Monday musings...

So, i worked on Saturday and had today (Monday) off. It was one of those days with off and on rain showers coming through. I found myself sitting in the garden room watching the rain fall... it reminded me of my father. He would sit in the garage and watch the rain.

First thing that i noticed when i was getting myself ready to go outside... was a bunny beside the vegetable garden and a smaller bunny in my vegetable garden... oh no!!!!!!!!!! I proceeded to add putting up a fence to my list. I created a fence out of chicken wire and placed it around my tiny vegetable garden. Joseph went to Trader Horn and got me tomato cages for my green peppers.

During one of the rain showers, i fixed two ship's bells wind chimes that had broken. Hung them from the branches of the lower pines.

I did a lot of weeding and thinning out and pruning too. I also fertilized the potted plants and hanging baskets.

Blue Sky... Puffy Clouds

Blue Sky... Puffy Clouds
Originally uploaded by pjslomer

The garden is in full swing and day lily time is upon us. I keep adding more day lilies to the garden, so it will be a surprise to see what is blooming next.

Pruning...

This morning i decided that it was time for some tree pruning. We have some young trees that needed some shaping... so out came the pruning shears and haircuts were given to the crabapples (2), kousa dogwoods (2), red maple, oak (large one near driveway and small oak near the west pines.)

An Aster blooms in June!

An Aster blooms in June!
Originally uploaded by pjslomer

We have had the most unusual weather and my plants are doing weird things. We went from one week very cold and wet to one week extremely hot and now two weeks of cool and sunny with occasional showers. Yesterday i noticed that i have an Aster blooming which usually happens in the fall... not the day before summer starts. My husband made the comment that we have had all of the seasons condensed in to one month... These changes concern me.

Weeding and Pruning...

I took the garden sheers to the garden and starting trimming... cutting the wild asters to half their height (usually something that i do on the 4th of July). Also a lot of pulling up spent spring bulb foliage. I also pulled out a lot of brown-eyed susans that were crowding out other plants.

Seeds have been planted...

This evening i decided to plant some seeds (that my Dad gave me) in the new garden plot. I planted a bunch of beets... one of my favorites... and two zucchini seeds. Only two seeds went into the ground because i know how a zucchini can go nuts. SO we'll see how it goes.

My new mini-garden has been planted!

I created a plot of land in the backyard by pulling off the turf... digging up the soil... adding compost and raking until smooth and manageable. Planted my fours pepper plants... and some marigolds to ward of critters. Maybe i'll pick up some beet seeds to add to the mix.

Garden bed...

The heat wave that we had been experiencing has broken this evening. So I hurriedly starting creating the vegetable garden bed that i had been planning. We de-turfed it and turned the soil once and added compost. I still need to turn the soil and work the compost in to it before planting my pepper plants that have been waiting. At least the hardest part is out of the way. I hope the weather stays cooler for a little while.

The Front Gardens...

This past spring i finally completed the front flower beds... and divided the hosta... they are doing quite well.

Backyard_May08

Backyard_May08
Originally uploaded by pjslomer

Thyme takes over...

Last weekend i "thinned out" a lot of perennial ground cover. The creeping phlox that was taking over the sidewalk... the creeping thyme that was threatening to overtake the dianthus and daylilies too! Four buckets later, i think that they might be a little more under control... maybe.

Annuals in the new bed...

I took the maddock to the turf between two crab apples in the front yard. I made a nice arcing bed and added a layer of mulch. I'm planning on purchasing some plants in the fall that i really want. Like a black iris... I then had Joseph bring a large rock up to place in it... and added the clay goose. On Saturday, Joseph requested a stepping stone in the middle of the bed (Since it is in the middle of his route to the road). By Sunday i needed some color in the bed and went for annuals. So now i have pink/white impatiens and a burgundy sage. It will be a pretty bed.

Morning sun

Morning sun
Originally uploaded by pjslomer

on the Mother Earth iris.

thirsty...

Today we went shopping for a few annuals to fill out some spots. This is a typical routine where we go to the nearest department store to "save" some of the end of stock plants. I was really dismayed to see how dry and in many cases wilted the plants were. I was happy to see a middle-aged man picking up the hose and start watering. When i was at the checkout the young man waiting on us made a comment that the guy watering the plants was doing so on his day off. I said that the plants sure needed the water. At that the young man reiterated that it was the man's day off... and i responded with "i'm sure that the plants appreciate it!" It was a curious exchange between one who thinks of plants as the living thing that they are... and one who doesn't consider the plants much at all.