tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49206738133151024092024-03-14T03:40:20.254-04:00Rogue EggplantErica Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02413194227635734992noreply@blogger.comBlogger166125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4920673813315102409.post-11847645648927978882019-04-29T08:36:00.000-04:002019-04-29T08:36:14.870-04:00Blooms from long-sterile earthHey! I'm going to make a try to revive this blog that I haven't posted in for, yikes, a year and a half. Hopefully there is still someone out there to read it. For today, have some of what's flowering on my half-acre this beautiful spring.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the last daffodils</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tulips are blooming this year, not being chomped</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Put in some new alliums out back</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unsuccessful brassicas at least have flowers for the bees</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rhubarb. I'm supposed to cut these flowers off, but they're magnificent</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carolina allspice</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red buckeye with golden ragwort</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the northeast side of the house, with Siberian kiwi and my son Nick's artwork</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Closeup of kiwi flowers</td></tr>
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You can visit <a href="https://www.nicksmithpaintings.com/" target="_blank">Nick's website</a> for more information - DC area residents can commission outdoor paintings and all other works ship.<br />
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I'll try to post soon about what's new in my gardening world. Happy spring!Erica Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02413194227635734992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4920673813315102409.post-45084152568957970132017-11-05T10:09:00.000-05:002017-11-05T10:09:16.827-05:00Mulchapalooza<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have a huge pile of wood chips!<br />
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This is great news. Also the cause of many aching muscles, but the Wheelbarrow Fitness Program will have all sorts of benefits. I got the idea of using wood chips to solve (or at least mitigate) my invasive weed problem back in the spring when two things happened: one, we had to take down a small tree (a dying holly) and made a deal with an arborist that (I thought) included us getting the chips. It didn't - he took them away with the promise of bringing a load later, and never did despite a reminder.<br />
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Secondly, I'd been turned on to the promise of wood chip mulch by <a href="http://gardenprofessors.com/" target="_blank">The Garden Professors</a> after joining their Facebook group (look under The Garden Professors Blog). Linda Chalker-Scott, who has a great <a href="https://puyallup.wsu.edu/lcs/" target="_blank">Horticultural Myths website</a>, is the biggest proponent of using wood chips as a <a href="https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/403/2015/03/wood-chips.pdf" target="_blank">weed-control mulch</a> that degrades slowly into rich soil, absorbs water much better than bark-based mulches, and can cost practically nothing. (If you're going to object based on ideas about nitrogen snatching, acidification, or other purported issues with fresh wood chips, read the link first.)<br />
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So I just had to get the chips. I ended up signing up with <a href="https://getchipdrop.com/aboutus/" target="_blank">ChipDrop</a>, which is an online service that links customers who want chips with arborists who want to get rid of them. Read all the information about how it works if you're interested - it's not going to be perfect for everybody. You won't necessarily be notified before a drop - I got an email a few hours ahead, but that's not guaranteed - so you need to have your dump spot accessible all the time. And it will likely be a LOT of chips. You can also end up waiting a long time. The first time I signed up I waited three weeks with no drop, took myself off the list for a while, and then jumped back on when we had a storm go through - figured there'd finally be some trees down, and yes, I only had to wait a few days that time. I paid $40 because that gave me a better chance of getting a drop, but you can also pay less or nothing at all.<br />
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I've been mowing and otherwise clearing out areas in the Way Back infested with Japanese stilt grass and various vines, and lugging loads of chips for dumping in a thick layer. I may have to get another load in the spring, and I'm sure I won't eliminate all the problems, but this is a good way to get a fresh(ish) start. After the chips degrade I can put down grass seed (probably next fall); planting shrubs, trees, and perennials can happen as early as the spring. And though many perennial weeds will erupt even through six inches or more of mulch, at least they'll be easy to spot. Annual weed seeds should be well-smothered. I'm hoping the effect will be worth the small fee and the arm, leg, and core toning.<br />
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #bd081c; background-image: url(data:image/svg+xml; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 153px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 18px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #bd081c; background-image: url(data:image/svg+xml; background-position: 3px 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 14px 14px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border: none; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: none; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: bold; left: 153px; line-height: 20px; opacity: 1; padding: 0px 4px 0px 0px; position: absolute; text-align: center; text-indent: 20px; top: 18px; width: auto; z-index: 8675309;">Save</span>Erica Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02413194227635734992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4920673813315102409.post-47969562510229260792017-09-20T14:23:00.000-04:002017-09-20T14:23:21.733-04:00More on this season's vegetablesThe summer vegetable season is just about over, so I thought I'd better write down what happened before I forget it all. Just making notes for myself, but maybe this will be of use to others as well.<br />
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A tomato I forgot about in my last post was Momotaro, which did very well, consistent in production, perfectly-shaped and pretty tasty fruits. I've now taken all my tomatoes out and filled the space with a crimson clover cover crop - yes, I might have harvested a few more tomatoes, but frankly I was getting sick of dealing with them. Definitely fewer plants next year!<br />
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Peppers: Corno di Toro was yet again a great producer and the long red fruits were beautiful and delicious. Pippin's Golden Honey makes small sweet peppers that ripen through about five colors; this is not a good photo but gives you an idea:<br />
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They do give you a taste of honey along with a perfect crisp juicy pepper taste, and are great in salads or sautéed with onions. Too thin-walled to roast (which is what I did with a lot of the bells and other larger ones). I used up the last of the Romeo red bell pepper seeds this year and may get more; haven't seen them anywhere but John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds. I also grew a mix from Burpee and those did fine. Peppers are still in until I decide no more will ripen.<br />
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Eggplant: I grow these in pots on the deck to avoid flea beetles. Had the best luck with a Chinese Long type. Patio Baby eggplants were a disappointment; the fruits had to be harvested so tiny to be edible that it wasn't worth trying.<br />
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Okra: Similar disappointment with Jambalaya, a container variety. Nice compact plants, but the pods got woody at more than about three inches.<br />
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Beans: I used fabric pots on the deck to grow these, and got a very modest harvest, which was probably due to overcrowding, shade, and lack of fertilizer.<br />
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Squash: Monticello cymling/pattypan, nice enough but got ALL the diseases and pests resident in the community garden.<br />
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Plans for next year:<br />
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I've made the major purchase of a VegTrug trough planter:<br />
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which is currently planted with the fall greens I could get at Johnson's (collards, bok choy, and miscellaneous Asian greens) since I didn't start any myself. It has a cover, as you can see, in fact two: lightweight insect control for the warmer seasons and plastic for winter. I plan to keep these going as long as practical, and start new plants in the spring, then probably switch to beans for the summer.<br />
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In the community garden, I'll grow fewer tomatoes than this year, plenty of peppers, and a vining Tromboncino squash on a trellis - it's the best summer squash for resisting pests and diseases, especially squash vine borer and powdery mildew. How it does against the mosaic virus that keeps going round the garden I will have to find out, but I think it's my best bet. If I get too many squashes I can always donate them. I guess I'll grow something there in the spring, but I plan to take my time and get a slow start.<br />
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We'll see what else happens, but I'm aiming to keep things simple.Erica Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02413194227635734992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4920673813315102409.post-27294298491260553172017-08-12T10:45:00.000-04:002017-08-12T10:45:00.960-04:00Tomato notesThose of you who follow my other garden writing will know that the Grow It Eat It blog ceased publication recently (it's still archived online) and was absorbed into a new blog called <a href="https://marylandgrows.umd.edu/" target="_blank">Maryland Grows</a> which I am not running, hurray. I am writing for the new blog once a month, but my old habit of jotting down any thoughts I had about food gardening at Grow It Eat It is now curtailed, so you'll probably see more notes on edibles here as well as GBBD and landscaping progress.<br />
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I do tend to forget to keep notes on things like which tomato varieties are worth growing again, so here I am amending that. Right now I am kind of drowning in tomatoes. It's great to have plenty for fresh eating plus many bags of roasted ones in the freezer, but it's a bit overwhelming considering that we are going away again soon. I started using Texas Tomato Cages this year (they are great!) and the other day I told my husband I'd order six more of them for next year and just grow twelve tomato plants, and he said "How about six?" and you know, he might be right, although ha ha I don't think that will happen.<br />
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Anyway, I would call this year's tomato planting a success, on the whole. Last year I had tomatoes on the edges of my community garden plot, and one row did beautifully and the other (along the grassy edge) was spindly and awful. I decided this was due to soil issues, and have put in raised beds along that edge, and in fact some of the varieties that did poorly there last year are fine this year in the middle of the plot, so I really do think it was soil, either compaction or just poor composition or insufficient nutrients.<br />
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I've been trying to take photos before I devour, so here are some of the types I've grown this year, starting with the monsters.<br />
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That's a quarter in there for size comparison! On the top is an unnamed variety that a MG friend collected seed from in France. I haven't tasted it yet (they've only just started ripening) but she's been growing it for 15 years which is a good recommendation. Oddly, though she's had great consistency in fruit type all that time, this year she had one cherry tomato pop up in the mix, and of the two plants I grew from her seed, one of them is also a cherry. It's a good and prolific cherry, but not expected.<br />
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The odd-shaped red one is Brandywine Sudduth's Strain, and the yellow one is Golden King of Siberia, which is one of those that did terribly last year in the bad soil, so I'm glad I gave it another try. It's produced a lot of fruit that is delicious, well-shaped and evenly-ripened.<br />
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That's another somewhat smaller Golden King on the lower left; above is Chef's Choice Orange, a hybrid that's pumping out perfectly round orange fruit that tastes pretty good too. The yellow pear-shaped tomatoes are Old Ivory Egg, which I like though it tends to have a hard center. The small one with the nipple is Tsitrusovyy Sad, a Russian/Ukrainian heirloom that hasn't grabbed me that much, though it's pretty.<br />
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And hurray, I have a successful Aunt Ruby's German Green:<br />
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which is one of my favorite eating tomatoes ever, but in my experience hard to get a lot of fruit out of. The plant is grafted (I did the grafting myself, yay me) and is very vigorous with good production. (By the way, I heard Craig LeHoullier say in a lecture that Aunt Ruby wasn't German at all; that just made the name sound better. Whatever; it tastes great.)<br />
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Other successes: the consistent and rich-flavored Rose de Berne (medium-sized slicer, center top in below photo), and the striped cherry tomato Pink Bumblebee. I also planted Red Fig, a little pear-shaped over-achiever, which has at least enhanced the volume of roasted tomatoes I'm freezing.<br />
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Not so great, Chocolate Stripes, which is center in this photo:<br />
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It's not awful or anything, but in my experience the "chocolate" bits are actually russeting (or whatever you call the hard brown skin flaws in tomatoes) that has to be cut out, and there's a lot of it. I gave it another chance (it was in the Bad Soil Row last year) and now I am going to say goodbye.<br />
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Rosso Sicilian is in the upper right in the photo (not quite ripe). It's visually interesting and would make a good stuffing tomato, I think (haven't gotten around to doing that yet), but is pretty boring in flavor. Center bottom is Paul Robeson, which I have grown before and love; unfortunately this year's plant got attacked badly by early blight and then shaded out by its neighbors, so it is now dead. But I did get some good fruit from it.<br />
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I've got a couple others in the mix (Amish Red Oxheart, and another Ukrainian tomato I'm not bothering to remember right now) but I think the seed from those as well as the disappointments above will be tossed or passed on in a swap--someone else might do better with it, after all. Tomato preferences are highly subjective!Erica Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02413194227635734992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4920673813315102409.post-22437975661553530622017-06-15T08:10:00.000-04:002017-06-15T08:10:45.514-04:00Blooms in JuneOur weather here in Maryland went from chilly to blazing hot this past week, and has now moderated a bit, but we're not getting the promised rain, so I need to go do a lot of watering. I've got a few minutes to share some flowers for <a href="http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2017/06/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-june-2017.html" target="_blank">Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day</a>, though.<br />
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(An update to the last post: the berm is finished, and I've put in some available suckers of holly, viburnum, and pawpaw, small mahonia and redbud seedlings, and a few perennials. None of them may survive considering the weather, but I'm doing my best. I will put up photos soon, but they are likely to be boring.)<br />
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Here are some of the flowers blooming in my garden now:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8TM_YlpuQ1A/WUJ2czLQLWI/AAAAAAAAFCM/Z1KypzKZ2_gAYm4qqzKzvhdsFmP8to8SQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_3679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8TM_YlpuQ1A/WUJ2czLQLWI/AAAAAAAAFCM/Z1KypzKZ2_gAYm4qqzKzvhdsFmP8to8SQCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_3679.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Opuntia humifusa,</i> Eastern prickly pear. Excited to have this doing well!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9VAs313WRaE/WUJ26NhykxI/AAAAAAAAFCY/tqYubVbAe90HsJncrGrT8-CcHRrZUsVkwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_3687.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9VAs313WRaE/WUJ26NhykxI/AAAAAAAAFCY/tqYubVbAe90HsJncrGrT8-CcHRrZUsVkwCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_3687.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lily, not sure I ever knew the name</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Kgyf0EzZGEY/WUJ26HwwsgI/AAAAAAAAFCQ/oZxlg-fRpAwNA2Fw1GT_wJjKdX6UCvR4gCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_3688.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Kgyf0EzZGEY/WUJ26HwwsgI/AAAAAAAAFCQ/oZxlg-fRpAwNA2Fw1GT_wJjKdX6UCvR4gCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_3688.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Balsam. Grew this from seed - a curious old-fashioned flower.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p1QFfeZGcT8/WUJ26DAgbEI/AAAAAAAAFCU/qTIa3YL-hnAMZRxBI-GyOOim3F1wFGqGACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_3689.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p1QFfeZGcT8/WUJ26DAgbEI/AAAAAAAAFCU/qTIa3YL-hnAMZRxBI-GyOOim3F1wFGqGACLcBGAs/s320/IMG_3689.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daylilies just starting to emerge</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B_AgIEDwje0/WUJ26tqIygI/AAAAAAAAFCc/nGhV2dFVqckrYDiW0ls3OXUEnkclPenKwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_3690.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1390" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B_AgIEDwje0/WUJ26tqIygI/AAAAAAAAFCc/nGhV2dFVqckrYDiW0ls3OXUEnkclPenKwCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_3690.jpg" width="278" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spiderwort</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ka6JdxqnME8/WUJ26jlKWzI/AAAAAAAAFCg/TjbQBUCtcbEWQlSDsHqnjBHyLQGy_0vQQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_3691.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ka6JdxqnME8/WUJ26jlKWzI/AAAAAAAAFCg/TjbQBUCtcbEWQlSDsHqnjBHyLQGy_0vQQCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_3691.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hollyhocks! Saved these from the deer with Milorganite.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2L_0TSUoAWc/WUJ26sFxxAI/AAAAAAAAFCk/8P417x9zrZgtQ6H64CRvirv-33q61TeOgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_3692.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1597" data-original-width="1600" height="319" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2L_0TSUoAWc/WUJ26sFxxAI/AAAAAAAAFCk/8P417x9zrZgtQ6H64CRvirv-33q61TeOgCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_3692.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camomile. Time to make tea!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-spGdR_kOUqM/WUJ266y7HBI/AAAAAAAAFCo/DhpadMUYyHgxzvYAyzE2Y723C5w9N3AQQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_3697.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-spGdR_kOUqM/WUJ266y7HBI/AAAAAAAAFCo/DhpadMUYyHgxzvYAyzE2Y723C5w9N3AQQCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_3697.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nicotiana, self-seeded plants, lovely.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AlrCauQgEkI/WUJ27DgOBfI/AAAAAAAAFCs/aa1cpy9W04QOLhsZ4n6cvKhpy4lwP-7dwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_3698.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1011" data-original-width="1600" height="202" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AlrCauQgEkI/WUJ27DgOBfI/AAAAAAAAFCs/aa1cpy9W04QOLhsZ4n6cvKhpy4lwP-7dwCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_3698.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phlox 'Cherry Caramel' - grew this from seed</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7toOo28EmYw/WUJ27KXzhvI/AAAAAAAAFCw/XR-yH6Nw-RMcUTGaAyzNKNsHYJgP4C4YACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_3699.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1413" data-original-width="1600" height="282" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7toOo28EmYw/WUJ27KXzhvI/AAAAAAAAFCw/XR-yH6Nw-RMcUTGaAyzNKNsHYJgP4C4YACLcBGAs/s320/IMG_3699.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A red yarrow whose variety I am too lazy to go look up</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LTJWIn0dPXw/WUJ27BI1LFI/AAAAAAAAFC0/zOLNGgLh0OABvTWWN9lzdxEB4DIoP0mYACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_3700.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LTJWIn0dPXw/WUJ27BI1LFI/AAAAAAAAFC0/zOLNGgLh0OABvTWWN9lzdxEB4DIoP0mYACLcBGAs/s320/IMG_3700.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thyme</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nmdB8ufCfE8/WUJ27T7T8qI/AAAAAAAAFC4/Ps9VtdOy68wnBZBOLodjG3YuR685sSziACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_3701.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nmdB8ufCfE8/WUJ27T7T8qI/AAAAAAAAFC4/Ps9VtdOy68wnBZBOLodjG3YuR685sSziACLcBGAs/s320/IMG_3701.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Squash flower on one of the plants that came up behind the compost bins</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TadjX4j5YDo/WUJ27Wnwj2I/AAAAAAAAFC8/yAnGwmd3IhsUe4He_om9rtTalZQ-LQSaQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_3703.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TadjX4j5YDo/WUJ27Wnwj2I/AAAAAAAAFC8/yAnGwmd3IhsUe4He_om9rtTalZQ-LQSaQCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_3703.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clary sage</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tshzKPMZkyg/WUJ27l1myjI/AAAAAAAAFDA/TTBiz0KXSuYvyyuN5p78JEJnI7bXM2K6wCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_3704.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tshzKPMZkyg/WUJ27l1myjI/AAAAAAAAFDA/TTBiz0KXSuYvyyuN5p78JEJnI7bXM2K6wCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_3704.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Comfrey</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gaMKlHt5C1I/WUJ27qNhVeI/AAAAAAAAFDE/F1CcrhAdtkU1RQAOcDFmuWVkePnZ5HD5wCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_3705.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gaMKlHt5C1I/WUJ27qNhVeI/AAAAAAAAFDE/F1CcrhAdtkU1RQAOcDFmuWVkePnZ5HD5wCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_3705.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking onions in bloom! These are the weirdest coolest plants.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w9_sf7sQCmo/WUJ28FxI-kI/AAAAAAAAFDI/68OMaT3NNFAn2oWnixDi4-Fzqdr2ZLx4wCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_3706.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w9_sf7sQCmo/WUJ28FxI-kI/AAAAAAAAFDI/68OMaT3NNFAn2oWnixDi4-Fzqdr2ZLx4wCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_3706.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lavender is gorgeous everywhere</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fjbVbfQJP-0/WUJ28IwCNwI/AAAAAAAAFDM/rQCz9Hx9ZdECeYMgYiAe1gnqnzF-znw9wCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_3707.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fjbVbfQJP-0/WUJ28IwCNwI/AAAAAAAAFDM/rQCz9Hx9ZdECeYMgYiAe1gnqnzF-znw9wCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_3707.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valerian still going</td></tr>
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I have a lot more flowers in June than I used to, which is great. Hope everyone is enjoying the blooms in their gardens!Erica Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02413194227635734992noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4920673813315102409.post-4855814909248847022017-06-01T13:21:00.000-04:002017-06-01T13:21:00.043-04:00Half-acre update: infrastructure editionLast year's changes in the Way Back are bearing fruit this year (literally, in some places!) and we are making progress on taming the wilderness that's left. This is largely thanks to my son Nick, who is in charge of hardscape and heavy lifting (I just do plants). Here are some of the things he's created in the last year or so:<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hk5Z7lDl5ak/WTBGo6banrI/AAAAAAAAFBI/dR8u5iRYysY2ZMEXxIWIBeIYsq5x4VQxQCLcB/s1600/IMG_3670.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hk5Z7lDl5ak/WTBGo6banrI/AAAAAAAAFBI/dR8u5iRYysY2ZMEXxIWIBeIYsq5x4VQxQCLcB/s400/IMG_3670.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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Edging for beds, here as a continuation of the patio just behind the house (also his work). This is not part of the Way Back, but I wanted to point it out since it's extremely useful in defining what's planting bed and what's "lawn" (I put that in quotes advisedly; we'll work on having more grass among the weeds in the fall). So far just two beds have been edged with pavers, but we'll have stone or something else around all of them eventually.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7gb9lZULr9g/WTBJk8XHGVI/AAAAAAAAFBo/ZPEX6t7ruXM1stAUX0J8-lcQ-Nd7TyJQQCLcB/s1600/IMG_3671.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7gb9lZULr9g/WTBJk8XHGVI/AAAAAAAAFBo/ZPEX6t7ruXM1stAUX0J8-lcQ-Nd7TyJQQCLcB/s400/IMG_3671.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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Edging by the parking area. We put down a new load of gravel so it all looks very tidy for now.<br />
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Retaining wall in back of the parking area, and herb spiral just below, behind the shed. This marks the entrance to the former vegetable garden, now unfenced and planted with herbs, fruit, and whatever the hell else I want. There's a path running just below the wall, which needs to be finished up, and on the other side we'll have a formal paved entrance to the less-formal garden. With a mosaic!<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ad94Vf2U0Tk/WTBICFI4rvI/AAAAAAAAFBY/HemibxN_aZc9nVeQHffsiOdGkspdGnD9ACLcB/s1600/IMG_3674.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ad94Vf2U0Tk/WTBICFI4rvI/AAAAAAAAFBY/HemibxN_aZc9nVeQHffsiOdGkspdGnD9ACLcB/s400/IMG_3674.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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New compost bin, built out of the Trex boards that made up our old deck. Eventually it'll have a top to keep animals out.<br />
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Fence around the black raspberries. The planting is in a T shape, with simple (non-supportive) fencing on both sides so the plants can grow between and not need to be constantly tied up. I still need to prune regularly of course. I was going to cover this all with bird netting, but I think instead I'll just tie up shiny streamers to see if that deters the birds at all, since netting is such a major pain. The blueberry hedge in the front yard has a Micromesh covering over it this year, which looks weird but is so far keeping the birds out (and it can be taken off easily once the fruiting is done).<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uFxHu6DNroc/WTBJY6WFHqI/AAAAAAAAFBk/SB8P-UB8vAA9bT7IPLBdwZ2LAc9I-8kZQCLcB/s1600/IMG_3675.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uFxHu6DNroc/WTBJY6WFHqI/AAAAAAAAFBk/SB8P-UB8vAA9bT7IPLBdwZ2LAc9I-8kZQCLcB/s400/IMG_3675.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Nick working hard on moving soil! Between digging out for the patio, for the retaining wall, and to remove the mixed gravel and soil that made up our parking area, he created some huge piles in the messy areas of the Way Back, which are currently being reorganized into a berm that I'll be able to plant on. Photos to come when it actually looks like something. And I'll put up some photos of what's already planted in the more organized areas, as well. I am doing a lot with free and cheap plants. And learning what will immediately be devoured by deer, groundhogs, rabbits, and birds, what can be temporarily protected and then left to fend on its own, and what they don't seem to like at all. A learning experience, hopefully leading to a productive and pretty garden.Erica Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02413194227635734992noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4920673813315102409.post-72292188625549946872017-05-15T07:22:00.000-04:002017-05-15T07:22:03.301-04:00More confused weather, but plenty of May flowers<a href="http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2017/05/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-may-2017.html" target="_blank">Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day</a> again! Here's some of what's blooming around my garden this month.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lW9W14icRYA/WRmJNE4lVrI/AAAAAAAAE_M/1nhyASDzL0obMo6WyTxVR6ErmHaZ1ma3wCLcB/s1600/IMG_3627.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lW9W14icRYA/WRmJNE4lVrI/AAAAAAAAE_M/1nhyASDzL0obMo6WyTxVR6ErmHaZ1ma3wCLcB/s400/IMG_3627.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mock orange. I used to associate this with June; no more.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-at4mMwXgy4I/WRmJNO8jn9I/AAAAAAAAE_U/r75yN7yK12MRAW7a7EGvGv5FoxHg_0OZQCLcB/s1600/IMG_3628.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-at4mMwXgy4I/WRmJNO8jn9I/AAAAAAAAE_U/r75yN7yK12MRAW7a7EGvGv5FoxHg_0OZQCLcB/s400/IMG_3628.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sage and rue</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2PC4H2hfxDw/WRmJNJXPRhI/AAAAAAAAE_Q/xg-2vb0ZI0Iz47a384xz2KtmeMGcCNLQgCLcB/s1600/IMG_3629.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2PC4H2hfxDw/WRmJNJXPRhI/AAAAAAAAE_Q/xg-2vb0ZI0Iz47a384xz2KtmeMGcCNLQgCLcB/s400/IMG_3629.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Golden alexanders</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rrxn6o1G4bE/WRmJNbDaATI/AAAAAAAAE_Y/KHmt4Y82ew8ylV7kbar2uq1H9y9KOsU_wCLcB/s1600/IMG_3630.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rrxn6o1G4bE/WRmJNbDaATI/AAAAAAAAE_Y/KHmt4Y82ew8ylV7kbar2uq1H9y9KOsU_wCLcB/s400/IMG_3630.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Purple ninebark</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e6l3HD1sqdw/WRmJNpA6R3I/AAAAAAAAE_g/cWjqtmIKCcUu1UJTTqWm6lk_jduhM6NVQCLcB/s1600/IMG_3631.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e6l3HD1sqdw/WRmJNpA6R3I/AAAAAAAAE_g/cWjqtmIKCcUu1UJTTqWm6lk_jduhM6NVQCLcB/s400/IMG_3631.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Bonica' shrub rose</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-leJijdDh2_8/WRmJNouJLCI/AAAAAAAAE_c/Sv3XQeAY21AkFrK_GGVrpGGW70IM3xU3ACLcB/s1600/IMG_3632.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-leJijdDh2_8/WRmJNouJLCI/AAAAAAAAE_c/Sv3XQeAY21AkFrK_GGVrpGGW70IM3xU3ACLcB/s400/IMG_3632.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dianthus 'Rainbow Loveliness.' Grew this from seed last year.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D-lBlX3WFNQ/WRmKMunUBhI/AAAAAAAAE_w/xAVEwjMDoQAU1U1aIkYWxNek8JIBZaWTwCLcB/s1600/IMG_3634.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D-lBlX3WFNQ/WRmKMunUBhI/AAAAAAAAE_w/xAVEwjMDoQAU1U1aIkYWxNek8JIBZaWTwCLcB/s400/IMG_3634.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red buckeye</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r0VdpCrADMI/WRmKMVTUEdI/AAAAAAAAE_o/gMgOdk9Uc8kwpaW2rgB60nCyYIRXRpnKACLcB/s1600/IMG_3635.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r0VdpCrADMI/WRmKMVTUEdI/AAAAAAAAE_o/gMgOdk9Uc8kwpaW2rgB60nCyYIRXRpnKACLcB/s320/IMG_3635.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peony closeup, unfurling</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4NgLizJeRK0/WRmKMqDyWII/AAAAAAAAE_s/1XT1Gznzlx0A8e0bhq09nq0rkT3DbOi8wCLcB/s1600/IMG_3638.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4NgLizJeRK0/WRmKMqDyWII/AAAAAAAAE_s/1XT1Gznzlx0A8e0bhq09nq0rkT3DbOi8wCLcB/s400/IMG_3638.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valerian, with alliums</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--Jykv1_OZ_g/WRmKNFbm-7I/AAAAAAAAE_8/sFjJbvy5ZlY0X1mO7fbRWUcKGw2_6jt3QCLcB/s1600/IMG_3639.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--Jykv1_OZ_g/WRmKNFbm-7I/AAAAAAAAE_8/sFjJbvy5ZlY0X1mO7fbRWUcKGw2_6jt3QCLcB/s400/IMG_3639.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More sage, with the Micromesh-covered blueberries behind. Birds will not get them all this year!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VbHSMXQxiNw/WRmKNBe0c_I/AAAAAAAAE_0/WHRX6XZHrJc149XD9_IOlGOF9cff2-5LQCLcB/s1600/IMG_3640.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VbHSMXQxiNw/WRmKNBe0c_I/AAAAAAAAE_0/WHRX6XZHrJc149XD9_IOlGOF9cff2-5LQCLcB/s400/IMG_3640.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spiderwort starting to open</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aRMHOqBJ-ns/WRmKNAH4cgI/AAAAAAAAE_4/MJcdFqGH7hcWYo-3Jfj6yW02UyMAAYPYwCLcB/s1600/IMG_3641.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aRMHOqBJ-ns/WRmKNAH4cgI/AAAAAAAAE_4/MJcdFqGH7hcWYo-3Jfj6yW02UyMAAYPYwCLcB/s400/IMG_3641.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Type of enormous Jack-in-the-pulpit, probably have a note of species somewhere</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--xXUFktANUw/WRmKNqqjgYI/AAAAAAAAFAA/-9wJnTO98hc1Vl9WNIXgrGGXIIknBX2lQCLcB/s1600/IMG_3642.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--xXUFktANUw/WRmKNqqjgYI/AAAAAAAAFAA/-9wJnTO98hc1Vl9WNIXgrGGXIIknBX2lQCLcB/s320/IMG_3642.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just wanted to note hellebores are still chugging along</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SeCBcXBn0gQ/WRmKNnM-XtI/AAAAAAAAFAE/v0pDmukZ42owNWnrB-XWUcN_pHxki8DngCLcB/s1600/IMG_3645.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SeCBcXBn0gQ/WRmKNnM-XtI/AAAAAAAAFAE/v0pDmukZ42owNWnrB-XWUcN_pHxki8DngCLcB/s400/IMG_3645.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Siberian iris, getting ready to take over the world</td></tr>
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I have been planting many small seedlings that I grew in the cold frame, so hopefully there will be flowers to report in the coming months as well. This has been a roller-coaster season: warm February, cold March, warm April, cold May - so far, but we've emerged from chilly and wet for a few days before summer arrives on Wednesday with temps in the 90s. Makes it very hard to get the tomatoes in at the right time, not to mention everything else! But we have to get used to this.<br />
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One more photo, dating from April 23:<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2Y3sIBQQyvE/WRmNvt0nBaI/AAAAAAAAFAQ/GqTMblyeNFkgdITA0wEjDQcZMqkO28QBQCLcB/s1600/IMG_3586.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2Y3sIBQQyvE/WRmNvt0nBaI/AAAAAAAAFAQ/GqTMblyeNFkgdITA0wEjDQcZMqkO28QBQCLcB/s400/IMG_3586.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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It's not a well-framed shot, but it does show the success of my tulips in the new blueberry bed, with the bridal-wreath spiraea behind - looked spectacular together as we drove in the driveway, and I didn't even plan it that way! The tulip success is due 100% to Milorganite, since the deer changed their browsing habits during the months between my ordering the bulbs and planting them, and were definitely chomping (despite Liquid Fence) this spring until I scattered the smelly thing they really don't like.<br />
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More soon; I have catching-up to do here.Erica Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02413194227635734992noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4920673813315102409.post-70797469770959899552017-04-15T07:48:00.001-04:002017-04-15T07:51:52.551-04:00April (so the calendar says) flowersSomehow another month has gone by without my posting here, and it's <a href="http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2017/04/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-april-2017.html" target="_blank">Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day</a> again. I write in haste so I can get a lot of things done today, since tomorrow is Easter and somewhat occupied, and besides it's going to hit the high 80s and there are very few leaves on the trees as yet. Today will be cooler and cloudy, so good for those outdoor tasks.<br />
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So here's what's blooming - it might be easier to say what's <i>not</i> blooming, because this is one of those years when everything seems to go at once, probably due to the insane weather shifts. So far April is possibly somewhat cooler than February (I know that's not actually true, but it seems so).<br />
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I really am hurrying, so these are just in the order I took them.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FTqSBIfGNqw/WPIFkheH-7I/AAAAAAAAE8k/Iw30aU99J3gDju5Lf7Me_ahFokN5VbC0QCLcB/s1600/IMG_3518.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FTqSBIfGNqw/WPIFkheH-7I/AAAAAAAAE8k/Iw30aU99J3gDju5Lf7Me_ahFokN5VbC0QCLcB/s320/IMG_3518.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is claytonia or miner's lettuce in my salad table. Little white bits in the center are the flowers.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SyzPuAj8WYc/WPIFkgH2NHI/AAAAAAAAE8o/jFnv4qZD_zggeVWQPEw8YytXP_fzSuwOQCLcB/s1600/IMG_3519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SyzPuAj8WYc/WPIFkgH2NHI/AAAAAAAAE8o/jFnv4qZD_zggeVWQPEw8YytXP_fzSuwOQCLcB/s320/IMG_3519.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White bleeding heart</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vdrAdb_1cPM/WPIFkH53_vI/AAAAAAAAE8g/96V8OKiIAY4f5owOmhFhoPpbYk7JPAlzQCLcB/s1600/IMG_3520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vdrAdb_1cPM/WPIFkH53_vI/AAAAAAAAE8g/96V8OKiIAY4f5owOmhFhoPpbYk7JPAlzQCLcB/s320/IMG_3520.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Epimedium</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b2aWprVhylM/WPIFk9Sc8NI/AAAAAAAAE8s/b4V3VjNjS3QtF4EQxVSkza1dzfaQllT-gCLcB/s1600/IMG_3521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b2aWprVhylM/WPIFk9Sc8NI/AAAAAAAAE8s/b4V3VjNjS3QtF4EQxVSkza1dzfaQllT-gCLcB/s320/IMG_3521.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hellebore</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c0jlq_oOH2A/WPIFldozETI/AAAAAAAAE8w/cuRoeQl9-OgXoCMSa-omgAXTheWukauWQCLcB/s1600/IMG_3524.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c0jlq_oOH2A/WPIFldozETI/AAAAAAAAE8w/cuRoeQl9-OgXoCMSa-omgAXTheWukauWQCLcB/s320/IMG_3524.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rhubarb! I need to cut this off to give more energy to the plant, but meanwhile it counts.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9SYlyebhoyg/WPIFlU8LazI/AAAAAAAAE80/igVGxj7bpoke47Z40hGTf9DK08WAWZ-vQCLcB/s1600/IMG_3525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9SYlyebhoyg/WPIFlU8LazI/AAAAAAAAE80/igVGxj7bpoke47Z40hGTf9DK08WAWZ-vQCLcB/s320/IMG_3525.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Magnolia, one of the Little Girls</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Sx_9wnpcpng/WPIFlhmFLfI/AAAAAAAAE84/laP3BLSCsYcnwM_jtZ9RgwKDtJ29XHE3gCLcB/s1600/IMG_3526.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Sx_9wnpcpng/WPIFlhmFLfI/AAAAAAAAE84/laP3BLSCsYcnwM_jtZ9RgwKDtJ29XHE3gCLcB/s320/IMG_3526.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Celandine poppy - these are ALL OVER THE PLACE as usual.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bX-Y233yC_8/WPIFmciTBOI/AAAAAAAAE9E/j-ZBOaNumYsY3g6MrNGzyFYhez-mVFi5ACLcB/s1600/IMG_3527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bX-Y233yC_8/WPIFmciTBOI/AAAAAAAAE9E/j-ZBOaNumYsY3g6MrNGzyFYhez-mVFi5ACLcB/s320/IMG_3527.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Field of White Violets</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ODpCF71nhkY/WPIFmansPHI/AAAAAAAAE88/FxDwgSzksx0z_0FM0i3XQFtdfSJ-FspFQCLcB/s1600/IMG_3528.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ODpCF71nhkY/WPIFmansPHI/AAAAAAAAE88/FxDwgSzksx0z_0FM0i3XQFtdfSJ-FspFQCLcB/s320/IMG_3528.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Virginia bluebells and bleeding hearts</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-diHZE7rZQvA/WPIFmVNmOVI/AAAAAAAAE9A/NX6ibVnQb6cfLxHEfkqF1Y8Tax9DALwqgCLcB/s1600/IMG_3533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-diHZE7rZQvA/WPIFmVNmOVI/AAAAAAAAE9A/NX6ibVnQb6cfLxHEfkqF1Y8Tax9DALwqgCLcB/s320/IMG_3533.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I Don't Have Time to Look Up These Daffodils</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XClKySS6IAY/WPIFmzSvJbI/AAAAAAAAE9I/Gptmvswv7iYvuPHoMTgXCx01hXD0ioCswCLcB/s1600/IMG_3534.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XClKySS6IAY/WPIFmzSvJbI/AAAAAAAAE9I/Gptmvswv7iYvuPHoMTgXCx01hXD0ioCswCLcB/s320/IMG_3534.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Catmint</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b9YPa1qfptc/WPIFnEH-jYI/AAAAAAAAE9M/s2_BQAEiYwQ37VD3KSNSwvyhlSWLyFuYQCLcB/s1600/IMG_3536.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b9YPa1qfptc/WPIFnEH-jYI/AAAAAAAAE9M/s2_BQAEiYwQ37VD3KSNSwvyhlSWLyFuYQCLcB/s320/IMG_3536.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pieris japonica</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9a8Mfl205Zg/WPIFnQn3hQI/AAAAAAAAE9Q/_AclL0jaK2YfU66uQjiLwM52HxchIiC2QCLcB/s1600/IMG_3537.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9a8Mfl205Zg/WPIFnQn3hQI/AAAAAAAAE9Q/_AclL0jaK2YfU66uQjiLwM52HxchIiC2QCLcB/s320/IMG_3537.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lilac</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KdzuFsCNawo/WPIFn_S8lKI/AAAAAAAAE9U/Kpf3kG7n-7IeJTCfhuhpWbdZ_S1Xe8TqwCLcB/s1600/IMG_3538.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KdzuFsCNawo/WPIFn_S8lKI/AAAAAAAAE9U/Kpf3kG7n-7IeJTCfhuhpWbdZ_S1Xe8TqwCLcB/s320/IMG_3538.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Golden ragwort</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MgMcteJSDRE/WPIFoKNAiNI/AAAAAAAAE9Y/JKTjpALNaO0Zu29SQJUvbDGxHfHxFbwkACLcB/s1600/IMG_3539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MgMcteJSDRE/WPIFoKNAiNI/AAAAAAAAE9Y/JKTjpALNaO0Zu29SQJUvbDGxHfHxFbwkACLcB/s320/IMG_3539.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another daffodil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E4SpOMnzWEE/WPIFoKSPMCI/AAAAAAAAE9c/Qp2-rUiGuV0uKJ8rqJ06x2csLkPlO-vFwCLcB/s1600/IMG_3540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E4SpOMnzWEE/WPIFoKSPMCI/AAAAAAAAE9c/Qp2-rUiGuV0uKJ8rqJ06x2csLkPlO-vFwCLcB/s320/IMG_3540.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This one is Yellow Cheerfulness - my favorite</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I7z8OZ56YZI/WPIFovx7i_I/AAAAAAAAE9g/XyeXdZtGsHIjh21q_2VNZQjH9eb-wrehACLcB/s1600/IMG_3541.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I7z8OZ56YZI/WPIFovx7i_I/AAAAAAAAE9g/XyeXdZtGsHIjh21q_2VNZQjH9eb-wrehACLcB/s320/IMG_3541.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bridal Crown daffodil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7RYCEZmHEMU/WPIFpPcvTjI/AAAAAAAAE9o/k66CjskEX6Yk93ft_he5lcbB-TjRTAxmwCLcB/s1600/IMG_3542.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7RYCEZmHEMU/WPIFpPcvTjI/AAAAAAAAE9o/k66CjskEX6Yk93ft_he5lcbB-TjRTAxmwCLcB/s320/IMG_3542.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blueberries - gonna be a big crop if I can save them from the birds this year</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2IAuAVqT2NY/WPIFpGJTi0I/AAAAAAAAE9k/gNJK2Vbi29YBwM_OhtJoUmBlq5hBHu5GwCLcB/s1600/IMG_3544.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2IAuAVqT2NY/WPIFpGJTi0I/AAAAAAAAE9k/gNJK2Vbi29YBwM_OhtJoUmBlq5hBHu5GwCLcB/s320/IMG_3544.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leucojum aestivum</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Also blooming: dogwood, redbud, pawpaw, a few early tulips, grape hyacinths. Missed the Mohawk viburnum between GBBDs this year, but it was spectacular and deliciously clove-scented. Speaking of which, most of my tiny clove currants survived and may grow!<br />
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Okay, on to putting a raised bed in the community garden plot, and other tasks. Some infrastructure pics to come soon.Erica Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02413194227635734992noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4920673813315102409.post-46310058259348360252017-03-14T13:44:00.001-04:002017-03-15T07:32:03.502-04:00GBBD MarchHaven't posted here in a while, so let's try starting up again with <a href="http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2017/03/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-march-2017.html" target="_blank">Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day</a>.<br />
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It's been a very weird winter here in central Maryland, with record high temperatures all through February that started up an early spring. March has been more seasonal, on the chilly side with several inches of sleet and snow falling today. So of course I had to see what was going on with all the plants already in bloom.<br />
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Some are under the snow, though really all but the last crocuses are done with, along with the snowdrops and the few miniature iris I have left (need to plant more this year!). Daffodils are in full bloom, looking sad in the frozen stuff:<br />
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Forsythia didn't enjoy the cold snap either:<br />
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Of course the plants will be fine, but the flowers look crappy. I also fear for all the magnolia blooms just opening up:<br />
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<i>Pieris japonica</i> seems not affected at all, however:<br />
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And the hellebores of course take it all in stride:<br />
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Here's a fern with one frond above the snow to finish up:<br />
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The snow will all be gone in a few days, and we can get back to spring, probably with more crazy swings in temperature. I am glad to see even this little bit of white stuff today since we've had probably less than an inch total all winter up till now - we were just in the "snow hole" when all the storms went either south or north of us.<br />
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Enjoy whatever blooms you can find out there!!Erica Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02413194227635734992noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4920673813315102409.post-64678042433780777832016-11-12T09:00:00.000-05:002016-11-12T09:00:32.938-05:00Flora of AlbuquerqueWe could all use some pretty plants to look at this week, so here's my collection of plant photos from our trip to New Mexico. Sorry it's taken a month to get up! And I still haven't found IDs for everything, but the relaxing thing about admiring the desert landscape is that I can't grow any of these plants myself so knowing exactly what they are is irrelevant, except for the must-label-now! part of me which I will suppress.<br />
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All of these photos were taken in the Sandia Heights neighborhood where we were staying. Here's the view from the deck of our lovely hosts' house:<br />
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Only small areas around the houses can be walled in and/or cultivated; the rest is pretty much wild, and the house colors blend in to the environment, so it really makes for a gorgeous landscape in which the human influence is minor. (Also you could see Balloon Fiesta flights from the deck with binoculars. I think some of those dots in the sky might be balloons. Or, you know, dust on the lens.)<br />
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Here's some of what we saw on walks around the neighborhood, starting with cactus plants:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cWq6rYVgr7o/WCcXrg6rXXI/AAAAAAAAEzc/INfVhXtQOVgaZyV4g3s2e2n292jMxJhPwCLcB/s1600/IMG_3168.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cWq6rYVgr7o/WCcXrg6rXXI/AAAAAAAAEzc/INfVhXtQOVgaZyV4g3s2e2n292jMxJhPwCLcB/s320/IMG_3168.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prickly pear fruiting</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-giARNfQN-q0/WCcYAOwM-hI/AAAAAAAAEzg/wL1DBMImnhcyI5iQAj0cy4AI9mrXNfcOwCLcB/s1600/IMG_3170.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-giARNfQN-q0/WCcYAOwM-hI/AAAAAAAAEzg/wL1DBMImnhcyI5iQAj0cy4AI9mrXNfcOwCLcB/s320/IMG_3170.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Different type of prickly pear</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_B8LfILaGP4/WCcYUMdCBpI/AAAAAAAAEzk/SzAy62bkhkw9-2aTxzATwnEJ6nG0nA3AQCLcB/s1600/IMG_3154.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_B8LfILaGP4/WCcYUMdCBpI/AAAAAAAAEzk/SzAy62bkhkw9-2aTxzATwnEJ6nG0nA3AQCLcB/s400/IMG_3154.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chollas in landscape. Should be coded keys to solve something...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cholla closeup</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Albuquerque is high up and has a temperate climate; yes, there are cacti, but they get snowed on. (After all, we have prickly pears in the East too - I have one in my front yard.) Not all cactus types grow there; if you see something like this:<br />
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it's a birdfeeder. (The agaves are fake too.)<br />
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This is <i>Cucurbita foetidissima</i>, stinking gourd or buffalo gourd (many other names), which is an invasive pest:<br />
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I'm not sure what this plant is, though it looks nightshady:<br />
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Here are some more plants I saw on walks:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FUnejNsS1Bw/WCcbRpEWvRI/AAAAAAAAE0A/Rm2ZSnhyk9wzaryI_o016M4WEE6e3bJggCLcB/s1600/IMG_3160.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FUnejNsS1Bw/WCcbRpEWvRI/AAAAAAAAE0A/Rm2ZSnhyk9wzaryI_o016M4WEE6e3bJggCLcB/s320/IMG_3160.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apache plume (<i>Fallugia paradoxa</i>)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Juniper, loaded with berries</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lcGw_QQizZA/WCcbRvTOEsI/AAAAAAAAE0I/_dfPq7nMw3M5v5IC87uF4Q80AeNVfkaGACLcB/s1600/IMG_3178.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lcGw_QQizZA/WCcbRvTOEsI/AAAAAAAAE0I/_dfPq7nMw3M5v5IC87uF4Q80AeNVfkaGACLcB/s320/IMG_3178.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aster</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n3Lz18kLOtw/WCcbSFhO0jI/AAAAAAAAE0M/2MI5gdVLA-Mw3Yn3ES1McDiqYKZ_B_GSwCLcB/s1600/IMG_3180.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n3Lz18kLOtw/WCcbSFhO0jI/AAAAAAAAE0M/2MI5gdVLA-Mw3Yn3ES1McDiqYKZ_B_GSwCLcB/s320/IMG_3180.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Datura of the sort O'Keeffe painted</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lGtenPkHViU/WCcbSKJcRJI/AAAAAAAAE0Q/81bpM3hkgEAz0mpD954R1jyaaUwPX38fwCLcB/s1600/IMG_3182.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lGtenPkHViU/WCcbSKJcRJI/AAAAAAAAE0Q/81bpM3hkgEAz0mpD954R1jyaaUwPX38fwCLcB/s320/IMG_3182.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Remains of towering agave bloom</td></tr>
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And of course the chamisa (<i>Ericameria nauseosa)</i>, and yes, it does resemble heather, though I don't think the smell is nauseating at all. In October it was the bright yellow that pulled the landscape together, as if it had been sown throughout in design.<br />
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Yes, I took the walk on purpose on a cloudy day for photographic purposes. I took a few other plant photos on our explorations of various Park Service sites, but they didn't turn out as well in the brilliant sunshine. But this is enough to be going on with. Nice memories! I'm not sure I'd love gardening in this region - the palette is beautiful but limited - but it's fascinating to visit.<br />
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<br />Erica Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02413194227635734992noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4920673813315102409.post-71226806095529224692016-10-23T09:19:00.000-04:002016-10-23T09:19:29.335-04:00Super-boom black walnutsI will put together a post soon with the plants I saw on our trip to New Mexico, but for now here's a quick update on the Half Acre: black walnuts, OMG. A strong advocate for edible landscaping I may be, but I'd never advise anyone to plant a black walnut tree on purpose unless you have a large property and you stick it in an area where no one needs to walk. But our 112-year-old house came with such a tree right next to it; it's probably 100 feet tall and does cast shade, so we've put up with it. There's another one in the Way Back pretty much along the side property line. We gave up long ago on cracking and eating the nuts, delicious as they are, because of the mess and effort involved, and when they fall each year we dutifully clean them up so we can stroll safely in the yard, piling them somewhere out back to the delight of the resident squirrel population who enjoy shopping in supermarkets.<br />
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In ordinary years this takes one or two days of sustained effort in September or October. But this is not an ordinary year. Black walnut trees vary in nut production due to weather conditions and also, I think, just natural cycles; we usually get a heavy boom year followed by a light year. This year is a super-boom (in more ways than one - the sound of walnuts hitting a roof from a hundred feet up is... well, let's just say it's good no one here suffers from PTSD). I'd say (based on cleanup effort) that we easily have three times the usual boom-year number of nuts. Perhaps this is appropriate considering other aspects of 2016, but it is no fun. So here's what I've done THREE TIMES NOW:<br />
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Just some of the piles out there. My tools are landscape rake and flat-bladed shovel. In light years sometimes I'll get bending-over exercise picking them up by hand, but that wasn't an option this year. We need to reseed the lawn anyway...<br />
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Here's the growing pile out back:<br />
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I'd say it's currently two feet high and ten feet long, and will be added to when I trundle more back there today. And, since I neglected to photograph the pre-raked ground near the house, here's what I have to walk on to get to the pile out back, from the other tree:<br />
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Eventually I'll rake those too, but near the house is a higher priority, to avoid ankle mishaps. I should note that danger comes from above, too (though we're down to a couple dozen left in the tree); in all the years we've been here I've actually only been hit a few times (including yesterday, a graze to the arm) but I used to send the kids out in bike helmets when they were little.<br />
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Oh, and the new deck? We were really smart to choose brown. (Did I mention how much black walnuts stain?) This is after just two days of not sweeping:<br />
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I don't think we considered what a high percentage of the walnuts would land on the deck, or the porch roof (including the far side of the roof, which bounces the nuts down on the patio beyond, which is also where we hang out laundry). It's been push-broom territory out there. Like shoveling snow (brown dirty snow). And all the pots out there have been full of nuts all summer (heavy crop means a lot of early drops). Garden beds, too (need to clean those out by hand). Other plants have been damaged due to branches falling (many more than usual, and in calm conditions). We suspect walnut fall in a windshield crack on one of the cars; we've also lost less expensive things like the rain gauge.<br />
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But it'll all be done this week! Then on to the next chore...Erica Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02413194227635734992noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4920673813315102409.post-48746228877473399412016-09-14T20:42:00.000-04:002016-09-15T08:05:18.217-04:00GBBD - is it fall yet? Please?I've missed some <a href="http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2016/09/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-september-2016.html" target="_blank">Garden Bloggers' Bloom Days</a> this summer due to travel and so forth, but I have had flowers! And still have them, though things in general are looking pretty tired what with the absurdly hot (and recently dry) weather. I hear we'll be having temps in the 90s into October - well, thrills.<br />
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As usual in the worst part of the summer the weeds took over, but I have noticed the results of my work earlier in the year clearing and planting new areas. Yes, knee-high grass and other undesirables snuck in when I wasn't looking, but it took very little time to clean up in the places I'd paid attention to earlier in the year. Next year: even more mulch, and getting the ground covers in. The filled-in areas have hardly any weeds at all except for the #^*@@!! morning glory.<br />
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I'll start back there in the Food Forest Thing, which also includes a lot of herbs, native plants, and whatever else I feel like growing. One goal next year is to put in a lot more milkweed. I did have seed for both tropical and swamp types this year, and the tropical was planted in a fairly timely fashion and has done well:<br />
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whereas I just put in the few surviving swamp milkweed plants a week or two ago. And apparently some monarch butterfly found them and laid eggs, because they are getting chomped. <br />
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Which I think is terrific, except that they've completely defoliated one of the plants and are likely to do the same to the next; I hope they've rooted enough to come back next year.<br />
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Some of the other plants currently blooming in my yard (the others didn't photograph well):<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fJ2VTa5ZwCE/V9nodhZdtuI/AAAAAAAAEuo/pzDi5Kh_kBw49ei927hSWRHRtPvnwM3iQCLcB/s1600/IMG_2890.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fJ2VTa5ZwCE/V9nodhZdtuI/AAAAAAAAEuo/pzDi5Kh_kBw49ei927hSWRHRtPvnwM3iQCLcB/s400/IMG_2890.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orange cosmos</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Borage</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blurry hardy begonia, but I like the light through the leaves</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cup plant (<i>Silphium perfoliatum</i>) is done blooming but had a great display</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IG4U0OGqkQE/V9no5k8ERSI/AAAAAAAAEu0/O-eJRcGZeWo7VClBpIfTx9bB1kQrj9jrACLcB/s1600/IMG_2901.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IG4U0OGqkQE/V9no5k8ERSI/AAAAAAAAEu0/O-eJRcGZeWo7VClBpIfTx9bB1kQrj9jrACLcB/s400/IMG_2901.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black-eyed Susans</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bad photo, but this is balsam</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of many zinnias</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ceratostigma plumbaginoides</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5YRxPruBHXU/V9no6MgIsvI/AAAAAAAAEvE/hASEoIybb4MkYGgFvi1C8XJE8JZbRK0hQCLcB/s1600/IMG_2914.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5YRxPruBHXU/V9no6MgIsvI/AAAAAAAAEvE/hASEoIybb4MkYGgFvi1C8XJE8JZbRK0hQCLcB/s400/IMG_2914.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mint, in the sea of mint</td></tr>
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And the things that are not flowers:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hDKvy8_KHEY/V9nqPrkdeTI/AAAAAAAAEvI/4QzWz9sPscomsvsiejVzJlC7NrwAHxZUgCLcB/s1600/IMG_2900.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hDKvy8_KHEY/V9nqPrkdeTI/AAAAAAAAEvI/4QzWz9sPscomsvsiejVzJlC7NrwAHxZUgCLcB/s400/IMG_2900.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautyberry</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Aralia racemosa,</i> so glad I put this in this year</td></tr>
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Also, this is a rather successful (if unfinished) pallet garden considering that I haven't watered it at all:<br />
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And I got a bottle tree (shrub?) for my birthday:<br />
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<br />Erica Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02413194227635734992noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4920673813315102409.post-30085891535362319622016-07-17T19:18:00.001-04:002016-07-17T19:18:24.997-04:00Chanticleer, mid-JulyWe were at <a href="http://www.chanticleergarden.org/" target="_blank">Chanticleer</a> on Friday (which was a good reason not to be posting about my own garden for GBBD). My third visit, and took my husband and son for their first. Just as lovely in July as other times, and we managed to hit a period that wasn't too hot - or at least it was less humid and with a nice breeze.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Lw0hfs6NjNg/V4wPhbk0sHI/AAAAAAAAEls/mOIgi3-RfeM6rCaDJxTgHFEcvFdbwwsiACLcB/s1600/IMG_2606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Lw0hfs6NjNg/V4wPhbk0sHI/AAAAAAAAEls/mOIgi3-RfeM6rCaDJxTgHFEcvFdbwwsiACLcB/s400/IMG_2606.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mini-meadow behind the mansion</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n8UQyGSb2gk/V4wPhSlU1cI/AAAAAAAAElo/6cB3BjYohdA4hPXWDh2Vc62DUra77M2_gCLcB/s1600/IMG_2608.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n8UQyGSb2gk/V4wPhSlU1cI/AAAAAAAAElo/6cB3BjYohdA4hPXWDh2Vc62DUra77M2_gCLcB/s400/IMG_2608.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Help, I've fallen</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fc-31StQYwY/V4wPhf6SeLI/AAAAAAAAElk/KilszDCJ0jw0KErRcxoU0BGAIiV2SoY3gCLcB/s1600/IMG_2611.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fc-31StQYwY/V4wPhf6SeLI/AAAAAAAAElk/KilszDCJ0jw0KErRcxoU0BGAIiV2SoY3gCLcB/s400/IMG_2611.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...or am drowning...</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZL2ri1n_Ueo/V4wPiLPKhcI/AAAAAAAAElw/tK6cmP_0K-o5FTg8Vbzi3F9c9ERl7xEPwCLcB/s1600/IMG_2612.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZL2ri1n_Ueo/V4wPiLPKhcI/AAAAAAAAElw/tK6cmP_0K-o5FTg8Vbzi3F9c9ERl7xEPwCLcB/s400/IMG_2612.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The succulent craze finds the ruin</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4RR3ILxKWic/V4wPiPQrYJI/AAAAAAAAEl0/V9cOKzhMXFQb85qFcseH-EHpq7fZKpj9wCLcB/s1600/IMG_2613.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4RR3ILxKWic/V4wPiPQrYJI/AAAAAAAAEl0/V9cOKzhMXFQb85qFcseH-EHpq7fZKpj9wCLcB/s400/IMG_2613.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Framing (1)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U-P8ssPlrV8/V4wPiBO1PrI/AAAAAAAAEl4/LbCnGXtcnvAKL_-DVnlhQ9fFvNYwaCPdACLcB/s1600/IMG_2615.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U-P8ssPlrV8/V4wPiBO1PrI/AAAAAAAAEl4/LbCnGXtcnvAKL_-DVnlhQ9fFvNYwaCPdACLcB/s400/IMG_2615.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Framing (2)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sCa8aOnYma4/V4wPieZwbPI/AAAAAAAAEl8/GWzO0AkzqlkfL6hOBSo95zAwHrubpjt4gCLcB/s1600/IMG_2616.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sCa8aOnYma4/V4wPieZwbPI/AAAAAAAAEl8/GWzO0AkzqlkfL6hOBSo95zAwHrubpjt4gCLcB/s400/IMG_2616.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This oak has very odd acorns</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a49Otp5tYHI/V4wQNnaP7sI/AAAAAAAAEmI/A0HOM0Z_aAs1R4dBEKo2rtncDX1z6flEgCLcB/s1600/IMG_2617.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a49Otp5tYHI/V4wQNnaP7sI/AAAAAAAAEmI/A0HOM0Z_aAs1R4dBEKo2rtncDX1z6flEgCLcB/s400/IMG_2617.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Silver theme in the gravel garden</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fqv6WZmplOs/V4wQNUutvVI/AAAAAAAAEmA/jZNwD9TQ6bwPWjHc1ZUyC4OdVB798gYPQCLcB/s1600/IMG_2618.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fqv6WZmplOs/V4wQNUutvVI/AAAAAAAAEmA/jZNwD9TQ6bwPWjHc1ZUyC4OdVB798gYPQCLcB/s400/IMG_2618.jpg" width="301" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the Serpentine, which is corn this year</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bf3EhQE_5mY/V4wQNjfG8fI/AAAAAAAAEmE/TWCsZH34VrsWriPtWHRKAEsKmZB73jn-QCLcB/s1600/IMG_2620.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bf3EhQE_5mY/V4wQNjfG8fI/AAAAAAAAEmE/TWCsZH34VrsWriPtWHRKAEsKmZB73jn-QCLcB/s400/IMG_2620.jpg" width="376" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mickey Mouse cactus!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-16UxSifprUY/V4wQNsGq-hI/AAAAAAAAEmM/OI08TboWoaE2YrNTIpPJZcMOixr5KyXhgCLcB/s1600/IMG_2623.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-16UxSifprUY/V4wQNsGq-hI/AAAAAAAAEmM/OI08TboWoaE2YrNTIpPJZcMOixr5KyXhgCLcB/s400/IMG_2623.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great combo of Russian sage and <i>Verbena bonariensis</i></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BOo6HBCG_Y4/V4wQOEhZMFI/AAAAAAAAEmY/Gk8grPZFCQcqF_yFeoGkJQSku1gWTdE2QCLcB/s1600/IMG_2625.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BOo6HBCG_Y4/V4wQOEhZMFI/AAAAAAAAEmY/Gk8grPZFCQcqF_yFeoGkJQSku1gWTdE2QCLcB/s400/IMG_2625.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the bottom of the hill the ruin is on top of</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-420w1sRTOeQ/V4wQOJhvqjI/AAAAAAAAEmQ/qyKLAxCFKkEu2MwEELMNfArrbMD1EUXYwCLcB/s1600/IMG_2627.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-420w1sRTOeQ/V4wQOJhvqjI/AAAAAAAAEmQ/qyKLAxCFKkEu2MwEELMNfArrbMD1EUXYwCLcB/s400/IMG_2627.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pond</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CTJ3tQMK8yM/V4wQON11cpI/AAAAAAAAEmU/6WLi4oQrQOMtpOt-VRYzphpQw-CMkvBmgCLcB/s1600/IMG_2629.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="323" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CTJ3tQMK8yM/V4wQON11cpI/AAAAAAAAEmU/6WLi4oQrQOMtpOt-VRYzphpQw-CMkvBmgCLcB/s400/IMG_2629.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mini-pond<div style="text-align: left;">
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All the following from the Tennis Court Garden:<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lxJI7VcTlrE/V4wQ0gVyblI/AAAAAAAAEmo/FWTohUpJbcQUq6xhbUg_eNxFn4jglBB4QCLcB/s1600/IMG_2631.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lxJI7VcTlrE/V4wQ0gVyblI/AAAAAAAAEmo/FWTohUpJbcQUq6xhbUg_eNxFn4jglBB4QCLcB/s400/IMG_2631.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice idea for top of a wall (or banister)</td></tr>
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And that's all the photos, though not everything we saw by far. Now back to the far less lovely and much more weedy garden at home...</div>
Erica Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02413194227635734992noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4920673813315102409.post-77470641141388034962016-07-07T18:05:00.000-04:002016-07-07T18:05:36.965-04:00Boy, it's hot out thereSo here are a few cool-looking flowers.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Nicotianas - reliable and nice-smelling if difficult to pronounce.</div>
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This must be <i>Allium flavum</i>, which I presumably planted.</div>
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My new sea holly (<i>Eryngium).</i></div>
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This has turned out a spectacular mix of bachelor's buttons. Some are even blue.</div>
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White borage - very cool but difficult to germinate, and I frankly like the blue ones better.</div>
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This is a blue one, about to flower, with smoother-leaved elecampane behind it, and also in the frame sage, holy basil, chives, and horehound.</div>
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Interesting leaf combo - purple basil and bright green Jewels of Opar, which I'm looking forward to seeing flower.</div>
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Marigold in a different kind of pot!</div>
Erica Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02413194227635734992noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4920673813315102409.post-68973026995801372532016-06-15T10:49:00.000-04:002016-06-15T10:49:24.198-04:00Color bursts in JuneJune, at least if you "design" like I do, is all about bursts of color in the garden. Here's the driveway side of the house currently:<br />
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with the magenta and purple spiderwort, and a bright yellow daylily echoing the fading foliage of the celandine poppies (which should not be there at all, but that's a project for later). There's also some white astilbe and a crazy wild black cohosh, not quite blooming yet, for which I am actually going to reorient the path, since we are whapping it aside every time we walk by.<br />
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There are also orange zinnias in front of the spiderwort:<br />
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which work surprisingly well.<br />
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It's cheating to include these for GBBD, since they are done blooming now, but I also had martagon lilies ('Russian Morning') over by that house wall a week ago:<br />
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So far those and the black cohosh are the only plants that have successfully survived total smotheration by bleeding heart hedge and then risen above it to bloom. I'm getting more of them!<br />
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Pretty nice combination (in a more subdued way) out by the mailbox too:<br />
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This is where lamb's ears are actually useful, and they work with the creeping sedum, the tall sedums in bud, and the bit of thyme in the top left.<br />
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There are brodiaeas out there too, and roses:<br />
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The 'Bonica' roses were spectacular in first bloom this year - dying back somewhat now, but completely covered not long ago.<br />
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A few of the other flowers in bloom right now:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rose campion (used to have more of this! Where did it go?)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stokes' aster</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orange daylily of the common type</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cool mix of bachelor's buttons (grew from seed, along with the zinnias)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Motherwort, in one of the wilder areas</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feverfew</td></tr>
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And not my personal garden, but a few cool things from the demo garden yesterday:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arugula flowers</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giant mullein we're letting grow in a fruit bed</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shallot flowers, as pretty as many ornamental alliums (although I should cut them off to enhance the root development)</td></tr>
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Hope everyone has a colorful <a href="http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2016/06/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-june-2016.html" target="_blank">Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day</a>!Erica Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02413194227635734992noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4920673813315102409.post-54745970034830459332016-06-13T08:43:00.000-04:002016-06-13T08:43:52.833-04:00Quick update: the wall and the veggie plotProgress is being made on the retaining wall:<br />
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Nick says he'll be done this week - thank you!!<br />
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And here is my community garden plot, photos from opposite corners:<br />
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If you are trying to figure out where my plot ends, the far corner in the lower photo is the green watering can.<br />
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This is the prime time when everything is doing beautifully - still harvesting greens, tomatoes and peppers coming along fine with no disease, and just look at that lavender. The potatoes have beetles even though they were supposed to be resistant, but it can't all be sunny.Erica Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02413194227635734992noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4920673813315102409.post-19644861977962662052016-06-03T17:18:00.000-04:002016-06-03T17:18:44.903-04:00Current state of the Food Forest ThingAnd other Half-Acre projects - coming along slowly but making progress.<br />
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Let's start with the prettiest photo, which shows the first couple of what will be tree and underplanting groupings.<br />
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To the far right of the photo just above the chives is a young crabapple tree; there are also two pretty much invisible stick-like figs (one new, and one that I thought was dead until I bought the new one). Also lots of herbs, some bush cherries, some rhubarb, and raspberries (some in pots) that will be moved.<br />
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Pulling back:<br />
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you can see what's going to be a path and some more planting area - this is just upslope of what turned out to be a T-shaped planting of black raspberries developed from the old parallel lines plus jungle. Transitioning from squares and rectangles and straight lines into curves and ovals, both in imagination and reality, is one of the hardest things about this project, especially when some of the straight lines have to stay in place.<br />
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Up by the green shed there is Nick's retaining wall project:<br />
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which will include an herb spiral and will be glorious but is now extremely transitional. We have piles of carefully-sorted soil and gravel all over the Way Back.<br />
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Which is fine because most of it was weeds. Wall blocks and other materials coming soon. Done in a few weeks I hope!<br />
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I have new currants and jostaberries that I didn't photograph, and also some beach plums that are inside a fence for deer protection:<br />
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Everything is so tiny and hard to get photos of just now. The fencing is temporary and inconvenient, and I'm going to replace it with something attractive since it'll have to stay there a while. You can see some of the black raspberries to the right, which also need fencing. Wood, decent-looking, painted. By fall. The beach plums are hard to spot in the photo, but you can see the squash plants I stuck in there, and also the wee little <a href="http://ediblelandscaping.com/products/trees/CheSeedless/SeedlessChe.php" target="_blank">seedless che</a> tree:<br />
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Looking down the hill - we took out huge amounts of weeds along the neighbors' barn and put in sod:<br />
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It's another straight line but at least it's neat, and the top part wants to live.<br />
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On the other side of the Way Back, above the former playhouse (now pot shed, no not that kind of pot), I planted a dwarf weeping mulberry:<br />
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I have fond childhood memories of such a tree and want to recreate them for any child who might someday play in our yard. When it gets big I'll tame the surrounding mess of lemon balm, mountain mint, motherwort and other vigorous plants, and create a suitable fairy landscape.<br />
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My kiwis are still alive! I had terrible doubts after the desiccating wind incident, but they leafed out again.<br />
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No fruit this year, but I will take living plants. Beyond this, on the driveway side where we took out the privet hedge (which is what made the kiwis subject to wind damage), I've put in six more blueberries:<br />
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though they are pretty hard to see in that photo, and yes, we desperately need to tidy up the beds. Nick is helping me with that, too - see bed in back with nice edging:<br />
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Any plant-related chaos will be tidied later, but edging helps me pretend it's coherent.<br />
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There is much more to be done in other areas, but here's one I'm thinking about:<br />
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This tunnel of darkness is what happened when we got serious about pulling out invading vines and spreading forsythia and pruning the holly, and now it's a nice grotto that unfortunately opens onto the driveway and allows people passing on the other side to see right through to our hot tub and garbage area. I am thinking organic screen made of branches installed in the ground, or a hobbit hole door, or something like that. Good project for a hot summer week.Erica Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02413194227635734992noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4920673813315102409.post-25981200105688627722016-05-15T07:13:00.000-04:002016-05-15T07:13:22.816-04:00Bloom Day MayHello all! For most of what I have flowering right now, please refer to my <a href="http://rogue-eggplant.blogspot.com/2016/05/flowers-for-mothers-day.html" target="_blank">Mother's Day post</a>. Very little has changed in the following week, except that it would really be cheating now to say a daffodil is still blooming (the remaining poeticus flower is kinda hanging on in a droopy sad state).<br />
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Here in Maryland we have had almost three solid weeks of some-rain-each-day (it didn't add up to a large amount altogether, but we set a record for consecutive days of measurable rain, at 15, and then it kept raining after the day that broke the record). It's stayed pretty chilly, too. <a href="http://groweat.blogspot.com/2016/05/not-putting-tomatoes-in-yet.html" target="_blank">I have not put the tomatoes in yet.</a> On the whole the flowers are good, though, and I think at seasonal average.<br />
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Additions to the previous post:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chives</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of what I think of as "Barbara's poppies" (they were overrunning her vegetable garden, so I rescued some)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cranberrybush viburnum now open</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alliums also opened up</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amsonia starting to bloom. I have more of these to go in that I grew from seed.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Penstemon</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And one lone rosebud!</td></tr>
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I've been thinking about bulbs to put in come fall (yeah, I know, but what else can I do when it rains all the time?). Now that I've cleared out the beds along the driveway (former privet hedge now turned over to blueberries, and the vinca pulled out of the larger bed), I'm going to try tulips again, hoping that the deer stick to their plan of avoiding that side of the house. And I'd like to put in a bunch of fragrant daffodils near the deck. And more alliums out front. Maybe hyacinths when I've got the vinca and ivy out.<br />
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Meanwhile things progress very slowly in the Food Forest Thing out back, but in the drier periods we've done a little. Today I need to get mulch on the black raspberries. No time like the present... before it decides to rain again.Erica Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02413194227635734992noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4920673813315102409.post-64547969206434684092016-05-08T19:42:00.000-04:002016-05-15T06:58:04.980-04:00Flowers for Mother's DayThings that are blooming right now:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s-9mISmAD4M/Vy_LNTza82I/AAAAAAAAEV8/uFDwvAbgvS0t_qlWNfCexXDC_S8h67eZQCLcB/s1600/IMG_2396.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s-9mISmAD4M/Vy_LNTza82I/AAAAAAAAEV8/uFDwvAbgvS0t_qlWNfCexXDC_S8h67eZQCLcB/s320/IMG_2396.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mock orange</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Golden alexanders</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Columbine</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LJ9Vs3qQz3U/Vy_LsuQjVvI/AAAAAAAAEWI/oprjmyyf8fA0u_gvN5GvaJrt53Jwts0PgCLcB/s1600/IMG_2403.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LJ9Vs3qQz3U/Vy_LsuQjVvI/AAAAAAAAEWI/oprjmyyf8fA0u_gvN5GvaJrt53Jwts0PgCLcB/s320/IMG_2403.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last of the daffodils - a poeticus</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i7uN-uQ_YPU/Vy_L_0MmYHI/AAAAAAAAEWU/hKQs8c52wVwZCs-JslWolGcrab2xxu_LgCLcB/s1600/IMG_2404.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i7uN-uQ_YPU/Vy_L_0MmYHI/AAAAAAAAEWU/hKQs8c52wVwZCs-JslWolGcrab2xxu_LgCLcB/s320/IMG_2404.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pansies (with lettuce in planter)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Honesty (lunaria)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bleeding hearts still going strong</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3qZV1ZBA0QI/Vy_MQGxL86I/AAAAAAAAEWg/rTo0vltPq-QorItZh3ObvkOrB8kJowegQCLcB/s1600/IMG_2407.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3qZV1ZBA0QI/Vy_MQGxL86I/AAAAAAAAEWg/rTo0vltPq-QorItZh3ObvkOrB8kJowegQCLcB/s320/IMG_2407.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cranberrybush viburnum just about to bloom</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-B6pVBBIcn2I/Vy_MQFZ0dhI/AAAAAAAAEWk/r7zdwJJ64E0hnedp-VFlgzdYi3cSztQsACLcB/s1600/IMG_2408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-B6pVBBIcn2I/Vy_MQFZ0dhI/AAAAAAAAEWk/r7zdwJJ64E0hnedp-VFlgzdYi3cSztQsACLcB/s320/IMG_2408.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Geranium</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ukmcVnGo-M0/Vy_MibeTolI/AAAAAAAAEWw/BLB_H1SfLdkgeY-sU0cBRzYhTVJOyZqNACLcB/s1600/IMG_2410.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ukmcVnGo-M0/Vy_MibeTolI/AAAAAAAAEWw/BLB_H1SfLdkgeY-sU0cBRzYhTVJOyZqNACLcB/s320/IMG_2410.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scattered petals of:</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GAvf8N-JADU/Vy_MiaASxqI/AAAAAAAAEWs/KuXDtZ_N2EESZdeM0z6tSfpwX1WxeN3TACLcB/s1600/IMG_2411.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GAvf8N-JADU/Vy_MiaASxqI/AAAAAAAAEWs/KuXDtZ_N2EESZdeM0z6tSfpwX1WxeN3TACLcB/s320/IMG_2411.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">glorious red buckeye</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0HEwZH42iJk/Vy_M2Zj5f-I/AAAAAAAAEW4/6Rv6aAxQdeIIu3kj-nSQjKyP3UEQvVMmgCLcB/s1600/IMG_2409.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="289" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0HEwZH42iJk/Vy_M2Zj5f-I/AAAAAAAAEW4/6Rv6aAxQdeIIu3kj-nSQjKyP3UEQvVMmgCLcB/s320/IMG_2409.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The thing that is no longer <i>Allium bulgaricum</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9BbJ1_BjJDo/Vy_NI422YLI/AAAAAAAAEW8/cnJaFVOQohAGLJ3-AnxU-Vfi_CmqtKX2wCLcB/s1600/IMG_2413.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9BbJ1_BjJDo/Vy_NI422YLI/AAAAAAAAEW8/cnJaFVOQohAGLJ3-AnxU-Vfi_CmqtKX2wCLcB/s320/IMG_2413.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is an Allium - about to burst forth</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TuzlqvYFcEw/Vy_NYZk7v-I/AAAAAAAAEXE/p8Xp4VUxq2Yq8gSeswEZ9Bb2mhQBEIALACLcB/s1600/IMG_2414.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TuzlqvYFcEw/Vy_NYZk7v-I/AAAAAAAAEXE/p8Xp4VUxq2Yq8gSeswEZ9Bb2mhQBEIALACLcB/s320/IMG_2414.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dianthus that came back from last year despite being an annual</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C6EU0Dm_mCw/Vy_NYQocRGI/AAAAAAAAEXI/Az6VHvU9CB8EDtRLDKkRSjan_KPy6xQcACLcB/s1600/IMG_2415.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C6EU0Dm_mCw/Vy_NYQocRGI/AAAAAAAAEXI/Az6VHvU9CB8EDtRLDKkRSjan_KPy6xQcACLcB/s320/IMG_2415.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clematis that likes to crawl on the ground near the mailbox</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aTM7QkdDYvA/Vy_NYYJxuyI/AAAAAAAAEXQ/jfLr6D3nFLsZTVN40eirf36fqLXlNx3DgCLcB/s1600/IMG_2416.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aTM7QkdDYvA/Vy_NYYJxuyI/AAAAAAAAEXQ/jfLr6D3nFLsZTVN40eirf36fqLXlNx3DgCLcB/s320/IMG_2416.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweet woodruff and celandine poppy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MnqyvDBgT74/Vy_NYzHQsyI/AAAAAAAAEXM/-G1oZKg5goIjqUreEL9NQQzKH1_bhM5uACLcB/s1600/IMG_2417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MnqyvDBgT74/Vy_NYzHQsyI/AAAAAAAAEXM/-G1oZKg5goIjqUreEL9NQQzKH1_bhM5uACLcB/s320/IMG_2417.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lily of the valley</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kE8ggHv9ck0/Vy_N8oIs_yI/AAAAAAAAEXY/MGKy0LEcN98gsei26Y8pybX8oK6yCGbigCLcB/s1600/IMG_2418.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kE8ggHv9ck0/Vy_N8oIs_yI/AAAAAAAAEXY/MGKy0LEcN98gsei26Y8pybX8oK6yCGbigCLcB/s320/IMG_2418.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bridal wreath spirea with nandina</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Recording these in case they're gone by the fifteenth! Sunny today after a week and a half of rain - I wish I could have done more outside but my shoulder is very painful (hope this will pass). Got a few more plants in the ground though. Things are coming along...Erica Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02413194227635734992noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4920673813315102409.post-67465460390384407722016-04-14T18:27:00.000-04:002016-04-15T08:00:31.378-04:00April is the weirdest monthSo after a lot of spring bloomers responded to the warm winter by flowering and leafing out early in March, we've been hit by deep chill and fierce winds in April. Who knows where we're going next, but I for one will not be surprised by a repeat of mid-May frost - don't put those tomato plants out too soon! I only had one serious blow from the weather - <a href="http://groweat.blogspot.com/2016/04/effects-of-light-cold-and-wind.html" target="_blank">alas my poor kiwis</a> - mostly because I've been too wimpy to plant stuff in it. My community garden plot is pretty empty...<br />
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Anyway, I do have a <a href="http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2016/04/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-april-2016.html" target="_blank">Bloom Day</a> post this month, so here we go. Just photos and a very few words since I am too tired to look up all the cultivars or mostly the Latin. It is a riot of bloom out there (and today is beautiful).<br />
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Still have daffodils:<br />
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And the forsythia is still blooming, barely:<br />
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I don't have a lot of tulips left because squirrels and deer, but some of them are in bloom:<br />
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Redbud (the tree is tall now!):<br />
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Lilac, quince, <i>Pieris japonica,</i> and Mohawk viburnum:<br />
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Blueberry flowers that survived the north wind and freezing temps:<br />
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Epimedium and white bleeding heart (pardon the weeds, a phrase you can assume repeated throughout this entry):<br />
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Spanish bluebells, grape hyacinths, polemonium:<br />
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Virginia bluebells with bleeding hearts:<br />
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Bleeding hearts with celandine poppy - both thugs but pretty:<br />
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A friend is coming tomorrow to rid me of some of the excess celandine poppy, which as usual is occupying a good half of certain beds.<br />
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<i>Packera aurea </i>is starting to be a bit thuggish too but I don't care. I can dig it up and spread it around in sunny spots.<br />
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Another pretty thug:<br />
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A couple more daffodils for good measure:</div>
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And some pansies:<br />
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That's enough to be going on with. Happy Bloom Day!Erica Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02413194227635734992noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4920673813315102409.post-49593632732202027872016-03-15T18:23:00.000-04:002016-03-15T18:23:09.647-04:00Signs of springIt's not really worth doing Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day today, but I figured I'd go ahead and post a couple of shots. Hellebore and daffodil closeups:<br />
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For the record, the first daffodils here bloomed March 9. I've also got crocuses (the snowdrops appear to be done), and I did see a miniature iris the other day but it wasn't around this morning. Magnolias are in bud, forsythia is forsything, but in general spring is sidling into view rather than dramatically bursting on the scene and announcing itself. Which is fine - we may get a frost and snow flurries this weekend, in time for the official start of the season.Erica Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02413194227635734992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4920673813315102409.post-69428892753689977792016-03-04T07:57:00.000-05:002016-03-04T07:57:09.382-05:00Spring tasksHaven't posted here in ages! Well, it has been winter - a rather strange one, with Christmas at nearly 70 degrees F. and then a blizzard in January (29 inches of snow in 1.5 days). Overall it's been a bit warmer than average (whatever that means anymore) and spring is raring to go. (At the moment there is an inch of new snow on the ground, but it won't last more than a day or so.)<br />
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I will have flowers for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day this month! In fact, there are snowdrops (which have been going all winter, even under the snow), crocuses and hellebores blooming right now, and daffodils will likely appear before the 15th.<br />
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My big task for the spring is to get going on this Food Forest Thing (FFT) which won't be strictly a food forest, since it will include plenty of native (and non-native) non-food-producing plants, but whatever it is it'll involve some planning and lots of land-clearing and planting. I should probably have a Five-Year Plan or something, but I get overwhelmed if I see things in too-large chunks of Help and Bother, so more likely I'll be dealing with it one little piece at a time. But here's the big picture, for once:<br />
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This is the view looking down on the Way Back (before it snowed, obviously). The fence posts (coming out slowly but surely, and perhaps faster now that we have a proper post jack) are the borders of the former vegetable garden. The gate frames are staying in, because they are cool and my athletic cat likes to climb them. Taking this, I am standing at the back of the parking area, next to the shed. We are going to build a retaining wall just in front of me. The mess of green fencing to the left is protecting some current (not currant - those are to the right) plantings, including a young fig tree which will become the focus of Guild #1 (or whatever I end up calling it). (Assuming it survived the winter.) There are also some raspberries that need to be moved, and some blueberries that will end up in the front side yard replacing the privet hedge if we manage to rip it out. Plus various herbs and little bush cherries.<br />
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I have re-formed the black raspberry parallel rows into a cross-shaped formation, which will be easier to access if I get behind on pruning.<br />
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I'll try to post here with updates. FFT Go!Erica Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02413194227635734992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4920673813315102409.post-43630963703264208332015-11-14T16:21:00.002-05:002015-11-15T08:26:16.365-05:00Flowers still hanging on!I thought I might not be able to post for <a href="http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2015/11/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-november-2015.html" target="_blank">Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day</a> this month, but in fact here I am. After the frost in October, we've had ups and downs in temperature, but on the whole it's been warmer than usual, so while most of the leaves have colored up and fallen off, some of the flowers that formed last month are still around. Here's what I found in a quick stroll around the yard:<br />
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All tender plants, hanging on in a sheltered bed in the windy front yard. These floral displays would be pitiful in midsummer, but in November it's great to see those bright colors. I can also see some bright pink cosmos in my neighbor's vegetable garden from the back porch - cheery!<br />
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This is my 'Mohawk' viburnum which has decided for reasons known to itself to throw out a flower half a year out of season. *grins at it*<br />
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The 'Winterthur' viburnums in the back have nice shiny red leaves. They have grown a lot this year, and are looking like real shrubs rather than branched sticks. I'm looking forward to a red hedge in years to come.<br />
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And I have to laugh at the pawpaw tree with most of its huge leaves fallen off, clutching on to a few like it's reluctant to drop its underwear or something. They'll all be gone in a few days.<br />
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I hope all of you have flowers or bright leaves to enjoy in mid-November!Erica Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02413194227635734992noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4920673813315102409.post-30698836011206950182015-10-14T12:38:00.001-04:002015-10-14T12:38:59.854-04:00A few October bloomsHere's my Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day post a day ahead. Yes, I still have a few flowers in bloom despite the drought (now ended) and the upcoming frost. Here are some of them.<br />
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I love toad lilies and need to get more of them! This is <i>Tricyrtis hirta </i>'Miyazaki.' Such a cool thing to come across in an otherwise spent bed.<br />
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Sweet autumn clematis strangling the life out of beautyberries is a lovely sight. I really need to pull those vines off.<br />
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The conventional chrysanthemum/tall sedum (or whatever they call it now) combination. These need to be moved when they're finished flowering, because they block our view as we're pulling out of the driveway.<br />
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I think the 'Limelight' hydrangeas that are too big for their site know that I'm going to cut them down and replace them, because along with the gargantuan now-pinkish-brown flowerheads that started earlier in the season, they've put out a bunch of smaller, cute white ones to entice me into sparing them. Sorry, guys. (Plants do hear us talking about them, okay? Or else why did the annoyingly invasive and sticky Japanese pagoda tree - discussed in <a href="http://rogue-eggplant.blogspot.com/2015/05/trees-unsatisfactory-unproven-and.html" target="_blank">an earlier post</a> - fail to bloom at all this year, meaning no seeds spread across the known universe along with no gunk on the cars? We still need to cut it down, but at least we can wait till spring.)<br />
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In other news, I'm working on the very early stages of the food forest project, in other words removing that darned fence. Slowly, with a lot of digging out of groundhog wire, ripping up morning glories and chopping down small trees, and using reverse engineering. It'll get there.Erica Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02413194227635734992noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4920673813315102409.post-27821510393103493542015-09-30T08:47:00.002-04:002015-09-30T08:47:59.262-04:00Seed Savers Exchange visitI figured while I was in Iowa (for the International Master Gardener Conference) I should visit <a href="http://www.seedsavers.org/" target="_blank">Seed Savers Exchange</a>, an organization I hold in high regard. This idea of proximity only makes sense in the context of my drive through large portions of the Midwest, because it took me about 6 1/2 hours, including short stops, to drive from Council Bluffs to Spillville, where I had a B&B booked. Then the next day I drove fifteen minutes or so further on to north of Decorah, where SSE has their farm.<br />
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SSE promotes and practices the saving of history: heirloom vegetables, flowers, fruits, animals, and whatever else comes their way. The organization is actually spread throughout the country and the world, and I could have visited it by finding one of my most local Seed Exchange members, someone who's listed in SSE's annual directory of seed savers offering heritage seed for sale. Or I suppose really SSE is as close as my own garden, since I've bought seeds from them and grown them out. I am a member of SSE, but I don't list seeds - generally I only save enough to give out locally. Members get the big directory (as opposed to the smaller publicly-available catalog, which has quite enough in it for most people really) and discounts on merchandise.<br />
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Anyway, local is important, but a national headquarters has a vibe, so I went. Aside from the snazzy visitor's center, SSE HQ is a working farm, with seed preservation gardens tucked away in corners for less contamination by foreign pollens. I didn't get to those gardens on this visit (some of the trails were out, due to summer flooding), but I did manage quite a hike after seeing the demonstration and trial gardens close to the parking area. Photos below.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Diane's Garden, with sun effect</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ducks and geese</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heirloom cattle</td></tr>
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The cattle (Ancient White Park, described <a href="http://www.seedsavers.org/About-Us/Heritage-Farm/" target="_blank">here</a>) were very curious about me as I walked a 3 3/4 mile loop around their pasture. It was good to stretch my legs a bit before driving the rest of the day (all the way to Indiana, yikes).<br />
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I've been home almost two days now - it's good to be back and not driving so much! Not much gardening in sight immediately as we've just had a big rain front go through and it looks like a hurricane will be passing by this weekend, but at least the plants are finally getting watered? It never rains but it pours, yup.Erica Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02413194227635734992noreply@blogger.com0