Gardener's Tan

The gardener's tan is usually a motley collection of pinks and browns. Today I started out wearing a racer back sports bra and yoga top, to try to fill in some color on my upper back, but after a few hours in the sun, wisely switched to a sleeveless polo plus sunscreen for my shoulders and arms. A broad brimmed hat, donned to keep the deer flies out of my hair, protected my face, but my feet are getting stripey from my gardening sandals. And my legs are the last to tan, except for my knee caps.

Yes, it was a long day of outdoor activity. HOT and HUMID, but at least there was a good breeze and plenty of clouds to keep it from being brutal. Amongst my achievements were mowing, front and back, transplanting black-eyed Susan and tickseed (which required much weed removal and the installation of a chicken-wire enclosure for rabbit protection), and planting thyme in the one apple tree pot lacking it.

Everyday, something new is blooming or blooming more. The pestemon is just starting...



while the keys of heaven are filling out...



and the catmint offsets the pinks with its strong blue.



All of the above are in the 3B garden - bees, butterflies, birds. This Shasta daisy is right around the corner from where some other Shastas bit the dust.



Debating on whether to transplant it to replace the lost ones.

Here is the first coneflower, such as it is.



And one lone scabiosa has popped up in the front of the house. Haven't had much luck with flowers on the east side of the house.



Proof that I did not over-whack the clematis on the front porch.



The climbing rose is above average this year...



... even peeking around the corner of the house.

Stormy Weather

Thunder and lightning and sirens - oh my! Last night things got a bit wild weatherwise. Since I purchased a digital converter box for my ancient TV, I can view local weather from NOAA while listening to that weird voice mispronounce names of local towns. My dog Betsy hates storms, trembles and pants and tries to plaster herself against me. She already gets anxious when it rains. Now she will probably associate those warning tones with incoming storms. (BTW, 0.75" of rain fell.)

I tried to get some photos this morning, but the cloud cover and the wind made it difficult. The climbing rose is peaking. One lonely scabiosa poked its head above the weeds in the front of the house. 'Jethro Tull' is recovering nicely from its transplant operation. And the 'Health Kick' tomato has blossoms.

A co-worker told me her neighbor advised her to pick off the first tomato blossoms. I have never heard of this. I think the only time I would do this is if the tomatoes were blossoming before nighttime temperatures stayed above 50 degrees, but I usually don't put out my tomatoes until then anyway. Besides, you can never have a too-early tomato from the garden.

A book I am perusing is Lasagna Gardening by Patricia Lanza. It's another no-work gardening book, but I am going to give this method a try. The basic premise is, instead of tilling and digging and throwing out your back, you create garden beds by layering compostable materials, starting with newspaper to kill the sod. I have plenty of newspaper, but coming up with the rest of the ingredients will be difficult, especially now that I have no trees in the backyard. In the fall, I can invite my neighbors to just toss their leaves over the fence, but in the meantime, I guess I will purchase some of what I need, like sphagnum moss.

Today the estimator from a local construction company is supposed to come to, well, give me an estimate on my room addition. He was supposed to come Thursday but rescheduled, then was supposed to come Friday but had car trouble. We'll see if he shows up today. Not a good first impression. I ordered "Better Homes and Gardens Home Designer Suite 8.0" from Amazon because I am anxious about anyone understanding what it is that I want. Also, this remodeling is giving me more ideas about making my house more livable. The software package includes a landscaping module. Woo-hoo!

Another One Bites the Dust

All it takes is some tropical weather and a little rain (0.75" this time) to finish off the peonies.



But as for the climbing roses, everyday and in every way...



...they are getting better and better.



It probably won't be a banner year, but I'll take what I can get.

Meanwhile, the yucca is asserting itself, despite the close quarters with the asplenifolia and sandcherry.



I think the white yucca blossoms will look stunning next to the purple sandcherry.

Which reminds me, I need to do something about the shasta daisy that pooped out. It was planted amongst some red bee balm on the east side of the house. The two bloom at the same time, producing quite the spectacle. But not this year. I'm wondering if my attempts to keep the soil acid beneath the nearby rhododendron is the cause of the daisy demise.

It's Official

This morning, while standing on the deck, waiting for the dog to do her bidness, I was watching a pair of goldfinches flit about the yellow honeysuckle vine when I saw it: the first hummingbird of the season. Summer has officially begun!

I make a point of referring to my honeysuckle as honeysuckle vine because the other kind of honeysuckle is an invasive shrub.



Here it is, invading the privat that separates my yard from my neighbor. Technically, it is his privat, but the honeysuckle is growing on my side of the property line. Maybe it will receive a severe pruning one of these days.

What a difference a day makes. Here is the first of the catmint...



... not to be confused with catnip, which I did purchase today. (More on that later.)

And another sign of summer:



Not a very clear photo, but proof of tomato blossoms, on the Sweet Olive.

And yesterday's rose buds...



... are now full-fledged roses.

The 'Blue Muffin' arrowwood is copying the now fading Onondaga.



I'd forgotten just how stinky this particular viburnum is. Phew!

Now, about the catnip and other herbs purchased today. I have been reading a collection of short stories called An Unthymely Death by Susan Wittig Albert. This book is part of a mystery series which features herbalist China Bayles. Besides the stories, it includes herbal lore, gardening tips, recipes, craft projects, etc. It really piqued my interest in herbs, hence today's stop at the garden center. I bought:

lemongrass
lemon balm
lemon verbena
lemon basil
purple basil
cinnamon basil
garlic chives
oregano ('Hot & Spicy')
rosemary
parsley
catnip

(Note to self: Type plant names and varieties into the computer before setting them into the landscape. The neighbors think I am weird enough without confirming it by traipsing about the yard, laptop in hand, to enter said info. Which I refrained from doing. Which is why there is no Latin in the above list.)

My previous plans to reserve the strawberry pyramid for herbs from seed fell by the wayside. Most of the above filled out the empty quadrants. The perennial ones I can always move, but I didn't want to put the catnip there because mints just take over. Where could it go where I wouldn't care if it spread a bit? Why, amongst the shrubs.

I planted the arborvitae and viburnum and forsythia four years ago and have been maintaining a shredded bark mulch ever since. But this year, I am balking at buying mulch. For one thing, it is expensive. For another, spreading it around the yard is a lot of work. And most of my beds are so full of plants that decorative mulch is not really needed.

The shrubs, though, still have a lot of room between and around them. So that is where the the catnip went, and that is where I am going to move the other mints that are choking out my oregano.

(Speaking of expensive, I have spent quite a bit at the nursery already this year, but have purchased only a fraction of what I usually do. I had read that there is a surge in interest in gardening, especially vegetable gardening because of the rising cost of food, which is pushing up the prices of plants and seeds. That old supply and demand thing.)

Other chores I accomplished tonight: mowed the front yard and used the grass clippings to mulch the bee balm and chives I transplanted over the weekend. Also watered said transplants. Planted double impatiens in the planter on the front porch, the same variety as last year since they did so well (which right now I can't remember and I'm too lazy to go look).

And I tried once again to get a photo of this columbine that shows just how loaded it is this year.

I Was Right

The mystery plant is keys of heaven. I planted three of them several years ago, and two were hiding in the spreading bee balm. The third is looking wilted, and I have no idea why. The 1.25" of rain Friday night didn't help.

I moved most of the bee balm today. Three little plants that had turned into three large clumps are now a dozen small clumps along the fence. I left a little bee balm around the keys of heaven, just in case that is why the rabbits haven't eaten it (yet).

Yesterday I started listing all the plants/shrubs/trees I have in my yard (see sidebar) and realized just how much I have planted over the years that has not survived. The rabbits do a fair share of damage, but sometimes things just don't make it through the winter around here. Dry summers and too much shade may be factors as well.

There is an incredible bird racket this afternoon. Some fledgling starlings are learning to fly. Yesterday a litter of young squirrels were playing follow the leader in the front yard - six of them! And last night, ducks were roosting on the house.



We came back from walking the dog and there were ducks on my roof!



And I think I forgot to mention that a week or two ago, I spotted a woodchuck scurrying into the culvert under a neighbor's driveway. I'm glad some of the creatures of the wild can coexist with us two-leggeds.

Besides moving bee balm, yesterday I moved the chives, after clearing out the bed formerly known as the strawberry pyramid.



I'm not sure why, but after several successful years, the strawberries disappeared. Probably a severe winter and lack of diligence on my part (I forgot to cover them with straw.)



Strawberry pyramids are okay, but I decided to try using this area for herbs instead. Besides the chives, in one quadrant I planted some cilantro, parsley, and sweet basil from seed. If they sprout, I'll make successive plantings in the other three-fourths.



I hope rhubarb likes chives and herbs.

The honeysuckle vines are putting out the welcome mat for hummingbirds, but I haven't seen any yet.



I don't know why the yellow is so much more robust than the yellow. Might be a shade thing, but both of them will get plenty of sun this year.

Traveling around the yard, we see that it is almost showtime for the climbing rose...



... while it looks like curtains for these peonies...



... but not this one, a later variety.



And - surprise! - Betty Corning is blooming.



I planted two of these clematis two years ago, and have been disappointed with their performance. But I think they are going to make up for it this year. Both plants are tall and bushy. Like they say, first year sleep, second year creep, third year leap!

Just So I Will Know Next Year

When most perennials and shrubs are bursting with life in the spring, there are always a worrisome few that are late to get started. I'm not talking about late bloomers. I'm talking late-to-show-any-signs-of-life-after-a-long-cold-winter. So here is proof that some of those ten o'clock flowers are still alive.

It is difficult to see in this shot, but the hibiscus survived.



It's surrounded by the Queen Anne's lace I let into the garden last year. (Big mistake.)

And the trumpet vine.



I planted this four years ago and it has yet to bloom. I think it doesn't get enough sun, but now that the silver maples are gone, maybe that will change.

In the foreground is the Rose of Sharon.



A neighbor a couple of blocks away has a larger specimen, and it is just as late as mine.

Now, onto the current bloomers.

Not a good shot, but this is thyme that is planted in the pot with a miniature apple tree.



It is just starting to bloom. We moved the apple trees to the north side of the backyard, so that they will be close to the other potted plants, just to make watering easier.

This is not a good shot, either, but it is yarrow that is starting to bloom.



I hope its neighboring bee balm holds off until I can get it moved. Tonight I pulled "weeds" where I want the bee balm to go, so maybe tomorrow I will move it. I read that bee balm is relatively shade tolerant, so it is going next to the fence and hopefully will block some of the invading catnip and nettles.

I have two peonies of one variety and one of another, so while the former are past their glory, the latter is just coming on.



This one is also more white than pink.

Some blossoms are easy to miss. These are on my asplenifolia.



They will turn into little orange berries that the sparrows love.

And the burning bush blooms as well.



I can't recall if there is resulting fruit. Probably. Mother Nature would not waste a perfectly good flower, would she?

Well, maybe she would, if it is true that the white onondaga blooms are sterile.



These photos show better the different stages of the blooms, from closed red to open pink to white border.



This is the best year ever for the onandago.

And for the "Blue Muffin" arrowwood viburnum as well.



This will be the first year I will get to see the blue muffin effect that earns this shrub its name. (Knock on wood!)

Now, what is this nestled amongst the bee balm?



Might be Keys of Heaven. I planted some but I don't think I have ever seen it bloom. I'll have to try not to disturb it when I move the bee balm.

And the columbine is still with us.



Tonight the weather is threatening. We really need a good soaking rain. Maybe if I wash my car....

Onondaga Question

There is a wealth of information on the Internet, but I can't seem to find much about the blossoms on my Onandaga viburnum.



From their appearance, I thought the inner blossoms were male (look at those stamens!) while the outer flowers were female, but then I read that the inner blossoms become the berries while the outer flowers are sterile.



So, are the outer flowers to lure pollinators? To provide a landing platform for butterflies? Or to protect the productive blossoms? Any theories out there?

Maters

Since I did not photograph them, I forgot to mention the tomatoes I planted yesterday.

Several years ago, I tried an experiment with miniature trees. Having started with six, I am now down to three, and the three remaining pots received asters last fall (which have resurrected themselves this spring) and tomato plants.

Sweet Olive - a grape tomato hybrid that is supposed to be both prolific and tasty. (I care more about the latter than the former.)

Health Kick - a plum-shaped tomato that is supposed to have 50% more antioxidants than most tomatoes. Can you spell lycopene?

Patio - bred for container gardens, producing 2" round fruit.

Three tomato plants, three shapes, three sizes. Hopefully, they all will be delicious.

A New Love

My yard now has two trees. This is my new laceleaf Japanese maple. It is not the smallest size available, but almost. Anything bigger froze my plastic-wielding hand. Trees are expensive!



My dad clued me in on how to successfully grow these: water. Lots and lots of water. He leaves his hose dripping on his 24/7. I'm not going to go that far, but I will definitely put it on a daily watering schedule.

I have not had much luck with coreopsis on the east side of the house, but that doesn't mean I can't try again.



This is 'Jethro Tull" which I believe is supposed to be more winter hardy. It too went into the ground today.

I also moved some bee balm this afternoon. (My lower back is not happy.) The bee balm grew so tall last year that it blocked my view of the pestemon, but I did not move all of it. For one thing, I want to see if it survives my clumsy relocation efforts. For another, the new site may be too shady.

While poking about in the back garden, I realized the English bluebells had appeared.



They are easy to miss, especially since I made the mistake of letting Queen Anne's lace get established back there.

The north side of the house is Hosta City.



These guys all love their compost.



This particular bed is becoming full: hostas (with two flowering times), coral bells, bleeding heart, spring phlox, leftover iris that I keep promising to move, volunteer violets, a few struggling lily of the valley.

The south side is all pink and white right now, with white iris and pink peony.



The climbing rose is getting ready to add a little red to the mix.



This poor plant looks half-dead half the time, but when it blooms, it is gorgeous. Hope this is one of the gorgeous years.

I also mowed front and back, even though (once again) it was not really necessary. My neighbors had both mowed, though, which made my lawn look like the scraggly one. Tomorrow we may get thunderstorms. I hope so - we need the rain.