The strawberry story

Last year I ordered 20 strawberry plants and planted them underneath two trees. I tried to cover them with netting, to no avail. The rabbits ate them, the squirrels dug them, and the trees sucked the life out of them. I rescued five remaining plants and put them in pots. Then in the late summer, I planted them in my fenced garden area, mulched them for winter, and hoped for the best. It worked! The plants are growing so well that I'll remove some daisies I planted to fill in the space. The plants are sending out runners, and we have enough fruit for a tasty treat. Yay and yum!

Lawns to Legume garden update

Here are some photos of the plants in the front of the house, where I've used my designated grant money. That money has long been spent on the native plants and bee lawn seed, but officially the grant lasts three years. The bee lawn has seen better days, though the thyme has survived. Above is blanket flower. It has looked great every year. Below is purple prairie phlox, blooming for the first time. The rabbit pressure is less this year, perhaps because we have a fox in the neighborhood. 

Planted last year, the Siberian iris is not a native flower, but I like the look of the flowers and leaves. The dianthus above is not native either but works as a groundcover.

The coreopsis did well, and I planted more.

The native cranberry/viburnum is done blooming now, but look at how great it's doing this year!

The lupine had a great show of blue flower spikes. I added chives, which the bees love. I'm finding the  native flowers with reliable plants is a good mixture for a succession of blooms for bees and to keep the garden looking pretty.

And the native prairie smoke is a winner on many levels...early blooming, unique seed head, and good leaf texture. So many cool plants...I only need more space, time, and money. 

Garden Update

Happy solstice (very late). The garden is thriving after a rough stretch of heat. The heat is coming back, so I harvested most of my lettuce and my purple kohlrabi. I have a radish in the fridge, so I'll eat a delicious salad tonight. (In this bed: radish [harvested], bok choy [harvested], kohlrabi, kale, garlic, parsley, chard, endive, alyssum, and lots of lettuce)

The purple pea pods are blooming, surviving the heat wave. I've kept them watered, so I'm hoping for some soon. I have noticed that purple varieties are often (but not always!) ignored by critters.

It may help that the volunteer chamomile plant shades them a bit. I've planted three rows of beans. The only ones that have survived have been the purple ones (variety Velour). I suspect a family of robins has been nibbling on the bright white seeds of the green beans. Yet I did see a squirrel get over the fence. Time to get out the hot pepper again. 

The rose I planted last summer came back. It looked pretty bad in the late fall. I have picked off 20 Japanese beetles (so far).

I used white fabric row cover to give my spring crops some shade from the hot afternoon sun during our last heat wave. Some lettuces bolted, but I think it helped overall. While I'm not a fan of our recent extreme heat, I do love this time of year. 

Beautiful June

This has been an amazing late spring--moderate temperatures and low humidity. These are the kind of days where all I want to spend all of my time outside. The spring flowers are lasting longer now, but heat and humidity are on the way, which is good news for the tomatoes and peppers. Above is the viburnum/native cranberry bush. Below is prairie smoke. 

This is an overexposed photo, but you get the idea---the cool weather crops are doing well. I've eaten lettuce and radishes, and I may nibble on some kale and chard soon. And I may have to thin the bok choy.

Below is an update on the front garden featuring native plants (the lupine is just beginning to bloom). I've added some plants (dianthus and chives and iris) that aren't technically prairie plants, but I think the bees will love them. I've learned to plant what the rabbits won't eat. 

These are strawberries...inside the fence. I'm not taking any chances, and soon I'll cover them with netting. These are zone five daisies that came back this year, which is a surprise. 

The mountain ash that was on the property is in full bloom--what a gorgeous tree!. 

After I wander and admire the lovely plants, I take advantage of the cooler temps to get some physical labor done. I took down the fence, dug out the encroaching grass (look how tall it is), added new mulch, and put the fence back. I slept well that night. Next year, I'll put the mulch down first. It was nice to have some help getting the fence back up so it didn't lean or sway . Thank you, darling husband.