front yard, even if they are hard to photograph with enough contrast to show them off.  You’ll have to come over some time to see them. 

Mid May, and All is Well

Haven’t had much time to post to the blog lately, but the garden is marching on.  Being preoccupied with other things, and unable to do much heavy lifting, this spring I’ve depended on the garden to do its own thing and it has stood up to the task.  One problem has been that the early spring encouraged things to grow faster than they perhaps should have, so some things were set back by the frost last week.  A couple of hostas lost most of their emerged leaves, as did the ginkgo tree.  Even some of the most timid of the native plants got stopped in their tracks.  Most of the shoots of the Joe-Pye Weed got fried/frozen.  I expect the plants will make new growth, but they will be set back. 

Had to take in the plants that were out on the deck and on the front porch for a couple of days, and it is still pretty cold at night for them.  After all of the effort to keep them alive over the winter it is a shame to let them go due to a couple of cold nights.  But what a hassle to bring the in and put them out every day.

But now we are looking at a ten day prediction of rising and above normal temperatures, and by the end of that span the normal will be quite warm.  So I think it is fairly safe to begin acquiring new plants, and acclimating the old ones to the outside.  Maybe even plant the deck planters this weekend or next week. 

I have a bunch of wave petunias to put out to take the place of the spring annuals.  And I’ve been finding some interesting annuals to put in the deck planters.  Lee and Lin gave us a beautiful Mandaville plant from Florida, and I think it will be safe to leave outside soon.  It needs a bigger pot for sure, and something to climb on.  Planted the Cannas last week, but nothing has emerged yet. 

The Shooting Star is in full bloom and so is the Prairie Smoke.  The Ajuga beneath the Willow has really taken hold, and is gorgeous in the spring.  The Pagoda Dogwood on the South side of the house is getting more and more robust and beautiful.  It will bloom soon, as will the dogwood bushes along the creek.  The Pagoda is becoming one of my very favorites.  It is a bit too close to the house, for sure.  But it is beautiful in every season, and not at all difficult to take care of.  What a wonderful plant. 

  

Shooting Stars, Warm Weather, Invasions

It is still hard to do much of anything in the garden, because I’m tired a lot, and I can’t lift more than 10 pounds at a time.  So I have to ask Bill to do the heavy work, and he’s already pretty busy preparing and painting the house, foot by foot. 

But the yard has a lot going for it, and as long as I can keep things from getting away from me it will continue to reveal its beauty. 

Today, the fish are showing themselves in the shallow parts of the pond – the Great Blue Heron of last fall finally has escaped their memory it seems.  The Water Lily leaves have broken the surface of the water finally, and it won’t be long now til they cover a significant portion of it. 

The Shooting Star plant has made one bloom, and will soon make more.  Seems late, considering how far ahead most things are.  But the native plants tend to be more careful than other things for sure, emerging later and not being as responsive to the oddities of the particular year.  The Pasque flowers are pretty much right on schedule.  It’s hard for me to be so disciplined.  I’ve moved several plants outside, perhaps earlier than usual.  Have to keep an eye on them, but I hope it will be OK.

Today we planted Cannas, earlier than usual,  but in fact a week or so later than last year.  I still have quite a few in the basement, and will have to find a place for them soon or they will be wasted.  My favorite tulips are the Darwin varieties.  The yellow ones that I planted in the first year or so in this yard have spread and I’ve moved them around, til there are great clumps in several places.  Very beautiful for a week or two in spring.

The big event of today was finding a clump of garlic mustard along the creek.  They were blooming, but not yet seeding.  This is an invader that I really don’t want to gain a foothold for sure.  So we spent some time this morning pulling up the plants, making sure to get every one, and putting them into a black plastic bag in which we can bake them in the sun and then toss them out.  Keeping the creekside free of loosestrife, garlic mustard, buckthorn, and other invasive plants is a constant challenge. 

Spring Marches on Quickly

Since the challenge of keeping something in bloom once the Winter Aconite started, there has been little challenge.  It has been such a warm gentle spring that things are just jumping up and into full bloom, sometimes faster than I can keep up with them.  Was away for a week last week, and the change in the yard was unbelievable.  The crocuses have bloomed and are done.  Daffodils are fully out now, some even past prime.  Tulips, Hyacinth, Squills, Grape hyacinth, all emerging. 

The Bloodroot came up, bloomed, and is done, pretty much all while I was in the hospital.  There is a single Trilium coming up next to the clump.  And Forget-me-nots are blooming there too, though I never planted them.  The Marsh Marigold has a single blossum, at least it comes up each year.  Forsythia is pretty much done, though it may have lasted longer if we didn’t have the 5 inch snow a week and a half ago.  Many Pulmanaria around the yard are blooming, as are the Pasque flowers.  Prairie Smoke is beginning, and so are the Darwin Tulips in the first berm.  Snowdrops have come and gone.  Shooting star is just getting ready to burst forth.  And I think the Japanese Lilac will be next. 

We had fresh asparagus from the garden for dinner tonight.  Not a lot, but enough to whet our appetites for more.  Also fresh chives for the baked potato, and a little mint just to smell nice.  And the frogs are singing in either our pond or the neighbors each night.  Hope we get tadpoles again this year.

It is surely good to be home.  Going to be difficult to keep up with all the changes in the next few weeks, but most things can make it on their own.  I poke around doing tiny jobs, and ask Bill to do the big things.  He’s also painting the house this spring, so he’s busy for sure.  Not sure when the garden will be plowed, but we are really still at least a month out from major planting time.  I should be able to do more by then, I hope.  

Spring Work Resumes

Oh Boy!  We worked pretty hard the last couple of days transitioning the yard from Winter to Spring.  Many of the things that had been bent and broken by the first snowstorm back in early December were just so obtrusive now that the snow cover had receded.  And it was a dramatic melt for sure.  A week ago it was Winter, and snow still covered most of the yard. Yesterday and today it has seemed like mid summer.  And the snow is almost totally gone from everywhere except the front porch, where the piles left from shoveling are protected by the shade of the house.  

Yesterday and today we worked a few hours each day to begin the cleaning up process.  I cut or pulled the dead old stalks and shoots of perennials around the mailbox, around the pond, around the gazebo, and in the Evergreen garden.  Bill spent the days cutting down about 20 or 25 Green Ash saplings, which could have become nice trees but which we feared would become just more that we'd have to pay to cut down once the Emerald Ash Borer made its way into Outagamie County.  As it is, There are still 15 or 20 that are too large for us to cut down ourselves, and some day they will cost us a pretty penny.

We have a pile of stuff that needs to be burned soon, but have to go get a permit first, and also let the warm air dry things out a little bit more.  And then wait for a calm day of course.  We put most everything that we can in the compost, and put out the woody brush to be shredded.  but there is still this stuff in between.  Some of the neighbors have trailers and cart theirs away every couple of weeks.  I don't really like to burn, but what else?  

The pond is now completely ice free, and fish are beginning to be visible.  We took out the aerator and the heater, and cleaned up around enough to start up the pump.  It took a little cleaning and a little pushing of water through with the hose, but it's working now, and should be able to keep an open area unless the temps fall below 20 for more than a few days.  The water isn't as clear as I wish it would be, and the fish are hard to spot.  But I've seen at least 6 or 7 at a time, and I'll find a way to clear the water soon, I hope.  

In the last couple of days we've seen Robins, Bohemian Waxwings, red-breasted Nuthatches, heard Sandhill Cranes overhead, and of course, the usual Chickadees, various Finches, Mourning Doves, etc.  The Juncos are still around, but I imagine they'll leave any day now. There have been many ducks in the creek over the last week or so, and small groups flying overhead.  And the Cardinals are certainly sizing each other up and claiming territory.  I'm still waiting for the first song of the Red-Winged Blackbird - the true sign of spring.  

Oh, and the first flower of the season has bloomed - the Winter Aconite.  I looked for it yesterday and found nothing.  But today, there were two new emergences, each with a simple yellow flower.  More will come over the next week or two.  This bloom is about 9 days earlier than last year, and it signals the beginning of the challenge I have each year to keep something in bloom from the first bloom in spring until at least the end of October. 

Ducks, Hawks, and new Sprouts

The snow is receding from any thermal retentive surfaces, and the sun is stronger and stronger.  There is an almost 3 foot wide open space along the south side of the house for Kate to explore, and it expands outward in a few places under trees.  She is in heaven, but she is sharing the space with another cat, a visitor who appears to be well cared for but who has been around for several days.  We see  tracks all around the neighborhood that are clearly cat tracks, and we have seen the butterscotch tabby itself almost every evening for awhile.  It runs when we open the door, so we haven't been able to check for a collar or an ID tag.  Hope it finds its way home soon.

Today was the first day I actually found things growing outside, Though I'd not be surprised if I've missed a few things lately.  Because of my surgery, I haven't felt safe walking around out in the snow, so I haven't gotten out to the far reaches of the yard.  But near the deck today I found the first allium sprout, a couple of mushrooms, and the first growth of the hardy amaryllis. 

We've been seeing ducks in the creek, at least two males and one female, maybe more (I find it hard to recognize ducks as individuals...)  The Cardinals and Chickadees still dominate the bird feeders.  My neighbors said there was a flock of robins in one of our trees two weeks ago.  I didn't see them, so I can't count them.  Waiting for my first of the spring.  Should be any day now I think.   

Signs of Spring are Adding Up

The sun is stronger, usually melting any light snow in a few hours.  And the days are surely longer.  The light is brighter, even when it is cloudy.  The birdsong is sprightlier, the “cheer” of the Cardinals is beginning to predominate.  I swear there are buds beginning to swell on some trees.  The roads are clear by mid-morning, even without the plows coming through. 

I’ll bet, if I could get over to the place, that I’d find a few alliums beginning to poke through the soil beneath the snow.  And, because the snow has melted along a strip in the South and East sides of the house,  Kate is finding her way around the southeast corner of the house and all the way to the other end of the east side.  Her world has expanded.  We saw her gazing longingly at the creek today, though the snow is still keeping her from attempting to get there. 

My orchids are all putting forth flower stalks, and even the 20 year old hoya that has never bloomed is setting buds.  (that last could be related to my having moved it into a bright south window after years of keeping it against a wall on the other side of the room.) 

It’s time to start propagating the geranium cuttings hanging in the basement, and soon to take out the cannas and assess their winter survival.

Snow Again

Just got another 5 or six inches of snow, to cover the dirty piles that had been melting for several weeks.  Looks beautiful again outside.  It is mid-February, though, and it would be nice to start seeing things move toward spring.  The days are getting longer for sure, it was still light at 5:30 last night.  And the stronger sun clears the deck in short order.

The aerator and small heater are easily keeping up with the cold and snow, maintaining a patch of open water that should allow the fish to survive the winter outside.  Will be interesting to see if they regain their boldness that they lost after the encounter with the heron last fall.

This post was made as a demonstration for the Torch Club meeting tonight.