Sedums

The former owners must have loved sedums--clumps of these hardy plants are all over the yard. Not my favorite, but I am learning to appreciate their good qualities. Not the least of which is their tolerance of the crummy soil here.

This is the beginning of the bloom. As we move into fall, the tufts will turn pink, then darken to crimson as the season progresses. Even into winter, when the tufts go brown, the sedums still look interesting.

Gladiolas

My gladiolas are blooming one at a time. I suppose that way I can appreciate them for their individual beauty! Here is a before and after comparison.

The ones alongside the shed seem to be the healthiest. A bunch of those look set to bloom...maybe together.

These along the fence have been struggling, but the soil is quite thin.

Peppers!

My peppers are coming along nicely. I need to pick the Hungarian Wax as soon as I figure out what to do with it! The others are still pretty green. The grape tomatoes are ripening more slowly now, too, but still looking pretty good.

The herbs are mostly doing well, too, although I'm sure they'd all like to be watered more often. At least I can get the containers watered pretty quickly, it's all the rest of the ground-planted stuff that takes a time commitment, since I have to drag the hose all over and fill the watering can for the more distant specimens. Sunny days are nice, but the drought is tough on my babies! Thyme, sage, and oregano seem to be doing the best. I have to keep an eye on the basil to keep it from going to flower--if I pinch them off on my way out to work, my hands smell like basil all day. . .

Check out the local temperature and rainfall numbers here.

Progress of the Ferns

Remember how sad the ferns looked a few months ago? After spending the winter in the basement windows, they were looking pretty scraggly. Here they are more recently. They've been filling out very nicely--happy in the sun!

Screen in Process

Chainlink fence has its place, I suppose, but it doesn't do much in the way of screening out problem views. Check out the big propane tank midway up on the right. It's even uglier in real life--a good amount of the paint is chipping off.

I'm thinking a line of flowers and foliage will be much more appealing, especially once it fills in. These knock outs have been in for just a couple of years, along with the crepe myrtle and forsythia further up. There's one tree in the middle that remains unknown--among the ten free flowering trees from the Arbor Day Foundation last year. Once it's big enough to get flowers maybe I'll figure it out! The nice shade tree on the left came with the yard.

Who Knew?

Did you know that radicchio gets flowers? Okay, so I shouldn't have let it bolt, but once it started I was curious to see what it would do (it looked rather like something from a SciFi channel promo when it started to go). First it got this weird knob-like thing on top, then it went all spiky, and now it has pretty blue-purple flowers kind of like chicory. Turns out, radicchio is Italian chicory! Saw it on Gourmet Sleuth. Go figure.

Here's the bolting radicchio. I'll post the flower shot when I finish the roll of film. (That's right, I don't have a digital camera yet.)

And here it is with flowers!

Is it Just Me?

Is it just me or is it too hot to work outside? I will admit to being a wimp when it comes to heat. (How long until Fall?) And yes, I am glad every day that I don't work outside this time of year and yes, I truly appreciate those who do! No matter, I can still enjoy looking out the windows and seeing the flowers in bloom :)

I did have to do some watering and general pre-mowing yard clean up last night, but the payoff was seeing a deer bound through the back yard! I know they've been here, by what's been munched on, but I've never gotten to actually see one in the yard. My neighbor and I just watched her jump the fences and head on down the neighborhood. Pretty amazing as close as we are to really urban sites. But then, I suppose we're living in her neighborhood, not the other way around.

A Breather

Work has been so busy of late that gardening has had to take a back seat. Of course, the busy seasons overlap! Watering must go on, however. While we've gotten some rain, it hasn't been enough to keep the containers or the newly planted shrubs from wilting, so I've had to at least keep up with that. It's nice though, in the early mornings or evenings, to just stand there with the watering wand and enjoy the outdoors.

Somehow, I manage to put away thoughts of all the work that still needs to be done--landscape cloth around the rest of the trees and planting beds, soil amendments and mulch for the planting beds, weeding and more weeding, etc.

Finally, the ugly old picnic tables, with all their moss and sap and who-knows-what, are gone (thank you to my grass-cutting guys!). Of course, now my excuses for not having a garden party are evaporating just like the water in the bird bath...

Early Harvest

I dined on food from my own garden last night. Sauteed swiss chard and the first of my grape tomatoes to ripen. Yummy!

Sage in Bloom

I planted a Russian Sage not too long ago, adding it to the growing row of ornamental grasses along the western drainage swale. I didn't know it was going to bloom! It has purple flowers in spikes along the top of each stem. Just beautiful with the silver-green foliage.

Summer Slowdown

With the summer heat comes drought. The ground--lovely Ohio clay--is too hard for planting lately. So, it's time for sitting in the shade appreciating what is in bloom. Or enjoying the cool of the evening watching the fireflies.

Oh, and watering, watering, watering! This includes the bird bath, which the birds seem to empty as quickly as I can fill it.

I did get the swing stand painted dark green. Much better! Now it kind of blends into the view. The herbs and veggies hanging from it are doing well. I've been eating fresh lettuce already, and the tomatoes and peppers have little green fruits.

Another Kind of Primrose

They say the evening primrose is invasive. Mine is in the narrow space between the driveway and the fence, so I suppose if anything it will invade the neighbor's yard. I'm glad to see it doing so well in a strange space. It is very pretty, I think. It might be nice to see it spread down the driveway... Since this picture was taken a couple of weeks ago, the leaves are turning a deep crimson and it is still flowering. Very cool.

Mints!

Mint will take over, if you let it. I love mint, just for the scent or for a mojito. I have mine in a couple of pots. It comes back every year, but it doesn't take over the yard! Okay, the one on the left isn't mint, it's a dwarf alberta spruce, but it fills out a group of three.

The Rose Behind the House

This rose was there when I moved in. An unexpected but welcome bloom that first fall! It blooms a few times from spring to fall, one lovely flower that just seems to fit. Here it is this year--bud and bloom.

Summer Sun

Too hot to do much work in the garden today--even starting at 9 a.m.! I did get the bird bath leveled, the gazing ball placed (with a future planting spot next to it), the spider flowers planted, and some soil amendment added to the planting area alongside the driveway. About half what I'd hoped to accomplish, but I'll get there eventually!

Rain Makes Everything Grow, Right?

In spite of the rain, I managed to get quite a few gladiola bulbs planted today, finally. (I didn't count, but I put in enough to front three sections of fence.) I'm hoping some pieces of screen on top will keep the squirrels out. I also planted a few more astilbe and dianthus in the shade garden, some new dill in a hanging basket with some celosia (I hope they get along!), a zebra grass plant, and a few odds and ends in my large containers. Phew! I finally found a spider flower like my grandmother always had in her garden. It's a white one, rather than pink or purple like she had, but I bought it anyway, since it's the first I've seen. It's nice that it's already in a pot, too!

What Eats Dill?

Something has eaten my freshly planted dill! Two good-sized, healthy dill plants have been completely stripped of feathery leaves. Very strange--the stems remain, but not a single leaf! I guess I'll have to put the dill in a hanging basket like the basil. If I can even find another plant at this time in the season. [Off on a tangent--why do so many garden shops close up at the beginning of June? Back to the dependable year 'round garden stores for me!] Thyme, oregano, sage, chives, rosemary, and parsely haven't been bothered (so far). My fennel is safe as well, although it's in a different planting area, so maybe the little grazers just haven't come upon it yet... I just wish I'd see them nibbling so I would know who was enjoying my efforts (or so I could shoot 'em like my grandmother used to do!)

Fireflies

I must live in the right spot, notwithstanding the traffic noise from the busy street. I have fireflies already--lots last summer, too--apparently an increasing rarity for suburban dwellers. Also, I can see the stars from my yard. It is actually quite peaceful after dark (ignoring the random idiot whizzing by working on early hearing loss--I should have become an audiologist!).

Herbs and Vegetables

In an attempt to save money and enjoy more fresh-from-the-garden taste this summer, I've planted fresh annual herbs in my herb garden, as well as some tomatoes, lettuce and other greens, and peppers in my hanging garden (formerly a swingset!).

Last year, I found that hanging the basil kept the rabbits out--they weren't leaving me much. It worked out quite well--especially not having to kneel or squat to pick basil! Since I don't use the swingset, and it is firmly placed, I'm using it as a pergola of sorts. One of these weekends I'll get around to painting it plain green to reduce its incongruousness (I have the paint--baby steps), and maybe next year I'll replace it altogether with a dozen shepherd hook plant hangers.

Finally, A Redbud!

I finally found a healthy-looking redbud tree at a reasonable price! My friend Amy helped me bring it home in her pick up truck (it is good to have friends!). Tomorrow I'll get it planted. The extremely hot weather has broken following 1/2 inch of rain, so it should be a great day for working in the yard.