So yeah, garden
If you follow this journal at all, you know I garden. Let's take a virtual tour for our 2020 social distancing pleasure, shall we?
Warning: lots of pictures. Not very interesting if you're not a gardener.
Let's start earlier this spring, say March. March saw daffodils. Lots of daffodils, because I love them, and I've never had success with them, until this year. Last fall I planted a LOT of daffodil bulbs (5 different types) along with some alliums in the two flower beds I have in the southern parking strip.
This is the second flower bed, which got the majority of the daffodil bulbs. They were also planted earlier. Most of them are yellow types, but there were some with white bells and white reverses as well:
March also sees grape hyacinth make the scene. These were here when I moved here, and will probably still be spreading themselves and making the rockery beautiful long after I've gone. They naturalize like nobody's business, rather like bluebells, except that they're a little easier to manage.
April is about when the tulips start showing up. I didn't plant any last fall; these are all from other years and seem to have naturalized, which isn't something they're supposed to do, but hey, I'll take it. I wound up with a lovely Easter basket in the first flower bed, with daffodils and tulips and variegated iris foliage and borage.
Because I tend to plant things in the flower beds, think they've done nothing, and then plant other things (or just let things self-seed), sometimes I get surprises, like this peony appearing in the borage:
And because I like to buy plants from the local "support gardeners" sale, where people dig stuff up out of their own yards, chuck it into pots, and sell them for not-much, I sometimes wind up with surprises, like this iris. It was supposedly purple.
That is not purple. Is it silver?
Is it white?
Whatever it is (and really, it seems to be a bit of both, with the faintest hint of lavender at the very edges of the petals, kind of like the purple shampoo they recommend for people with white hair), it is definitely not purple. Fortunately the variegated irises bloom purple, so that's fine.
(I seem to have the darndest luck with irises. The ones in the back came from a friend. They bloomed yellow in her yard. I planted them, and some have bloomed purple, and some have bloomed the most unbelievable maroon/bronze combination, but no yellow, ever.)
So fast-forwarding to today, the roses in the front are trying to eat the power lines, and would devour pedestrians and cars if I let them. They're just about to bloom, and would be gorgeous, except they're going to get cut back this week if all goes to plan. I love roses, but I dislike fire hazards and threats to my power supply more.
Things still grow underneath the monsters, like the potato shrub (the purple flowers you see in those pics) and other things too:
The rose monsters are not the only roses in my garden. There are roses at both ends of the front yard that are climbers, but not monsters:
And the front yard has some beds for flowers and herbs and random pots of things:
The back yard is mostly enclosed by rhododendrons and camellias, planted by the original owners and all far older than I am. I added a lilac (with peonies and irises underneath) and a climbing rose and some evergreen clematis, but mostly I'm content to just enjoy the natural screening. The camellias are also getting a much needed trim next week, as they're entirely out of control.
So where do I plant my vegetables? On the parking strip, as that's the only place that gets enough sun. This is also the same place as the two flower beds from earlier. It's on a serious slope, which adds to the fun/challenge.
I have two beds of peas in various stages:
A bed of garlic with a few shallots thrown in for good measure:
The start of another tomatillo forest:
Some peppers, with what I hope will be bush beans behind them (and also marigolds just for fun):
This bed will be pole beans. I have planted seeds, but it might be too early yet. We'll see:
This bed will be basil (not yet purchased), fava beans, and pumpkins, if the latter seeds sprout:
And there are also blueberries and raspberries in pots, and potatoes in a bag, because growing potatoes in a bag is the only way to do it IMHO:
And of course the aforementioned flower beds:
Despite what it might look like, I don't actually have a large yard. I do try to make the most out of what I have. It's fun, and a lot more rewarding than lawn.
I hope you've enjoyed this virtual garden tour!
Warning: lots of pictures. Not very interesting if you're not a gardener.
Let's start earlier this spring, say March. March saw daffodils. Lots of daffodils, because I love them, and I've never had success with them, until this year. Last fall I planted a LOT of daffodil bulbs (5 different types) along with some alliums in the two flower beds I have in the southern parking strip.
This is the second flower bed, which got the majority of the daffodil bulbs. They were also planted earlier. Most of them are yellow types, but there were some with white bells and white reverses as well:
March also sees grape hyacinth make the scene. These were here when I moved here, and will probably still be spreading themselves and making the rockery beautiful long after I've gone. They naturalize like nobody's business, rather like bluebells, except that they're a little easier to manage.
April is about when the tulips start showing up. I didn't plant any last fall; these are all from other years and seem to have naturalized, which isn't something they're supposed to do, but hey, I'll take it. I wound up with a lovely Easter basket in the first flower bed, with daffodils and tulips and variegated iris foliage and borage.
Because I tend to plant things in the flower beds, think they've done nothing, and then plant other things (or just let things self-seed), sometimes I get surprises, like this peony appearing in the borage:
And because I like to buy plants from the local "support gardeners" sale, where people dig stuff up out of their own yards, chuck it into pots, and sell them for not-much, I sometimes wind up with surprises, like this iris. It was supposedly purple.
That is not purple. Is it silver?
Is it white?
Whatever it is (and really, it seems to be a bit of both, with the faintest hint of lavender at the very edges of the petals, kind of like the purple shampoo they recommend for people with white hair), it is definitely not purple. Fortunately the variegated irises bloom purple, so that's fine.
(I seem to have the darndest luck with irises. The ones in the back came from a friend. They bloomed yellow in her yard. I planted them, and some have bloomed purple, and some have bloomed the most unbelievable maroon/bronze combination, but no yellow, ever.)
So fast-forwarding to today, the roses in the front are trying to eat the power lines, and would devour pedestrians and cars if I let them. They're just about to bloom, and would be gorgeous, except they're going to get cut back this week if all goes to plan. I love roses, but I dislike fire hazards and threats to my power supply more.
Things still grow underneath the monsters, like the potato shrub (the purple flowers you see in those pics) and other things too:
The rose monsters are not the only roses in my garden. There are roses at both ends of the front yard that are climbers, but not monsters:
And the front yard has some beds for flowers and herbs and random pots of things:
The back yard is mostly enclosed by rhododendrons and camellias, planted by the original owners and all far older than I am. I added a lilac (with peonies and irises underneath) and a climbing rose and some evergreen clematis, but mostly I'm content to just enjoy the natural screening. The camellias are also getting a much needed trim next week, as they're entirely out of control.
So where do I plant my vegetables? On the parking strip, as that's the only place that gets enough sun. This is also the same place as the two flower beds from earlier. It's on a serious slope, which adds to the fun/challenge.
I have two beds of peas in various stages:
A bed of garlic with a few shallots thrown in for good measure:
The start of another tomatillo forest:
Some peppers, with what I hope will be bush beans behind them (and also marigolds just for fun):
This bed will be pole beans. I have planted seeds, but it might be too early yet. We'll see:
This bed will be basil (not yet purchased), fava beans, and pumpkins, if the latter seeds sprout:
And there are also blueberries and raspberries in pots, and potatoes in a bag, because growing potatoes in a bag is the only way to do it IMHO:
And of course the aforementioned flower beds:
Despite what it might look like, I don't actually have a large yard. I do try to make the most out of what I have. It's fun, and a lot more rewarding than lawn.
I hope you've enjoyed this virtual garden tour!