With the help of my Dad, we pruned most of my trees and shrubs. While not the perfect time for pruning, it helps to have an expert along to get it right. The garden looks much more spacious now.
The weather has been overcast and quite cool, upper 60’s and low 70’s and everything is growing great.
I may have already mentioned some of these bloomers previously, but here’s what sticks out in my mind as to what’s new:
About a week and a half ago I spread some beauty bark in a few key areas in preparation for Independence Day guests. Some weeding was finished up and some slugs were killed. Other than that, the garden has been on auto-pilot. It’s that time of the year and I have had house guests for a week as well. It’s been nice just enjoying the garden with the only chore being occasionally adding water to the fountain. Oh, I have also been keeping an eye out on some dry areas of the garden and reactivated some sprinkler heads I had turned off last year for fear of over watering some shadier areas.
Over the past couple of days my guests harvested the red currants, black currants and sour cherries. The red currants are already jelly as of this morning. 5, 8 ounce jars to be exact! My daughters have eaten any ripe raspberries and strawberries though there are more raspberries to come. I think next year will be my first big raspberry year though as the plants are just two years old as of this summer. The other berry bushes are closer to 5 years old.
The weather has been super dry, sunny, and in the 70’s and 80’s with a record low set at night two nights ago of just 51 degrees. No problem cooling off at night around here! I just wish we would have a good soaking rain one night, but until then, the sprinkler system and mulch will have to do.
Here’s what’s blooming:
Since all it has done for the past 5 days is rain, I have not worked in the yard a bit and am itching to do so. Though instead, I have been enjoying the bountiful blooms in the garden from the shelter of my home. The colors and textures are wonderful and I am quite impressed with myself and my plant choices, though of course, there is so much I still want to accomplish/move/change.
I have also been enjoying the many birds that visit my garden throughout the day. I particularly have fun watching two finch couples. They visit the thistle feeder throughout the day and also really seem to enjoy the for-get-me-not seeds that are on the stems. I have wanted to sprinkle the spent for-get-me-not stems in my little meadow for next year’s enjoymennt, but it has just been too wet. It’s nice to see the finches enjoying them in the meantime!
It’s been raining for days with almost no break- 2.27 inches since Sunday. It’s still too wet to even check on slug damage. If only it could rain just at night. Though I could use some sun, I have to admit, the garden sure looks lush from the perfect growing weather (50’s and rainy) and I can’t wait to get out there to take inventory of how things have grown. Perhaps tomorrow! I’m looking forward to a sunny Memorial Day weekend for lots of gardening. I just know I have weeds to pull and kill not to mention the fountain which needs to be finished. The solar pump arrived via UPS this week and we are ready to go!
I was in Virginia and Cancun, Mexico for a two week vacation and missed 80+ degree weather and snow as well. My weather station kept me up-to-date. I came home to find all sorts of new blooms and buds that didn’t look bad for all they’d been through! Here’s what’s newly blooming:
Also, the past two days since I have been home I have been busy getting a couple of roots and tubers in the ground that I ordered and had arrived while I was out of town. I planted the following:
