Early August

Happy July

Of course, the sun came out shortly after I took these.  Just updated pictures this time, and a first look at the wood rack.

Early June Yard Tour

It's been less than a month but I missed the peony by the air conditioner blooming.  It bloomed, got scorched by the sun, then beaten down by the rains.  Kate clipped off the tattered, dying blooms before they made too much of a mess dropping all those petals.  The smaller, white ones on each side of the gardens are now blooming.













Other notes:  The solar lights are out so I can see what works and what I can get to work well.  The rest will be tossed and I don't think I'll be getting any more.  Strawberries are starting to ripen, we've had a handful this past week already.  And we still have to get something for the corner out front.



You'll see what I'm speaking of after the break!

Plant Day Yard Tour

A couple hours after I posted about plant day over at the regular blog the sun came out, so I took some pics for this site.  New to the garden is oregano, thyme and catnip.

Spring Has Sprung

Edit 5/7:  Kate planted green onion, lettuce, radishes and dill on the bottom of the east garden last night.

Late Spring

Hard to believe that one week ago we got 7.2 inches of snow.  Here's a quick tour of the flora happenings (or not happenings yet) around the homestead.

Full tour after the break:

Late September

I know I haven't been posting regularly over here this year, but I have been posting so that's good!  Today I did a lot of work outside before taking these pictures shortly after midday.  I trimmed the arborvitae out front and power washed the front of the house.  We get a lot of insects and spiders on the front of the house, and their excrement and webs really make it look dirty so I wanted to clean it again before it got too cool out and before winter.  Not ideal sun angles for pictures, but it's when I had the time so that's when it happened.

We really haven't paid a lot of attention to the gardens lately.  It seems to be managing just fine for now.  The strawberry plants are all still alive in the east garden, and I noticed a random tomato plant growing in there, too.  It's in the top left of the picture.


The west garden is, well, just is.  The onions are from a poor batch of seeds and the herbs are all alive still.  Before long it will be time to add the soil from the compost bin and clean them up for winter.


After the break is another yard tour.  It is autumn now and the plants are showing the wear of a long summer and recent dry spells.  This tour has commentary added to the pictures for context.  Come along, let's take a look at our yard and garden as it is now!

It's all after the break, go on, click it!

Late August

As we get toward late August, I noticed I hadn't posted here in a while.  Here's the gardens now, yard tour after the break.  No writing, just pictures.

Late July

Even though I'm posting this first, this yard and garden tour is from after my bike ride this afternoon.  When I got home I first put my bike up, and by this time the yard was dry enough to mow so mow I did, then I took these pictures.

We've had a very wet spring and summer so far, in fact we had a some little lakes again in the back yard last night.  Something to remember for when I install a permanent fire pit in the yard.









And there's usually a few slugs every year, but more so this year with all the wetness.  Maybe not quite the damage my blogger friend Blue Witch has described to me, but you can see their damage on some hostas and the lettuce in the garden if you look close.

Otherwise, it has been a fine year for the yard and garden for us.

After the break is the full picture tour.

4 July 2017

Mid-June Yard and Garden Pictures

I'm not going to take the time to write in detail, it's taken enough time uploading and posting the pictures.  Here's what I said earlier today over on my regular site:

We lost one plant that I really like in a storm, but my wife brought in the flowering stalk and we've had it inside for almost a week now.  Something, either squirrels or rabbits, has been nibbling on some potted plants.  I moved one into the area between the gardens and it is still getting eaten so it must be squirrels there as rabbits can't get in.  And I've missed the full bloom of the lilies as all the petals have now fallen, same for the peonies.  But the day lilies are blooming now and the garden is looking very well. 



















As usual, full picture tour after the break:

More Plants

More plants have been added to the yard and garden.






















Another picture tour after the break.

Full Spring Yard Tour

The fun part of taking pictures each year (and collecting them in one easy spot) is seeing the growth.  The year to year evolution of our whole yard, of course, but here just week to week or month to month and over the whole season, watching all these plants grow and bloom and provide a little color and happiness in our lives.

The strawberry plants have really taken to the compost-enriched soil of the west garden.  I haven't seen the plants look so robust in some time.  The garlic and herbs are coming along as well.




Shortly before these pictures Kate planted a bunch of seed rows in the east garden.  And the raspberry plants are still there.  The east garden never got much of the compost soil because it was hard to add in between the plants.  Moving the strawberry plants gives us a chance to enrich the cheap soil I started with.  I hope the seeds do well, but they may do better next year.  Also, after uploading pictures we remembered to cover the area where seed rows are planted to help keep them from being dug up so I had to go out again to get an updated picture.  Just two chicken wire covers I slapped together a few years ago that we've used off and on in the garden and they seem to work well.

Now, the tour starts after the break.  This time I thought I'd add a little caption commentary, just for kicks!

Before the Hostas Fall

Another back yard tour to show the growth since last time.  Spring is a wonderful time of year.  I like it when the hostas are bursting forth yet have not fallen, like here, but the ones on the side of the house have already started to fall.
Next weekend - Mother's Day weekend - will probably be plant shopping time.  Time to pick out all sorts of colorful fun plants and fill the pots and plant beds.

Garden Redo

Last weekend Kate weeded the area around the stump and this weekend it was time for the garden.  She spent hours out there weeding, trimming raspberry plants, and moving ALL the strawberry plants from the east garden to the west garden.  This way we can add compost to the east garden this year.  Most all the hay has been put into the center path for weed control there and netting has been placed over the west garden to keep critters from un-planting that which has just been planted.  The garlic is on top and there are herbs on the bottom with strawberry plants planted wherever they fit.






There's another yard tour after the break.  She also spread mulch in the flowerbeds which makes it look much nicer until I get some plants in there.  Hostas and lily of the valley are coming up.  And in front, where my wife put tulips a few years ago, they finally have a few flowers!  Too little too late, though.  They go downhill after spring and then is empty for the rest of the summer.  The last picture, I plan to replant that area with new plants in a couple weeks.

Late October

Yesterday, Kate planted the garlic for spring.  Covered so it stays planted.

We already mixed in lots of home made compost soil.  There are herbs still near the bottom.















The east garden is the same mess of non-raspberries and strawberries for the squirrels.







The stump flowers show the wear of summer and a frost.  The big one in back was uprooted and it's roots eaten.  The yellow ones died after the frost.  Others have been stunted by always being dug in by animals and being in pots.  Yard tour after the break.

Mid-July Pics

West garden is where the action is, not a whole lot goin' on in the east garden.




















The cucumber plant among the stump flowers is doing well.  We kept it from attaching to the potted flowers but it did grab on to the hostas.  It will be moved when the monster fall-bloomer next to it is needing more room.






Yard and stump flower pics after the break!

Wild Tomatoes

...are growing in the east garden.  Yesterday, Kate harvested the remaining lettuce and some basil.  Today she replanted a bunch of seeds.

Mid June Update and Flowers

Flower pictures are after the break.

New Plants, Other Thoughts

Kate planted some new plants in the west garden above the garlic, not easily seen from my normal shot so I took a special picture.










I haven't been very inspired to post here this year.  I've been keeping it up because I might get back into it and I feel I shouldn't have a big gap in time between posting, especially during growing season.  And I would hate to just stop after all this time.  I've tried to get my wife involved in it a little, and she started to post last year, but she isn't much interested now, either.
















So what do I do?
I just don't know yet.




Bonus pic of the stump pots below!