July Front Yard

Happy Fourth of July! Daisies are not officially a native plant, but they're in my native plant garden because the bees love them.

The butterfly weed and coreopsis are blooming. Below is a close up of the butterfly weed. The photo doesn't do justice to the color's bright cheeriness.

Here's an overview of the area. There's some creeping thyme in the lawn. Please ignore the weeds. Or embrace them. 

There is a begonia in each shady front pot, transplanted from my winter windowsill. They were nibbled by rabbits and recovered, though they're small right now. The impatiens were not doing so well, so I added torenia plants. Now they look fuller.  

Early July Garden Tour

Being honest here, I can't keep up with the weeds. We've had lots of rain in June, and today it's too hot  to work outside. For me. Many people can handle this heat, but I'm more comfortable at 50 degrees than 90. The early morning sunlight feels hot. Here's a look at what's growing.

Pea pods

Garlic, lettuce, and greens

Zucchini

Bubblegum petunias, two geraniums, and a hibiscus. I had to move the geraniums because the petunias were taking over.

Watermelon

Tomatoes, peppers, parsley, and basil. And some volunteer flowers and dill.

Peapods and beans. Some struggling carrots.

Flowers and my shadow

Rosemary and thyme

Strawberry mint, lemon grass, and hidden purple basil

The rain has made everything green and lush (including the weeds). Yet it's so lovely!

Strawberry Decisions

The title sounds like a poem, but I'm not feeling too poetic. The strawberries from the garden are really, really good. Absolutely delicious! However, they are a lot of work: Bending and reaching. Weeding. Covering for winter. Uncovering in spring. Rejuvenating plants by digging out old ones and planting runners. Trimming runners. Fortifying the soil (I use compost). Mulching.

I've told myself it's worth it. However, the only way to keep birds and squirrels away is to net the plants. Last year I netted early and removed the net when the main crop had been harvested. However, this year I've had to release two birds caught in the netting. Thankfully, I've been around so they aren't trapped long. 

Even with the net, I still get some damaged berries. Without the net, my work and resources are for the birds (literally). I removed the net after harvesting the bowl of berries (first photo) because I don't want any more birds getting caught. Do I continue the same way (probably not), create a new space for strawberries, or go an entirely new direction?

June's Rains

Maybe we've had too much rain? I'm thankful for our excellent soil drainage. The heat and humidity are on their way, but I've had pleasant working conditions with cooler temperatures and lower dewpoints. I feel like the garden is in better shape than usual this time of year. Right now plants are lush and vivid and thriving. 

The rose is blooming.

The new Mock orange is thriving (above). I'm glad I planted the two cherry trees, the small spruce, and this shrub this season because I haven't had to water as much with our frequent rains. 

Above is a small portion of the native garden I added last year, although the daisies (in bud form) aren't exactly native. Below is a coneflower, blooming early.

I love these blanket flowers, and the pollinators do, too.

Below is native phlox.

This is the last of the siberian irises to bloom.

The Itoh peonies, which I planted from bare roots from a warehouse store, are thriving. It's their third year. I bought more bareroot peonies this spring, but I'm not sure they're going to make it. But these are gorgeous!

Below are two photos from early June. The first is the from the front, with wild lupine, Siberian iris, and chives. This photo doesn't show the bare spots from winter damage. The second is native viburnum. 

May Update

This wild geranium or cranesbill is thriving (above). I lost quite a few perennials including daisies and coneflowers. My theory is we had some below-zero weather with little or no snow cover. But the columbine below was a surprise. It's from the previous owner's garden and flowered for the first time. 

The wild columbine I planted last spring survived.

The Bloomerang lilac (below) is in its "leap" year (sleep, creep, leap), full of flowers and fragrance. 

And I ate my first French Breakfast radish. I love this weather, so I'm trying to spend as much time outside as I can.

A Warm Spring Stretch

The strawberries are blooming, which seems early. The neighborhood lilacs are in full bloom, and the crabapples are finishing. This (too) warm stretch of weather affects everything and all of us. Below, the new daffodils thrive, though some old ones didn't survive, perhaps due to a cold snap without snow. Yes, those are dandelions. The bees love them. 

Below, the muscari  have brown tips on the leaves, mostly likely due to a frost as they emerged, but they're looking good!

Spring Excitement

May has arrived, and I've completed several projects. This is the first spring in a few years when I've had time to work outside in the garden because my schedule and the weather have cooperated. And I'm happy to have found some great deals! Above is a dwarf Alberta spruce "Conica." It gets 6 to 8 feet tall. I'm planting it so that birds have winter cover. It's small enough that it shouldn't block the light for my vegetable garden. Below is a cherry tree, "Mesabi."

Below is a mock orange "Snow White." It'll block the view of the electric and cable boxes eventually.

Below is a wire fence to keep the rabbits out. Last year they chewed through the plastic fence, which had become brittle after a few years of use. I'll keep this fence up year round because it was a lot of work to install. Thanks to my hubby for helping!