Most of the time, the only wildlife in my backyard are birds. In the past, woodchucks were the bane of my existance along with rabbits. Between the privacy fence and the dogs, most critters keep away except for one bunny and a few squirrels. So imagine my surprise when I found this opossum in the backyard.
At first, I thought the dogs had killed it, but no, opossums are very good at "playing dead". There was at least one baby on board; opossums are marsupials with a pouch, which this little guy was trying frantically to find. Mom was not helping in the least.
There were a couple more close encounters between the opossum and the dogs, so I thought she would leave. But the other night, I saw Baby wandering around on the deck after dark. They seem to have taken up residence in the dog house.
On top of the opossum, this black squirrel made an appearance. I've seen squirrels with this mutation in the neighborhood, just never in my own backyard. The squirrels (and presumably the opossum) clean up under the bird feeders.
And, not to be oudone, a bunny got everyone excited by making an appearance by the front walk.
The orioles and catbirds have abandoned their feeder for now, so I took it down. I also removed the mealworm feeder, as the only birds using it were sparrows and the occasional bluejay. The local paper printed a photo of a hummingbird at a nearby nature preserve; I hung out my hummingbird feeder, but so far, no takers. I think the robins in the front yard and the wrens in the back are nesting; in another week or so, I may hear some hungry peeps.
The pagoda dogwood has been blooming its little heart out this year. I can't find many photos of this tree on my blog, but I don't know if that is because it doesn't usually bloom so well or if I just neglected to document it.
The hawthorn in the front yard is blooming as well. I can't miss that as I see it every time I open or close the drapes over the picture window.
It seems like it is either raining or I am mowing. Everything seems HUGE this year, even the (doomed) rhubarb.
While the Clematis Paniculata is putting out some new growth, it looks like the 'Jackmanii' clematis did not survive the winter in a container despite my precautions. Now I'm back to the idea of trying to raise Virginia creeper, which covers a section of the privacy fence, in a container. All I want is something to grow on the pergola.
The harvest from the vegetable garden is winding down. It was a good year for potatoes, not so much for onions (my fault, I fear, for mishandling the plants last spring), definitely not for tomatoes. There are always lessons learned: One plant provides plenty of zucchini, sweet corn needs to be harvested in a timely manner unless you like the flavor of starch over sugar, you can never have too much horse manure.
September harvest (and the last zucchini)
Another lesson: if there is a way, rabbits and woodchucks have the will. Despite the fortification of wood picket, hardware cloth, and poultry netting, there were occasional incursions by critters. Periodic inspections helped, but invariably damage occurred, even late in the season. I learned that woodchucks climb bean poles...
No beans for you!
... and favor broccoli over cabbage...
Yes to broccoli, no to cabbage
... but no one likes kale enough to justify eight plants.
Not even rabbits or woodchucks like kale
I tried pointing the finger of blame at rabbits, but they don't care for sweet potatoes, nor will they climb onto the cage supposedly protecting the plants, caving it in and nibbling the protruding leaves.
It wasn't me! (This time.)
Fortunately, the enjoyment of late summer flowers balances the frustrations of vegetable gardening. This 'Wild Romance' Aster is a long time survivor. Some years the only thing that saved it was a nearby metal plant marker.
Aster 'Wild Romance', with bee
I've become intrigued by a photo of 'Autumn Joy' Sedum grown as a low hedge that I noticed in Tracy DiSabato-Aust's book, The Well-Tended Perennial Garden. My cluster gets a bit leggy from not enough sun, but if I move it and pinch it back, perhaps I too can have a sorta hedge of it along the front of the house.
Sedum 'Autumn Joy' starting to blush
I mistakenly thought this Catmint was 'Walker's Low' and could not understand why each plant became so HUGE and spread so FAR. While fooling around in that bed, I found the plant tag. Now that I know its true growth habit, I have just the spot for it, around the garden shed.
Catmint 'Six Hills'
As usual, there are lots of plans for next year. I'm antsy to try them out, but FIRST. There is work to do, like weeding the area under the Hydrangea so next spring it can be populated with Bishop's Weed, aka Goutweed. Bishop's Weed can be a bit out of control, but this corner is somewhat isolated and I'm counting on Bishop's Weed's shade loving nature to help keep it in check.
Hydrangea 'Limelight', weeded
I don't quite know what to do about this problem, though. The deck builders did not follow directions to stay within the footprint of the patio slab and extended the deck over the bed with Joe Pye, Cardinal Flower, and Swamp Milkweed. I wrote those plants off, prematurely it seems. It doesn't bother me that they poke up between the boards, so maybe I will just leave them be.
Joe Pye and Cardinal Flower
My granddaughter's interest in photography is rather erratic, so I can't count on her providing me with regular pics of the yard, or much of anything else, for that matter. But then, she is not quite five and still exploring all there is to do and see in the world.
I've said it before and I'll say it again - February is the longest month of the year, at least around these parts. Seeds and plants are ordered but it is too early to start transplants inside. The only "gardening" fun I have is eating all the goodies I put by last year.
We have had snow, which some people think is a bad thing, but it is actually good for the garden. Snow shoveling is also handy for keeping the gardening muscles in shape. That said, I am still grateful for the help of neighbors when the snow is heavy and/or too thick.
Garden Rant has been hosting a series of posts extolling or berating the concept of "winter interest" in the garden. I don't plant for winter interest, but I think if you have snow, you can't help but find the yard interesting to view. Better than the usual brown and gray.
Finn suffers from cabin fever, punctuating my day with requests to go out, then two minutes later, come back in. Despite having a litter box in the laundry room, he still prefers the outdoors as his potty. And sometimes he even plays in the snow a bit.
Best of all is the recovery of the Meyer lemon tree, as demonstrated by its current vigor and recent blossoming. If you recall, the poor plant was looking pretty peaked a year or so ago when I took some drastic action. It produced no fruit at all last year, but things look more promising for 2015.
The whole room is filled with the sweet scent of the blossoms. Not every flower will produce a lemon, as the plant is smart enough to "self prune" by dropping the fruit it can't support to ripening. Harvest won't occur until December.
I forgot to take a "before" picture, but basically what was there was neutral wall-to-wall carpeting. My daughter and I were concerned that the fireplace would clash, but decided it is okay. Daughter is also trying to persuade me to get a round table for the room, one about the size of that there card table. I'm seriously weighing that idea.
Meanwhile, I now have an acre of Durastone to mop.
The story with the upside down tomatoes is, one had a broken stem, which is why it looked parched even though it was supposedly well watered. I broke it off completely, stripped the lower leaves, and stuck it into a pot to see if it will take root and recover. I have not had this problem before, but it only makes sense because, even though the plants are upside down, they are trying to grow rightside up.
The heat and humidity have done in some of the bloomers - the clematis by the front door dropped its petals faster than a streaker in January - while forcing others out of their buds.
Dragon's Blood sedum:
It never looks as good as the photos in the catalogs, but it does well in dry conditions.
A red lily of some variety:
This one does not last long once it blooms.
Shasta daisy:
I finally figured out that deadheading this plant severely limits how well it comes back the following year. I thought it regrew from the roots, but actually it reseeds itself.
Some yellow daylily that was part of a collection:
I keep meaning to do something new with all the different lilies and daylilies I have scattered around the yard, but have yet to get around to it. It's not like they are going anywhere.
This is a small-flowered clematis - I can't find its name right now - that I think blooms most of the summer.
It has been moved and abused so often I'm surprised it is still alive, let alone blooming.
No vegetable garden is complete without marigolds:
Usually I select a mahogany-colored variety, but now I'm favoring orange.
This hosta gets a lot of sun, but doesn't seem to mind:
Behind it are Stella d' Oro daylilies.
I know the name of this tickseed:
Coreoptis Grandiflora 'Early Sunrise'.
And, now that the privet is done blooming, the volunteer milkweeds are serving as aromatic replacements:
Every year I let a few of these go, and sometimes monarchs visit, but I never find any eggs, let alone caterpillars, on the plants. Maybe this year.
I keep trying to capture just how lovely the barberry looks with its new growth. This is the best I can do.
It's even better in real life. Trust me.
And because no entry this year would be complete without a bunny pic:
There is something in the air, a shift in temperature and humidity and universal vibe, that occurs in June and that makes us say, "NOW it feels like summer!" It is still not brutally hot or suffocatingly humid, but it is also no longer springlike out there. Or maybe it is the firecrackers.
The latest love of my life is this:
It's a Cotinus coggygria 'Purpureus' aka Purple Smoke Tree. I found it at Home Depot and it followed me home. Situated at the southeast corner of the house, it is a great addition to my purple-leaf front yard, where it joins the barberry, Japanese maple, crimson king maple, and sandcherry. Oooh!
I would like to add some 'Gold Nugget' barberry to my front yard, to contrast with all the purple, but my research has revealed that barberry and burning bush are considered invasive. This really surprises me, because I have never seen either growing willy-nilly in my yard. Perhaps I am just too busy with the Canada thistle, garlic mustard, Queen Anne's lace, mulberry, honeysuckle bush, etc., etc., and so forth, to notice.
The daylilies are starting to bloom. This is Stella:
There are tiger lilies and Shasta daisies as well, but the breezes have been creating consternation with this amateur photographer, so no pix yet. I have gobs of pix from previous years, but I still like to take a few of each emerging blossom so that I have a record of sorts of what blooms when.
From my observations, it looks like all three baby bunnies have survived. It is difficult to tell from this photo, as the little suckers do not take direction well, but they would still fit in one hand, albeit a large hand.
The teen from a previous post appears to be their babysitter. I think the Bunny Daddy made an appearance last week, so more may be on the way soon.
Hopefully, Mama Bunny will find a new yard to nest in. Something they don't mention when promoting backyard habitats is the sheer number of rabbits yours will attract. It's not a problem until they start eating the things you don't want them to eat. While there are plenty of other food choices for them in my yard, I have had to surround nearly every shrub with poultry netting. Some garden plants require protection as well. Meanwhile, my SO has been helping me line the backyard with poultry netting. We have done nearly all the chain link fence, but I need to come up with a strategy for the gates. At this point, though, I'm not sure if I am keeping them OUT or locking them IN.
My love/hate relationship continues with my neighbor's mulberry tree. It is LOADED this year, much to the robins' delight. They have been using the tree as a launching pad for their fledglings. I read that orioles like mulberries as well, but I have not seen any.
Sadly, I found a dead catbird under the Rhubarb that Ate New York. I have yet to dispose of it, so have not determined a possible cause of death. I'm guessing a hawk dropped its lunch and the poor thing had not yet expired and crawled into a protected spot to die in peace. That's my story and I am sticking to it.
Completely new thread: This week my family room is getting new flooring. With the demise of the Florida room, the great outdoors starts at the patio door, which means some of that great outdoors gets tracked onto the carpet, despite my array of dirt trappers. So the carpet is destined for the Restore store (operated by Habitat for Humanity) and the Durastone in the kitchen is being extended into the family room. The ultimate goal is to wed the two rooms together, to create a big harvest kitchen.
The other problem with the removal of the Florida room is the brutal afternoon sun on the patio. I like the idea of a pergola out there, but don't want wood because of the maintenance issues. This week a local firm gave me a ballpark estimate on an aluminum one: $6000 for a patio the size of mine. Gah! The sound you hear is that project falling to the bottom of my home improvement list.
The privet hedge is in bloom. The aroma is almost too cloying to be enjoyable. The bees are loving it, though.
We have received quite a bit a rain this spring, at least an inch a week, I think. Another inch fell over the past day or two, and now the yard is starting to sprout mushrooms.
Gadzukes! That's not all that's sprouting.
Every year I am overrun with zucchini, but last year I did not plant any due to the renovations and I missed it. The stuff from the grocery store just does not taste the same.
Finally, a halfway decent pic of blossoms on the honeysuckle vine.
At A Way to Garden, they were discussing aphids on honeysuckles. So that is why the blossoms sometimes curl up and die. More come on, but maybe I should add an aphid shower to my yard regime.
The yarrow is starting to bloom.
But it looks like the pestimon has bit the dust. I will plant more someday because the hummingbirds really like it.
I have generations of rabbits in my backyard habitat.
The ones in this nest have since ventured out, but they are the equivalent of toddlers. They hide in the coneflower, and mama comes around to nurse them now and then. I tried to get a photo of the latter, but was too cautious because I did not want to disturb them.
This guy is a teenager, I bet.
He used to be quite skittish, but now he just watches me with that "What's YOUR problem?" look on his face.
Otherwise, I am harvesting radishes and scallions, mowing grass between showers, and losing the battle of the weeds. So what else is new?
About six years ago, I had Durastone flooring installed in my kitchen. I like Durastone. It looks like tile but is warmer and repairable. Last year, when the laundry room was redone as part of the room addition, I used the same Durastone pattern in there as well. You cannot tell the old Durastone from the new. Great stuff.
While discussing impending home improvement plans with a co-worker, I mentioned how much I like Durastone, so we went out to the Congoleum website so I could show her what I was talking about. What I noticed was my kitchen pattern was no longer on their website. Was it discontinued?
There are two problems with this possibility: 1) after the laundry room, I somehow was left with no spare tile for repairs, and 2) someday I want to wed the kitchen to the family room by replacing the carpet in the family room with the same Durastone as is in the kitchen.
I called my flooring guys, and they confirmed that yes, my pattern was being phased out. However, they were able to find some. My first impulse was to purchase as much as I might ever need. But after a restless night or two (home improvement is a favorite 3am topic in my cranium), I decided to go ahead and have the tile in the family room installed NOW.
Yesterday, while cleaning the cat box, the cat box that is supposed to be in the cat washroom but is now in the main bathroom which guests use (ugh!) because Princess Fern apparently does not like enclosures and was hanging her butt out of the cat washroom when peeing which was ruining the finish on the cat washroom, I had another epiphany. Instead of replacing my concrete driveway (oh, yeah, did I mention I was planning on doing that, as a prelude to installing a rain garden?), I would rather spend that money on remodeling the workshop that is off the garage and behind the laundry room into a utility room. The washer and dryer can go in there, along with a freezer and that damn litter box.
So, that is the plan. As of this moment. Who knows what I will dream up between today and tomorrow.
As for outside work, I managed to scrounge up some zucchini seeds and planted one hill. I also found inexpensive tomato cages at Menards and am trying the square ones on the tomatoes in the ground. And the rain garden consultant stopped by to answer some questions about my rain garden plans, which was extremely helpful but currently moot. And I've kept up with the mowing.
As for the bunny situation, mama bunny did not move her babies, but I was able to discourage Betsy's interest in the nest, until today. This morning Betsy was digging around in the nest when I chased her off. One baby escaped, two remained huddled in their hidey hole, and a dead one had been dislodged from the nest. It looked like it had been dead for a while - maggots! - so I left it in the grass for later disposal, but mama bunny took care of it for me by EATING IT! I'm guessing this is a survival mechanism, to prevent attracting predators to the nest, but GROSS!!!
Today my SO is coming over so we can continue our labors in my backyard. I cannot express how grateful I am to have his help this year. My garden plans tend to get a bit grandiose, which results in the yard feeling more like a burden than a delight. But now, when I sit in the West Wing and observe my backyard habitat, I feel optimistic that all will come to fruition.
And now, some pics:
Clematis viticella 'Betty Corning':
I planted two of these in 2006, and since their original location is no longer, they now reside at the corners of the West Wing
Agilegia canadense, aka Canadian columbine:
Just loaded this year, despite last year's transplantation.
Some other clematis:
This is from Springhill Nursery I think, and has been shielding the front porch for many years. Last year it took on the look of a giant tumbleweed, so I whacked it back severely. Apparently, it is harboring no ill will over that episode.
Some climbing rose:
I think this is also from Springhill. I'm not a rose person, so this one suffers from much neglect. Still, it soldiers on.
Some iris:
These came with the house, sometimes bloom, sometimes don't. This one has been buried by the hostas, hasn't bloomed in years, but worked its way out to the edge of the bed this year. Now it is saying, Look at me! I will survive!
And, last but not least, for your listening pleasure:
