It's a jungle in here...

Last night we had torrential rains.  The ground is saturated and we do have some run off but I don't remember the garden being so happy in a long long time.  I have so enjoyed gardening this year, almost with as much passion as when I first started.  So bear with the various garden pics I keep posting.

The peegee hydrangea tree (pictured below) is in full bloom and full of butterflies, bees, and assorted insects.  I always seem to forget how much the insects love that tree.  Soon the caryopterist and sedum will start blooming and the critters will shift their affection to those plants...

In the meantime, we are appreciating all the bounty that has been gifted to us this year!

What's growing in the garden

We are expecting a heat wave to roll in so I'm glad to have gotten some garden pics before it's too hot to be out:

Roses

Black Elderberry bush (tree?) has flowered.

Teddy

Sundrops

Various spiderworts but this one is my fav:

A potted plant I picked up that I love!!!

Seamus and his sidekick, the red rubber ball.

Good fences make Good puppies...

Greetings from our garden!!!

Seamus is NOT pleased.

Dogs each have their own personalities; but it surprises me how much like they are like kids!  When our dear Paddie was alive, she was the easiest garden dog.  Tell her not to go some place and she will avoid it forever.  She enjoyed just laying around near me as I gardened.  The boy pups have been much more difficult.  They are like...well...... boys!

Teddy (white poodle) has made it his personal mission to mark every plant in the garden.  Seamus (black) is more oblivious than anything, he sees NOTHING when he is in hot pursuit of his beloved red rubber ball.  For two or more years, I've wanted sod replaced in the back yard.  The boys just tore up what little grass we had.  My husband refused to put sod down---so I took an alternative route to avoid more mud tracked in the house............ (while he was away on business). :)

Years and years ago when young Paddie was my gardening partner and we actually had...GRASS!

I call it "Operation Gravel."  For the last three weeks, I've put expanded the beds and put down (me personally, ALONE)  ONE TON of gravel.  I couldn't have normally done this but I used a garden cart and it made all the difference in the world.  Then I mulched everything (again with my trusty cart) and planted a few annuals.  The piece d' resistance was fencing around the little plants to protect them from the boys.

I wasn't sure I would like it but anything was preferable to cleaning up mud all the time.  And I do like it, feels more tranquil back there now.

Teddy inspects a dry creek bed that now replaces the path he and Seamus cut in the middle of one of the flower beds.

Seamus is not sure what to make of this all.  These fences are annoying him.  He keeps smelling around them!

The other pics were of the upper bed (we have two levels in our back yard). The lower bed is mulched and fenced off but now I have to work on the patio.......After my hands and legs recover!

Spring, Glorious Spring!

We've got drought...

and it is so challenging to keep the plants alive.  No serious rain on the horizon either.  We aren't on official water restrictions (yet) but we are definately being conservative with our water use.  I think that tomorrow I might buy some big bags of ice and throw the bags of ice under our trees.  I started raking in August already which is weird but the trees are just dropping leaves.

I'm doing a lot of sewing these days when I am not walking or playing with the boys (our pups, Seamus and Teddy).  Hope to post pictures later this week!

August

We'll miss all this soon!

garden updates

It's hot---Dangerously Hot the weather people are reporting.  This morning I noticed that many of my plants had burned leaves from just yesterday's sunshine.  These are pics I took this weekend while I ran the sprinkler.  We are hoping for rain in a few days and are only being outside during the early morning and late twilight, especially because I worry about the dogs.  STAY COOL!

Green and white garden

I didn't mean to have a green and white garden near the patio; it just turned out that way.  But I like it, especially during these hot and humid days.  I get up at dawn to water, weed, etc and by 9 am, hide away in the house.  The dogs are especially unhappy about the weather and I feel bad that they aren't getting more exercise (basically, they go out, run for 2 minutes and bang on the door to come back in).

Good thing I have a bunch of quilting projects to work on and a few research projects going as well.  It's good days to get some sewing done!

Seasonal changes...

This time of year, I am rarely on the computer unless I am doing specific research work. I check the email in the morning and rush off to get to the garden and all the other things that I seem to have energy for: quilting, research, cleaning. It all changes when the days get short again. For now, I'm taking advantage of every drop of sunlight that I have...

flowers :)

Wordless Wednesday

The Old Homestead

The cottage will be 100 years old in 2017.  It's not that old here in the Northeast but it's one of the oldest homes in our neighborhood. 

what the lilies sing to me...

White coral bells, upon a slender stalk

Lilies of the valley deck my garden walk.

Oh how I wish that I could hear them sing,

That will happen only when the fairies sing!

My favorite plants are the lilies of the valley.  I took a small patch about 10 years ago from Linda's garden and now have it everywhere.  It is my favorite of all flowers for one little reason--it was the first flower I ever received from a man. 

I was 4 years old.  My mom had driven my brother and I to Dad's company to pick him up (back then, people only had one car and if your mom could drive and had to do errands, she drove Dad to work).

When Dad got in the car, he handed my mom a big plant, turned around and handed me a wee potted plant with little white flowers.  "These flowers are for you," he told me.

 "For me?"  I was surprised. 

"For you." he replied firmly. 

This is one of the most vivid memories of my pre-school childhood.  I was awe-struck at the gift and the responsibility of having a real live plant.  As we drove home, I held it gently, carefully inspected the thick leaves and tiny flowers which seem to perfectly fit my little hands.  When we arrived home, my father and I planted the flower in the back yard of our track house.  A lot of plants could not grow well there because the clay soil was so awful.  But each spring, I looked for "my" flowers and was always surprised --and comforted--when the lilies appeared.  It was like getting my gift all over again.

In May, the lilies of the valley always bloom and when they do, it is almost like having my father near again.

tree peony

I get excited when the tree peony blooms, the flowers really seem to usher in the season. Unfortunately, I'm still down with the sinus infection but getting better.

who's outside our kitchen window?

What makes these little visits so extraordinary is that I live in a city. It's so exciting to have these surprise visits, even if it is a hawk (I think it is young hawk), searching for the next meal (take the squirrels--please). PS--If you know what this bird is, please let me know! :)

66 Days Til Spring