Guilty

The volunteer flowers that I have been calling phlox are actually dame's rocket, an invasive. It comes and goes in my yard, so I never thought of it as a problem. In wild preserves, however, it is another story. Sorry.

In more responsible gardening news, the 'Betty Corning' clematis is busting out all over. I was afraid the smallish openings in the trellis would not be sufficient, but never fear. We had to shore up the trellises a couple of times, to keep everything upright. Maybe next year I will give the plants more room - they are kind of smooshed up against the siding.

In other clematis news, the Niobe I have been nursing along for YEARS finally feels comfortable enough to bloom. Maybe next year it will get tall enough to climb its trellis, in the company of black eyed Susan vine. Hopefully, that will be a sight to see.

In other climbing news, I did repot the cardinal vines, into brand new clay pots. (I swear I have a variety of clay pots around here somewhere, but damned if I can find them.) Now they can climb the redbud trees to their hearts' content.

In the reach-for-the-sky department, I picked a nursery brain about the stretchy nature of the purple smoke tree's limbs. She suggested that the poor thing might not be getting enough sun. This makes sense, as since I planted it, the nearby Crimson King maple tree has finally become large enough to shade that corner of the house.

The surprise of the week are these cherries, on the Northern Star tart cherry tree (I think).

I wonder if there will be enough for pie?

In not-so-surprising news, the highbush cranberry viburnum is pumping out the blossoms. I have a love-hate relationship with viburnums, due to some errant purchases several years ago. This one was a good choice, however.

In other fruit and vegetable news, my son and I sampled the first two strawberries of the season. The garlic is going strong, as are the onions. The Irish potatoes are up, but the broccoli appears to be stalled. Ditto some marigolds I planted in the pea/bean beds. Maybe the weather has been too weird lately.

Speaking of weather, it feels rather summery this week, so I planted pole beans, corn, and sunflowers, transplanted tomatoes and hot peppers. I'm holding off on the sweet potatoes, for now.

There is (always) more to report, but I'll save that for another post.