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:

Still Early

Not a lot happening yet, still too cold.  I took this yesterday, last night it snowed again.  Hopefully we should start warming up by the end of the week.

First Look Around, 2018

Too early to do anything yet.  Even the compost is too frozen to turn.  Back later.

Last Look Around, 2017

We had unseasonably mild weather yesterday, the day after Thanksgiving, and I took advantage of it to get some outside chores completed.  Cleaning out the gutters, mulching leaves, run the lawn mower out of gas, test out the snow thrower, vacuum and put winter mats in the car, you get the idea.  This may be a last look at the yard and gardens for 2017.  I took these pictures before noon and you can see by the shadows how low the sun gets at its highest this time of year.  The wood has been scavenged from the roadside over the last few weeks for next year's fires.  More after the break.

Late October Cleanup

It is late October, almost Halloween.  We've cleaned up the yard some, and the gardens, but we're still waiting on the leaves left to fall.  Everything is on time, I'm just anxious to get everything set for winter since I know it is inevitable.  The hanging plants, front and back, have been tossed as well as some of the potted plants.  And I've mulched many of the poor looking hostas so far, frosts will kill the rest and the lily of the valley greens along the garage and I will mulch them with my string trimmer, too.  Leaves will be added eventually.

Kate got the west garden strawberries and herbs laid out with straw for the winter yesterday.






And in the east garden she got the garlic planted and covered with straw and a screen last weekend.  Also the other day she mulched plants and replanted some stump flowers to the garden for winter.  If they make it then they get replanted in spring.

Another look around the back after the break.

Fall Update

Last weekend Kate replanted the plants in the corner of the porch area.  They should now fit the space better, especially if we can keep the nibblers away.  The weekend prior she cleaned up the gardens.









The plants that are left here on the stump will be either replanted into the ground somewhere or end up in the compost bin.  I'd like to keep the purple grassy one but I'm not bringing it in over winter again.

Also last weekend, I emptied the left side of the compost bin into the east garden.  The soil needs the nutrients badly.  Very soon the garlic will be planted here.