But first...

Digging out the compost pile was on my to-do list for this spring. Sifting the existing compost from the rest of the detritis required the use of my yellow Vigoro garden cart... which had four flat tires, one of which was also shredding. I purchased a new tire, but could not figure out how to get the old one off (despite viewing several YT videos). No matter - I just filled all four with air (using my scary air compressor). The compost sifter also needed some repair. Finally, I completed the original to-do item, followed by spreading a shovelful of compost around each shrub.

Black (or brown) gold

I decided to take a look at my goals for this year, to see how I'm doing. Not bad so far. Ten coneflowers ('Sombrero Hot Coral') went into the bed by the sidewalk, and while I have planted the strawberries ('Evie-2') and garlic ('Early Italian'), the temperatures need to be a bit better before starting the green beans (there is a lined milk crate planter ready to receive them). The number of garlic cloves were more than the raised bed could handle, so the extras went into some containers; we'll see how that works out.

Fencing is to discourage Finn from treating this bed like a litter box

While not on the list, some dill seed ('Mammoth') was strewn around the spicebush, hopefully to attract swallowtail butterflies. And there is a pot ready for a tomato plant ('Sun Sugar') I purchased on impulse at Menards. The citrus plants at Tractor Supply tempted me, but I've been complaining about having too many houseplants, so I refrained.

This is the spring for flowering trees. I can't get enough of them (except for the Bradford pears).

'Perfect Purple' flowering crab, neighbor's flowering pear in the background

Redbud

'Prairie Fire' flower crab blossoms

One advantage of aging is one stops worrying so much about what other people think. An exception is my serviceberry specimens. They bloom at the same time as Bradford pear trees, but I hope no one thinks I actually planted the latter.

Around the yard:

Oak gall on witch hazel?

Milkweed!

We had some gale-force winds this past week. One day, a particularly athletic and daring squirrel took advantage of the wind to leap from the privacy fence to the sunflower feeder. Rather bodacious of him, if I do say so myself.

I'd rather mow than vacuum

Once upon a time, I could spend a whole day out in the yard, doing this, that, and the other. Now, after an hour or two, I'm done. But mowing takes little energy - I have a zero-turn riding mower - so I leave it for the end of the day, when I'm too tired to do much else.

Yesterday's hour or two was spent creating a little trench to help manage the wet area of the yard. The digging was easier than I expected, as what I was scooping up was basically composted mulch. I added that to the raised bed. Now I would like some stone to fill in the trench.

The raised bed is full. There is a layer of yard debris on the bottom, topped with four bags of "raised bed and garden soil". On top of that is some spent potting soil from containers I found in the shed. Then came the composted mulch and four more bags of bagged soil. I'm waiting for those layers to settle before planting anything in the bed.

This is the bagged soil I used:

And this is why I chose this particular brand: no peat. The peat would make a lighter mix, but it decomposes over time. I wanted a fill that was basically dirt but better dirt than my heavy clay.

My order from Burpee arrived: strawberry plants, garlic, and echinacea. The latter is on the deck, soaking up water and hardening off. The strawberries plants and garlic are in the refrigerator, awaiting that settling I mentioned above. I'm not sure how well the strawberries will do in such a tall raised bed. Specifically, I'm worried how the plants will winter over that far from the ground. But I guess that is what a winter mulch of straw is for.

Today's activity was spraying weeds, mostly Creeping Charlie; there is a crazy amount of it in the yard this year. I also attacked the yucca that won't die and the random mulberry trees that pop up endlessly.

I didn't spray all the Creeping Charlie, as it is one of the few early plants that pollinators appear to depend on. Which got me wondering about what else I could provide as an early source of nectar. An online search led me to Tag Alder, something I had never heard of, a shrub that likes it wet. I was thinking I could plant one by (or in) the rain garden... but it has a suckering habit, which means it would spread. Not sure I want to go there.

Bird wars

The sparrows have not lost interest in the bluebird house yet. I read here about how the male sparrow is more attached to a nesting site than he is to his mate. The bluebirds have tried to oust him (bird fight!), I've cleared out the bit of nesting material he built, and I've left the door to the box open to discourage him, all to no avail. Meanwhile, the bluebirds have tried every other birdhouse in the yard, but can't fit through the entrances.

I moved the cat birdhouse to the backyard, hung the flamingo birdhouse where the cat one had been (but took it in for the interim because of high winds), removed the metal plate around one of the wren houses so the sparrow could use that (I never get more than one nesting pair of wrens at a time), but so far that booger maintains his ownership of the bluebird box. Jerk.

While not watching the backyard birds, I've been puttering in the yard. A stop at Home Depot yielded some supplies for one raised bed. I'm going to build the filling from scratch (more or less) per this site, then top it with the bagged soil. Since some settling will occur, I wanted to get it started as soon as possible.

I tried locating the bed near the oak tree, but didn't like it there. Now it is next to the "meadow" near a redbud, where I am building the dead hedge. It still really stands out - all that *white* - so I will probably plant something or position some containers to block the visual glare.

Speaking of the dead hedge, I don't like it. For some reason, scattered piles of yard debris don't bother me, but the big pile of branches does. I'm letting it grow on me, but all that is growing is irritation. Expect to see it relocated in the near future.

Inside, the lettuce has sprouted, so the boxes have been relocated to the top of the freezer where they are happily reaching for grow lights. The germination was a bit spotty (probably due to gardener error), but there should be plenty just the same.

The vultures are back, the "Tommies" (Crocus tommassinianus 'Roseus') are up, but the grass is still khaki colored. This is a weekend of high winds and thunder storms, so even the pets are hunkered down inside.

Wipe on, wipe off

Over the past twenty years or so, my SO has helped me do things in the yard, redo things in the yard, undo things in the yard. He has dug holes, pruned shrubs, and pulled weeds. He does most of the heavy lifting and most of the tasks that involve power tools. Last fall, after my shoulder surgery, he even mowed. Most recently, he pried apart the raised bed frames we (mostly he) constructed way back when.

Before

After

And he does all this without complaining! The closest he has ever gotten to a whine was a couple of years ago, when we were buying bags of mulch, and he asked how much longer we were going to do this. He's a keeper!

More newbies for the backyard are Canadian hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) and winterberry holly (Ilex verticillata 'FarrowBPop' and 'FarrowMrP'). Also known as Eastern hemlock, the Canadian hemlock attracts birds and butterflies, but also can get infested with the hemlock wooly adelgid, Adelges tsugae, which so far has not reached Indiana. Fingers crossed on that issue. Winterberry holly provides cover for wildlife, nesting spots, nectar for insects, and fruit for birds (especially bluebirds). It serves as a host to Henry's Elfin butterfly (Callophrys henrici). 'FarrowBPop' (Berry Poppins) is the female of the species, 'FarrowMrP' (Mr. Poppins) the male.

Rain!

It is not unusual for storm systems to slip past Fort Wayne, either to the north or the south. Very frustrating to watch on Weather Bug. This past week we caught a break, though: a solid inch one day, 3/4 of an inch several days later. It's not enough but better than nothing.

The temps have been more moderate (except for today when we are under a heat advisory), so I've continued working on the garden downsizing plan. All the raised bed frames that I am going to move right now have been moved. I like how they look scattered here and there around shrubs and other plantings. It changes the view.

It will take a while (and a LOT more rain) before I clear away the contents of the raised beds. Because of last summer's neglect, they are full of weeds and quack grass. I want to make sure as much as possible of that detritus goes into the trash can. Also, I am toying with the idea of using the soil as modeling clay, as described here.

Speaking of views, I did not foresee how much time I would spend on the deck, contemplating the yard, and how much the morning glory trellises would block my ability to see what I am contemplating. My goal with the morning glory was to add more shade to the deck, but I'm not sure that will happen, at least not to the extent I had hoped. The jury is still out, but I'm now contemplating Virginia creeper instead, as it will climb the posts and not need any trellis. Has any of you deliberately grown Virginia creeper on a pergola?

While wandering the yard, I snapped a few pics just for fun; the purple coneflower continues to come on strong. This bed was formerly known as the asparagus bed and its walls are of concrete blocks. Over the years, I have tried growing a variety of flowers in the holes of the blocks. This year I chose zinnias and sunflowers.

The only reason this bee is in focus is it was still asleep on the bee balm.

I blocked the north and south sides of the house from the dogs because of their digging and trampling. While watering the above mentioned bed, I discovered this hole in the middle.

And while eyeballing the milkweed field (an area that continues to be neglected), I found this hole. I can't wall off all the garden beds but I am sorely tempted.

The cup plant is blooming. The smoke bushes are not, or just barely. Next up is the rudbeckia, which is taller than the coneflower, something I had not anticipated.

Can we have a new normal?

Since the pandemic started, many (NOT ALL) of us have been wishing and waiting until we can "get back to normal". Well, that old normal was not all that great, especially for some people and some places. I try to keep politics and social issues out of my blogs - that's not why I write - but some things just cry out to be mentioned. I hope the protests lead (peacefully) to significant change, and the only way to change things for the better is to get involved however we can (money, time, letter writing, running for office, etc.) and to VOTE. If you don't vote, it looks like you don't care, and I can't believe anyone doesn't care about how we move forward from this point. (End of sermon.)

I was beginning to think that the only critters I was going to see at the hummingbird feeder were ants. I fixed that problem by applying Vaseline petroleum jelly to the metal pole holding the feeder. Soon after, I spotted a female hummer. But only one. I didn't know if that was normal (it is), so I looked up some info about hummingbirds at this site. Some friends of mine have been able to spot hummingbird nests in their trees, but my ranch house does not offer the same vantage point their 2-story home does. Caring for a hummingbird feeder is almost like having another pet - the nectar needs to be replaced every 3-4 days. It's for only a few months (she said optimistically).

Speaking of critters, my dog Clio managed to mangle her muzzle and ear, presumably in the torn hardware cloth skirting the shed. That lead to a bacterial infection AND a fungal infection. She was a mess, had to visit the vet, and now wears the cone of shame.

My SO helped me update the skirting around the shed with some plastic trellis. Since I didn't want to lie awake at night, worrying about whether we trapped a nest of baby bunnies under the shed and they were slowly starving to death, we left a gap for critters to come and go. Only later did it occur to me that Finn, my inside/outside cat, could also come and go. Finn was a stray who developed a taste for baby bunnies - he eats them, doesn't torture them - so I decided that was okay. Maybe someday there will be NO critters under the shed.

In my effort to downsize the garden, I moved some of the raised bed frames so that they surround the clumps of big bluestem and rattlesnake master plants near the back of the yard. The idea is to offer the dogs a visual clue so that they don't trample the plants - they like to run along the fence. I, the Toro jockey, will also have a visual clue and will be able to mow that area without damaging said plants. I plan to move some coneflower and rudbekia to those beds as well.

So now I have four islands of weeds in the middle of the garden. The weeds look rather grasslike - I'm guessing it's mostly quack grass. Ugh. I am not looking forward to dealing with that.

Meanwhile, up on the deck, the strawflowers are blooming. The plants aren't very tall, so maybe I will add something to the pot...

...like some zinnias. The seedlings are popping up. Zinnias and sunflowers are some of my favorite annuals. And marigolds, but I skipped them this year.

I was looking through some of my photos out on flickr the other day and marveling over how much better they look than the ones I take now. Back then, I was making more of an effort to take good pics, now I am barely documenting what is going on in the yard, and then only as a reminder because I suffer from CRS (Can't Remember Sh*t). Maybe I'll do better once things get under control (HAHAHAHA).

Still spring

The temperatures have cooled a bit, which is a plus for the spring bloomers. My SO and I and Watson (the dog) went for a wildflower walk at Bicentennial Woods a couple of weeks ago. No pics but we (the dog and/or I) did bring home a couple of ticks. Ugh. Last Thursday we stopped at Foster Park between rain showers, to view the tulips. Again, no pics, except for this redbud tree.

I wish I knew the history of this old thing. I've seen redbuds with thick trunks, but nothing like this convoluted writhing mass of limbs. I'm surprised the uniqueness was not pruned out of it a long time ago.

On the home front, my SO and I spent hours in the backyard yesterday, trying to get things under control. He does the heavy lifting, literally. I keep reconfiguring the raised beds - this time, doubling the height of the concrete block ones - which I would not be able to manage on my own. He also cut down the 'Wichita Blue' junipers, two of which turned incredibly ugly, two of which never grew larger. I joke that he makes my gardening dreams come true, which really is not a joke at all. His help keeps me from succumbing to gardener's despair.

We both tackled weeds, weeds, and more weeds, mostly this creeping crud that is able to leap raised beds in a single bound and spread across the top of mulch, rooting all the way. I don't like to use herbicides, but am wondering if spraying along the fence will send the poison spreading through this carpet of crap like a computer virus through a LAN. It would be an interesting experiment. (Oh, wait. I just looked up some info on ground ivy, a.k.a. creeping Charlie. It says it is not affected by broadleaf herbicides except dicamba. Hmmm.)

Inside, I have been starting seeds, better late than never. At least I'm late enough that many can spend time outside almost immediately. Less mess in the house.

Bed by bed

Anne Lamott wrote a book called Bird by Bird. It's mostly about writing, but maxims for writers can apply to gardeners as well. The title reflects how to attack a large project: bit by bit.

Native sampler

My yard is rather large, which I consider a good thing, but sometimes the sheer amount of work to keep it up overwhelms me. Despite my attempts to make things easier, they seem to get more complicated. But if I can take things one bed at a time, I shall prevail.

Native sampler getting fenced in

For several years I've contemplated adding another structure to the yard, leaning toward a screened-in gazebo. The new fence provides so much privacy now, that idea has evaporated. But my g'daughter has been trying to build a clubhouse of sorts in the bushes. This inexpensive resin shed should serve that purpose, plus give me some place to store lawn furniture in the winter.

Resin shed

The brand/model is Keter Manor (purchased at Menards), size 4'x6'. And it is a BEAR to assemble. It takes two people, and it is especially helpful if one of them is tallish with a certain amount of upper body strength. And power tools. My SO did most of the actual labor while I supervised/assisted. Be prepared to argue over discuss the instructions.

The garden proper evolves, and will continue to do so in the near and distant future. We removed the movable fence, then reduced the footprint by doubling the height of the raised beds and shoving them closer together. I have a reminder on my calendar to take photos from these five perspectives throughout the growing season, so we can track further changes.

Looking SW

Looking NW

Looking NE

Looking SE

Orchard - looking SW

Today it is rainy, so I'm glad I soldiered on yesterday. Not much is blooming - a few daffodils, even fewer crocus, the forsythia. Many buds look ready to burst on the early-blooming shrubs. Hope a frost does not ruin the show.

Bedtime

I grow vegetables in raised beds because I grew tired of fighting my heavy clay soil. One aspect of raised beds is they can be moved. Some may consider this an asset while others would disagree. In general, I haven't moved them... much. But this year I decided to reduce the footprint of the vegetable garden. One way to do that was to butt the beds up against each other instead of maintaining a path all around each one.

Before (pic from last year)

While my SO helped me rearrange the beds, I joked that this was the LAST TIME we would do this. Well, ha-ha. A few days later, I decided the new configuration needed some tweaking. We are relocating the gate into the garden as well. The reduction in paths would mean that after entering the garden through the gate, one would have to walk all the way to the end of the beds to get across the garden, a real pain if one were, say, pushing a wheel barrow full of manure.

After-after

I wasn't sure how my SO would greet the idea of moving beds *again*. Fortunately, my son was willing to open up a path in the offset middle. Now gardener and accouterments can take a short cut to the back.

Wide path installed

Even this big boy, a gift from my SO, will fit.

A side note: While moving the beds, we discovered that even though they are made from cedar, the beds are starting to rot where they are in contact with the ground. Very disappointing.

Plans, I has 'em

All year round, I find myself thinking about what I want to do next in the yard and garden, but never more than at the end of the season. With successes and failures fresh in my mind, I contemplate what to repeat, what to do better, what to abandon, what new thing to try. These daydreams always chase away any gardener blues I may succumb to now and then.

Before fall cleanup

Something I would really like to improve is weed control in the vegetable garden, especially between beds. I've tried mulching with this, that, and the other, with minimal success. For my next method, I will try mowing. Toward that end, my SO helped me shift the raised beds to make the paths wide enough to accommodate the Toro.

After fall cleanup (more or less)

Next year's big "something new" will be the mini orchard, starting with apples and cherries. I think. I get a little overwhelmed with the choices of fruit trees available, but am narrowing my first choices to varieties that are naturally resistant to pests and diseases, the better to ensure some success.

It's not just the backyard that receives my scrutiny. The bed by the front walk is filling in nicely, but I am discovering the arrangement of the plants is not the best. Specifically, some taller things need to switch places with shorter ones, and some varieties would benefit from clustering together rather than standing in isolation.

This summer I filled in a few blanks with marigolds, simply because I started more seedlings than the vegetable garden could accommodate. Next year I would like to use its cousin calendula instead, which should self seed. I hope that does not turn out to be a mistake.

I'm done with the old fashioned (i.e. mildewed) lilac by the driveway, so whacked it down; an almond tree may grow in its place. The burning bush will get a severe pruning, to give the gold mop a chance to fill in all around.

I'm also done with most of the ornamental grasses in front of the house - just too floppy - and plan to move them to the backyard. I think a maple leaf viburnum would be a nice replacement by the front porch.

This 'Hameln', however, gets prettier every day in the autumn. I think I'll keep it.

I visited a tree nursery several years ago in search of a tulip poplar. The owner shamelessly flirted while extolling the virtues of the sugar maple over a tulip tree. Yes, sugar maples are striking this time of year, but I like the tulip poplar I eventually planted. So much so, I want to plant another, to someday shade the deck.

The observant will notice some big blue stem in the photo above. It and its neighbors, a little blue stem and two varieties of asters, are destined to move to the back corner where they can spread out to their natural size. The plants I moved to the south side of the house this past summer will probably join them. Then I get to decide what to do with the newly vacated location. I get excited just considering the possibilities!