Successes and Surprises

 

Surprise!

The poppies all bloomed at once today 

along with the pale pink peonies.

That confluence has not happened before in

13 years since I began this garden.

 

And they are blooming with

the peach roses, the purple and 

yellow irises and the blue

catmint.  What a colorful

treat they make for a

gardener--and a bouquet.

Success?

All the hybrid mountain laurels

are blooming too. The white laurel 

has a few blooms on a lower stem.

It has never bloomed before!

I read about a trick for improving

underperforming trees and bushes.

Drill 4 - 6 holes around the plant

halfway between the trunk and dripline.

 Fill the hole with slow-release 

organic fertilizer pellets for 

gradual release over 6 months.

Better results next year with

increased vigor and bloom?

We'll have to wait patiently

for success--or--surprise.

Success and Surprise!

I was able to use polymeric sand on

the patio pavers to fix the cracks

myself with not too much

time or effort.  I had some help

from Garden Man with the 50-lb.

bag of sand (The last one for sale

at Paul & Sandy's today!).

A push broom and a soft bristle 

hand brush with a dust pan

made the job easy.

So did the gentle breeze,

the clear skies and the shade!

Pat on the back

for an old gardener 

learning new tricks!

 

Finally, Back to the Blog

 

It's almost Memorial Day.

The garden is blooming.

Irises are at their best right now.

I love the bright, solid color

of these old-fashioned ones

just like my great-grandparents planted.

The Korean Spice lilac 

has already started to bloom.

With a few more days of warm sun,

they'll be in full fluff.

They already leave an amazing

scent on the spring breezes.

The poppies will burst their

furry pods soon, but the peonies

will probably open first.

Everything in its own time.

It's the same for the blog.

I have been out in the garden 

since March when we cleared

some winter debris.

Next , I divided the lilies

and filled in some of 

the empty spaces.

Then it was edging and mulching.

The fountain started bubbling

and the bench went out for seating

to watch the butterflies 

later in August.

The bird bath stays out 

all winter for the late fall 

and the early spring 

migrating birds.

Some hardy birds even

use it on sunny winter days 

when it is not frozen.

The hummers were back mid-April

and we even saw some

Baltimore Orioles in mid-May.

He took some orange

despite the stiff wind

that ruffled his feathers!

The pots are planted up

around the house 

on the high deck,

on the lower patio

and in the front of the house.

I've already used the chives

and parsley in recipes.

So, now it's time to kick back,

put sandals and shorts on,

 sip some herbal  iced tea

and wait for summer.

Yeah, right!

Time marches on 

and the tasks pile up

again.

But we love it:

This thing called gardening!

2021 Finale

 It was a bit too early to put the garden to bed last weekend. Even though we were past mid-October, we hadn't had a night in the 30s yet to begin the final frosts necessary to cut back some of the perennials and annuals.  The same was true of the predicted peak of leaf-peeking season. Around our area, we had little color besides green and yellow. We decided to travel a bit to see if there was some leaf color in the hills of northwest Connecticut. Our destination was the Old Drake Hill Flower Bridge in Simsbury.

The baskets lining the bridge

were still sporting some

color, though muted.

Back home, it was the same, 

maybe a little more golden

light in the late October

afternoon sun.

Definitely time for 

the finale!

Revival

This post is a belated celebration

of my summer garden 

after a stormy, sweltering summer.

Grocery store miniature rose

(can't remember how old!)

Dahlias (new)

Coneflower (new)

Cardinal Flower [new)

Bush rose (new)

It revived before the Fall equinox

which is Wednesday, Sept. 22nd.

Water, Water Everywhere

The rain gauge is overflowing.

I forgot to dump it after the 

third 4-inch rain.  Then we had

5 inches with the hurricane.

Then an additional inch!

It stops at 9 inches

(on the other side).

We staked up the hollyhocks.

And moved the lima beans

out into a sunnier area.

I was able to find lots of 

bloom.  The flowers are still

doing their thing despite

this crazy weather.

Summer Phlox

Cardinal Flower

Orange Zinnias

No rose blooms

after the torrents

of rain!

Daylilies

Blue and White

Balloon Flowers

Dahlias

Coleus and Petunias

More Daylilies

and Sunflowers.

I wish!

 

The Circle of Life

LIMA BEANS planted in April as a Didi School project. Harvested in late July from a planter with a trellis of sunflower vine. Still amazing after all these years gardening!