July Garden Update

July is a great time for Minnesota gardens. My garden has mostly recovered from rodents, due to a double layer of netting around my garden beds. We've been eating green beans, but I won't have many for freezing this year. Next year I will set up the netting immediately so I can get a full crop. The photo above is one of many transplanted Milkweed plants, moved last year from the road where I almost lost them due to spraying.

Here is a hibiscus (bought on clearance!).

Above is a daylily--they're looking fabulous this year, maybe from the recent rains. Below are containers on the back deck and a row of hostas in the yard.

While the rain was needed, it took its toll on my delphiniums, which got heavy and snapped in the wind (only the ones that were extra tall this year and I didn't have a stake that matched their heights). So I took this delicate teacup/May Day gift basket and floated some of the individual blooms in them. Quite lovely!

Happy Fourth of July

This bursting Cleome blossom reminds me a little of fireworks. And for some red, I've added a photo of  Nicotiana below. Happy Fourth!

This is why...

This is why...I don't pull the "weeds" in the lawn. To help pollinators (such as the butterfly above), we mow around the field daisies while they bloom.

This is why...I've been behind on the blog. I'm teaching a summer class...fun but time-consuming. And while that may not seem like a good excuse, we're covering a semester's worth of material in a short summer space. I still have family stuff to do (we have to eat, after all), so my garden is neglected.

Not everyone is neglecting my garden. The mice, voles, chipmunks, and squirrels ransack my garden constantly. I think I've finally gained the upper hand, or maybe that's just because a large hawk has moved into the neighborhood. 

I'll get back to regular blogging soon...after I re-plant the peas. And the beans. Gosh, the weeds have taken over. And I have to do something about those flowers...

Plethora of Pictures

Early May is truly wonderful in Minnesota--few bugs, low humidity, and lots of interesting things in the garden. Yet May also seems to be the busiest month in my life. I've been behind on the blog, so here are some photos to catch up. 

I planted Fritallaria bulbs years ago...and this may be the second time blooming. I suspect it's because the area was too shady, but I cleaned the garden up a bit. That tiny line is not a photograph flaw--it's a piece of my hair. I use hair to deter squirrels and deer from gnawing at the flowers.

Cheery cherry blossoms

And apples

Blooms completely covered the apple trees, perhaps because we had a milder winter. But we had some cold temperatures a few days ago, so I'm not sure if we'll get many apples. It's hard to photograph, but I stepped into a fantastical fairy world of delicate white flowers and buzzing bees as I stood under the tree. 

When the blossoms fell, the ground look like it was covered in snow. That silly thing hanging from the branch of the tree is smelly soap to deter deer, attached in March. I'm claiming my garden as human territory. 

We cleared out some brush, and now wild strawberries are taking over. 

The wild flowers are blooming, like these downy yellow violets...

and  early meadow rue. (This isn't a complete list of what's in our woods..maybe some other time,)

And, of course, I end this post with one of my favorites, lilacs! I'm such a nerd, inhaling deeply whenever I pass them. I hope that wherever life takes me I'll be able to see lilacs in the spring. 

April Flowers

Ah Minnesota, where it can be snowy one day and flirting with 80F a few days later. My April flowers are the usual suspects. For those who attended my gardening presentations recently, I was worried about my crocuses because of all the mouse and vole activity. I do have two clumps of crocuses left--one yellow and one purple. I'm thinking about planting more spring-flowering bulbs this fall. Here's squill

 and yellow crocuses

and purple crocuses

and daffodils

Our kitty likes to sit with me on the porch in the sun. Or maybe I should say that cat allows me to share his porch.

I love this photo of pasque flower. The camera almost ate the pollen.

This lilac tree is not ready to bloom yet, but the moss is thriving on these cool, damp days. The tangle of branches must be home for ancient woodland spirits.

I'm likin' lichen

This rotting tree stump is home to both moss and lichen. The lichen in the photo is common, but it's pretty fun to see the bright color when most things are the same shade of dull (except for the squill/ Scilla, which are looking pretty good and have popped up in new places again this year). This particular lichen is Cladonia cristatella, or British soldiers, due to the red "caps." 

Kew Gardens Woodland Garden

The Woodland Garden reminded me of home.

I've seen this type of Lady Slipper (Cypripedium kentuckiense) and others not far from my Minnesota house. Our backyard gems are important enough to be a star in the Royal Gardens.

This section definitely has the look and feel of Minnesota. What a nice surprise. Kew gardeners, you are welcome to visit my woods for inspiration. Just bring plenty of bug spray!