Garden Walk

I went out with my camera this morning--accompanied by our two dogs and the cat. I thought I'd take some photos of progress on the gardens at this point.

In the little walled garden, the grapvine is beginning to clamber over the arbor. I did a "scorched earth" stringtrimming in here yesterday in preparation for covering the whole space in mulch hay, as we did last year.

In the flower beds, the clematis is in bloom. This vine is thriving despite, or maybe because of, the huge overhaning maple.

Iris popped out the other day and are blooming thickly now. I don't have many varieties but maybe this year I can add a few.

Another view of the walled garden, with the currant bush in front left. Beyond it is the smaller of our vegetable gardens.

The first truckload of mulch hay, waiting to be spread.

I pulled the lettuce and radishes yesterday and fed them to the chickens. They were past their peak, so I replanted, this time with Green Ice and Ruby Sails lettuce, and the usual Cherry Belle radishes.

I was so thrilled to see that my efforts to re-establish Sweet Rocket succeeded! That's the tall flowering plant behind the lilies. I know this is a common roadside wildflower, but once I had a fine patch of it in this very spot, and I wanted it back--it died out a long time ago, for some reason. So last year I trandsplanted one plant, and scattered seeds and hoped for the best. It worked!

The weigela is lovely this year, and will need a serious haircut when it's finished blooming.

What else got a haircut--that nasty gill-over-the-ground, which was trying to strangle the lily-of-the-valley patch.

A better photo of the Sweet Rocket.

The Bridal Wreath Spirea is getting its haircut now. Larry has one bush done, three more to go. Otis was impatiently waiting as he was sure we were going for a walk!

The "driveway garden", as I call it, is doing exceptionally well this year. I have trouble with this one in the summer as it tends to get dry very quickly, but last year it wasn't a problem with all the rain. I also have a terrible time with deer in this garden come fall. Thinking about how I can thwart them this year. They ate all my fall flowers last year, made me so mad--even ate the live-forever.

Another weigela, also in line for a big trim.

The peas are coming along nicely.

So are the cabbages and kale. These are mulched with cardboard underneath, which we will also do under the squash, cucumbers and peppers when we plant, as we had great results with that last year. The cardboard completely decomposed over the winter.

A look up the garden--potatoes by the plow, then onions, a row of carrots and beets, and the peas. There is also a row of leeks that you can't  see, and a row of beans that are now yet up. This one is my garden so far this year, although as we get into summer I will have to relinquish the reins to Larry.

Still waiting for that walk...

 The first of the peonies have opened. This spot has gotten zero attention for a few years; this year the whole space, except for the peonies, will be weedeated. It's just too overgrown with problem vines.

Finally, they got their walk! We just went up on the ridge and back down. My right knee is giving me a lot of trouble these days, and today it is particularly bad so I didn't get far. But the dogs and Clyde the cat (who was right beside me as I took this photo) were happy.

And home.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.