THE GARDEN IN MAY - JUNE

THE MOST AMAZING thing about the garden in early June is the fragrance. I won’t bore you with pictures of the honeysuckle, we have all seen more than our share of honeysuckle, I am sure. In the winter, on warmer days, I can spend hours pulling it out of the camellias, off of trees, out of the gardens. It truly grows like a weed here. But, depending on the severity of the winter (northern people – stop laughing, right now!) the world smells so wonderful starting usually the beginning of May with Honey Locust, the Fringe Trees, honeysuckle and magnolias. What a joy it is to step outside on a still cool morning and breathe in the sweetness of the southern air. I realize every morning of my life how blessed I am to not be in a city, not be caged in an apartment, to be free to walk on my small acreage, fill my eyes with the beauty planted there and to even enjoy the weeds – or at least the weeds we call honeysuckle. Better than that, I have the joy of growing my own food and each day I love to go out and see how much bigger this is or that… maybe pick some strawberries, blueberries, or later on, some beans, cukes or tomatoes. It doesn’t get better than that.

This year i decided to indulge myself with some plantings I normally don’t have the time to mess with… i doubt they will winter over in my little greenhouse, but who knows? Every year is a new experiment. Here are a few of my plants and a lot of my weeds.

 

This hosta is so big, a neighbor argued with me and insisted it is an elephant’s ear. That is a yard stick  standing in it… so it is nearly 4 feet tall. Behind it is a blue hosta which is almost as big, but not quite.

Right in front of that hosta are these plants and the new birdbath. i finally found a couple straggly strobilanthes… that’s it behind the pink Astilbe and Heuchera.

In the back yard, flowers grow in and around the veggies. On the left, just below the Adirondacks, are some potato bags. All the way on the right is a 4x4 space with cukes and tomatoes.

potatoes (in the pots) tomatoes, basil, peppers, and pansies. Qwan Yin and geraniums are tucked in the huge English Daisy plant. Who’d believe I cut that better than in half a2 years ago. On the right, potatoes (redskins), miniature roses, violets, iris, pansies and dianthus.

 

From the other side, this shows the clematis. Finished blooming under that is a deep red peony and not blooming yet, phlox. Out in the side yard, a rhododendron is in bloom.

Out front, the window boxes have impatiens that wintered over, geraniums (ditto), new coleus, and a couple new blue things – i can’t think of their names. And a close up of the mountain laurel.

I have a hanging petunia and a hummingbird feeder (being filled) in front of Rusty’s bedroom window to keep him occupied when he isn’t watching puffins or hummers on the computer. Pix of that on the next posting!

Hope you enjoyed my garden, disorganized as it is… but it is fun and something in bloom in every direction. Yes, it is a lot of work for me, but I can’t describe the joy I get from it. The lilies are just starting to bloom!

MY NEIGHBORS PAID ME A VISIT

The Gray fox family that lives in my woods must be expecting… she is visiting my compost area a little before dark every night. Isn’t she beautiful?

And then there were these 2 love birds…

Normally possums are solitary animals… Obviously they get together every once in a while… The romance is short, but I understand it is intense. I hope the mama brings her little ones around in a couple of months.

A STAND UPPITY GARDEN 2013

Back in 2009, a neighbor built me an elevated garden (http://possumlane.blogspot.com/2009/07/stand-uppity-garden.html) It was a wonderful creation, a real back saver, but, alas, like so many other wonderful things, it was not built to last. One must NOT use treated lumber in a garden – the poisons leach out of the wood and into your food. So, the untreated wood next to wet earth for several months of the year tends to rot – quickly. I truly meant to rebuild it, possibly using synthetic wood for the sides, but, well if you keep up with what has been going on here, you can see how my time has been spent. Running a Kitty-Hospice was just so much more important. Then after losing Punkin, it has been extremely hard to work outside as Punk was never more than a few feet away – unless I was on the mower or had the weed-eater out. It is hard working with a little kitty ghost seeming to be peeking out from everywhere… But this week-end I bit the bullet and demolished the old one that by now was propped up on concrete blocks. Much of the wood was so rotted thru I had had to prop it up so it would not fall on Punkin who loved to camp out on the pallet I kept under it. In fact he spent most of his last week that he was outside on that little shelf which is why I did not knock it apart sooner.

     

Once down, I managed to move some concrete blocks in place, and given the lateness of the season and my time restraints and other obligations, I simply put a pallet on the blocks, nailed a half sheet of plywood to it, and opened up a BIG garden bag. That is a dustpan in there… I use that to scoop the old soil from last year, stored in the garbage can, to fill the new bag and smooth it off.

You might recall, I have used these garden bags to grow potatoes in for a couple of years, and last year grew carrots and onions in them. But this BIG bag has a diameter of 4 feet and holds as much potting soil as the old 4x4 garden it is replacing. So, last night, when it was not raining as they said it would, I planted a couple rows of yellow wax beans on one half saving the other side for Italian flats to go in as soon as the wax beans have 3 good leaves. Today I will fill 2 new potato bags with soil and start the carrots. Then this Saturday I hope to visit an organic grower and pick up some baby plants for the rest of the garden areas. I guess Spring has sprung even tho they are saying we might have temps in the bottom of the 40s by this week-end. SIGH.

This years potatoes and a bag of onions…

MAY MORNING

MORNING..... I think of Thoreau, who wrote in his journal:

"I have just heard the flicker among the oaks on the hillside ushering in a new
dynasty...Eternity could not begin with more security and momentousness than the
spring. The summer's eternity is reestablished by this note. All sights and
sounds are seen and heard both in time and eternity. And when the eternity of
any sight or sound strikes the eye or ear, they are intoxicated with delight."

Have you been so programmed by noise that you can’t enjoy the sound of water lapping against the side of the dock, the surf rolling the sand, shells or pebbles on the beach, or the calls of the newly hatched, the mewling sounds of a newborn creature as it searches for a bit of nourishment. Do you hear the hum of bees in the garden? Can you tell what kind of bird it is by the sound of their wings? These things are the sound of Peace, contentment, a connection with the earth and the Self.

I still thrill at the sight of a red cardinal sitting in the camellia outside my window and marvel at the subtle coloring of the mama cardinal as she sits on a branch nearby. I get excited when I see the tiny flowers on my berry bushes and watch as the pods form on the peas climbing up the fence. The air yesterday morning was heavy with left over rain and the promise of more rain to come mixed with the fragrance of honeysuckle. A gentle breeze added the scent of the magnolia to the air and I ventured out to find the blossoms, gaze at their huge magnificence next to the fragile petals of the honeysuckle growing up the tree. I can’t imagine being confined to a world of concrete and bricks, glass and steel, traffic and city noise… the crowds of people brushing by reeking of human smells, alcohol, tobacco, body odors, cologne, aftershave, smelly deodorants, hair control products, stale food…

Today the air is cooler, crisper, they say, tho I have never figured out how air can be crisp, I guess they mean drier, a perfect day to be out in the yard getting some chores done. It is difficult to concentrate on the work at hand, there is so much beauty to pause and admire. Some things are big, bright and bold in color, other things are tiny, subtle, and yet equally as spell binding. In the evening I try to concentrate on getting the grass (mostly weeds) cut, but keep thinking I must come back out here on foot in the morning and look at this or that. I cut the grass slowly, grateful to have the machine to take me where my legs don't want to go, but hate the noise drowning out the bird song.

Morning comes, breezy, fresh, almost chilly for a change. The honeysuckle is on the wind this morning. The little cat trots along ahead of me telling me about what went on in the yard last night, stopping to inspect a hole made by a deer stepping in the soft dirt, saying a few words to the new lilies freshly opened, hiding in the ferns to ambush me as I pass by. A car goes by. I hear the deep BOOM BOOM BOOM as the driver, thinking how cool he is, hastens deafness with what his generation considers music. I return to the sounds and sights of my little world, so grateful to be there, knowing of the suffering around me. For now, I have been given this gift.

Give me space and fresh air! Let me hear the rustling of the wind in the trees, the smells of the blossoms, the breeze ruffling my hair. Let me walk on the earth, not the pavement, with a little cat meowing by my side. Let me feel the rough bark of the trees in my yard, caress the petals of the rose, taste the sweetness of the strawberries in my garden.

That, my friends, is Peace, Contentment.

What a blessed Morning.

SPRING 2012

Well things sure got off to an early start this year for so many of us. I am not sure how many days we have had this spring with temps in the 80s, near 80, or at least in the 70s. I have one heck of a tan already from working out in the yard. Actually, I have been able to work outside at least one or two days all winter getting jobs done that have not been done for several years. One garden bed I managed to resurrect is way in the back corner near the woods. It was pretty well demolished by neglect – a priorities thing- and then it was weed-whacked to the ground, all but the dogwood and the yellow iris. The other little green things are lilies that have never had a chance to bloom and a tiny calla lily I planted out here years ago and was sure I had lost it. I also found a volunteer columbine coming up. There were phlox here… I found them trying to come thru the leaves and winter accumulation of debris and last year’s collection of weeds and dead grass. I decided to not be lazy and let someone else get in here with their weed whacker this year. I was determined to rescue it first. It took 4 bags of mulch and really could have used more. I can’t wait to see what blooms besides the yellow iris (which tends to be magnificent.) Speaking of magnificent - the azaleas are just that. Most of them are huge now, a few of them over my head. I know I am going to have to trim some of them back, but cutting back a bush is painful to me. Again, I have people stop by when I am out in the garden and tell me how much they enjoy riding by my place. “It brightens my ride to work.” That makes me feel good because it is a lot of work keeping the weeds from taking over everything. Amazingly I still have a few camellias in bloom. I keep forgetting the Bleeding Hearts are in bloom as are the Snap Dragons that winter over here. AND, there are buds on the roses. Imagine! And then there are the lilacs. They have survived to bloom another year. Oh, how I love their fragrance! In the veggie department, the garden is 90% planted. I am waiting to plant the Italian flat beans and I will put in a few late tomatoes, not in the garden, but in strange little spots among the shrubs where they have proven they will flourish late in the season. Meanwhile, my peas are up to the second string and climbing. I have little white strawberries and lots of flowers. The first 2 blueberry bushes have tiny green berries. The cucumbers are next to their fence, (Thanks Pat!), the peppers are sharing the middle of the asparagus bed, raspberries are looking great, zucchini is in the ground along with skinny eggplant – perfect for grilling. The yellow squash is looking good, but no sign of the carrots yet. I am trying them in a bag like the potatoes. The potatoes went in their bags yesterday. The onions are a foot tall, and the lettuce has just popped its first tiny sets of leaves thru the ground. Several of the tomatoes are up about a foot. I have extended my herb garden this year with separate window boxes for each herb. I even bought a bunch of dill for the Black Swallowtail caterpillar. They just LOVE dill, and we seldom use it. Apparently the potato bags were a hit once people found them at Wal-Mart. They have been sold out for weeks. I have one left. I am going to try a sweet potato in that one. Meanwhile, my friend Philip in Canada has just sent me pictures of the current snow at his place. My Uncle and brother (Ohio and northern PA) are under a winter storm warning… and we are working on our 2nd inch of desperately needed rain. Cutting the grass(weeds) lately has mostly been an exercise in relocating dust. Last time I thought I probably should have worn a mask. Watering takes over an hour. I understand some places were about to invoke watering restrictions. Maybe with it being such a rainy day I can get caught up on my blog reading. I know, I should try a little house cleaning… right, I hear you. All that dust from outside has settled on everything inside! Sigh. I hope the spring has been good to you. I am so sorry for all those folks who have lost so much with all those storms.Looks like I am growing a Punkin in this potato bag!

WINTER? SPRING? SUMMER?

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES! This was taken this time last year... remember what a cold winter we had last year? Record snow fall for the Eastern Shore. Froze our butts off! This year, I am grateful to say, winter passed us by! I know my friends in Vermont are saying the same thing, as some of them spent the winter in tipis while rebuilding their homes, bridges, barns, and shops. Even they have had very little snow and quite mild temps. Our mild temps hit an extreme this past week. It was 83 here on Thursday. Tank top weather! Red Emperor is in full bloom. This bush is over 10 feet tall and has a diameter of 8 feet. It is so loaded with blooms this year. Isn't it beautiful? The daisies have put out their leaves, but they won't bloom until Oct... But the azaleas will bloom soon.Punk could be found sleeping in the morning sun... by afternoon, he was in a shady spot under a bush. Pink Perfection blooms this time of year. Last year we had snow on the camellias, this year the only white on the ground IS the camellias! (or daffodils, or pansies...). I actually cut some grass (and a lot of weeds) this past week. The forsythia is in bloom as are the fruit trees. The peas are up and I have onions up about an inch! How has your winter been?

OH, MY ACHING BACK!

WELL FOLKS, the garden is started. The peas ( first planting) are in the ground and their climbing strings are up. Most of the onions are in the ground... got a few left, but ran out of space. So I will figure out another place next week. I wanted to buy some new potting soil, but it was raining so hard yesterday, I gave up on that idea. We got an inch and a half. Like most garden centers, even WalMart, the potting soil is kept outside. If it rains, that entire area is getting wet. Seems rather stupid to me. It's during a good rain that folks want to go shopping, but all the tools, bags of soil, fertilizers, etc are out in the rain. dumb. Good thing the cat food is under the roof! LOL! The daffodils are beautiful, the forsythia has started to open. Today was not only a T-shirt day, it was a sleeveless T-shirt day! Temps in the 70s again. The house smells so nice with fresh air from open windows and vases of daffodils. The feeders are filled as the little guys are arriving here in droves on their way north. And I can barely walk. sigh. The carport is clean... as my little neighbor would say, I "blow dried" it. Potting bench is cleaned off and ready for use. Garden tools are cleaned and ready to go. John (Deere) is gassed up. Covers are off the Adirondacks. Watch and see it snow!
OK, heading to the recliner and I am not moving for a while.

FIRST GARDEN UPDATE FOR 2012

FIRST GARDEN UPDATE FOR THE YEAR!!!! Can you imagine? At 72 degrees today, I could not stand it any longer... I have cleaned out the Pea Patch. Frank pounded in a couple metal fence posts for me and the strings are up. I am tired of rotting wood posts, and amazingly the metal posts cost less than wood when you figure they won't have to be replaced in 2 years. But best of all, the weeds are pulled (mostly turnip greens) and the onion bed is clean and ready for the onion sets I bought last week. Sweets. Then, since I was already in the same area, I cleaned up the small asparagus bed and the strawberry patch. Figured I might as well, I will be too "stove-up" tomorrow to do it anyway, plus, I was already sitting on the ground (not intentionally) so I might as well keep pulling. Once I managed to get up, I was not going back down... 'course, the trick was getting back up!

It was, or is, difficult to remember it is February. The daffodils are blooming. The forsythia is showing color. The roses have their baby leaves... sigh.
The birds are starting to make their nesting sounds... seeing and hearing robins don't mean much. I have a small flock that winter here. They have had an easy winter. The snow geese are on the move again - huge flocks have been flying over. When I say huge, I am talking thousands Really. They make so much noise, it is easy to keep track of them. The ponds are snow white, some of the fields are white... I am not a farmer, so I think it is beautiful. I understand not everyone feels this way. But they don't eat any of my crops. If I had to worry about that, one goose would clean up my garden in short order! But, It feeds us... and I still find it exciting to go out in the yard and pick something I am going to eat for lunch or dinner... or pick berries for my cereal. No chemicals, not even any chemical fertilizers, and my cow manure comes from field grazed cows... remember? Like they used to do? Cows in the pasture? What a novel idea. Home grown food. Not crap from China or some other country with worse rules than we have, and folks, we have bad rules when you consider GMOs, pesticides, herbicides, and tons of chemical fertilizers. If you are close to my age, you will have noticed food just doesn't taste like you remember it from when you were a kid, does it? Even many of the tomatoes from farm markets taste like cardboard these days. Why? They have been genetically modified so they look prettier, grow bigger, ripen faster... Didja ever notice cherry tomatoes are sweeter than regular tomatoes? The goal is not to take all that flavor and stretch it into a huge tomato, so it is sweeter. Now the big thing is grape tomatoes. They grow fast, are harvested in weeks, and have tough skins so they can stand rough treatment without bruising. But how do they taste to you? Lots of chemicals in those tiny red things.

I am keeping my eye on the weather forecast. Mid 70s tomorrow, but probably rain. If I can move and it doesn't rain, I will get another area ready. Then Sunday, highs in the mid 40s.