Monday, June 29, 2015
The Older You Get, The Faster It Goes.
The older you get, the faster it goes, especially a Minnesota summer! We are heading into July, and my goal is to really enjoy the garden. Everyday I'm reminding myself that it is not about all the weeds, and the variety of bugs eating my plants. It is about the big picture! We are providing a haven for bees, butterflies and birds, with a few tasty treats for us. That was my goal, and it has been achieved. Working on the visual makeup of the gardens, and the perfect mix of food plants for our friends, and what works best in what area of the garden, will always be a work in progress. Of course the weeds will continue to be happy about our non chemical yard, and so will all the other creatures!
July's bounty will be savored!
I'm raising Bert and Ernie in the house in a pop up butterfly hutch. I believe the next stage will be happening soon! I did find more monarch eggs outside on the milkweed, but when I went back to check, it was all gone. Glad I found these two to bring inside! We saw just one other monarch last week, but I haven't found more eggs.
July's bounty will be savored!
I'm raising Bert and Ernie in the house in a pop up butterfly hutch. I believe the next stage will be happening soon! I did find more monarch eggs outside on the milkweed, but when I went back to check, it was all gone. Glad I found these two to bring inside! We saw just one other monarch last week, but I haven't found more eggs.
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| Bert-the biggest |
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| Strawberries slowing down now- good crop this year! |
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| Eclectic vines collection: Hyacinth, cucumber and bean |
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| Ernie- trying to catch up! |
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| The peas are aplenty! |
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| Seems early for the red lilies, and lots of phlox this summer |
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| disco ribbons to repel the birds from the cherries |
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| Back of house filling in with milkweed, grasses, sage, ninebark, wild petunia, Echinacea.... |
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| slowly coming together... |
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| decisions... |
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| Hyalophora cecropia. Largest North American Moth-no mouth! |
Sunday, June 7, 2015
They're Here!
The first monarch to be seen by me, here in Minnesota, was today in our garden. Larry spotted it first, and we didn't see it land on any milkweed, but I'll probably start checking the milkweed for eggs and caterpillars.
So, I really cannot believe it is June already, summer has decided to fly by again, but I'm determined not to miss any of it!
The crimson clover I planted last Fall survived the winter, even though it is an annual, and it looked gorgeous, so I scattered more of the seed. The bees really love it, although most of it is done flowering now, I hope the new seed planted will bloom before a frost and maybe most of it will survive the winter again. Quite a few plants did not survive the winter, or came back in poor condition. Even my Pasque flower which is an early prolific bloomer barely survived and no flowers have bloomed, but it seems to be rebounding. The trumpet vine is leafing out earlier with more shoots from the old wood so I'm hoping for more flowers. My new grape vine is slow and I'm sure most of that is my fault for not pruning it this winter, but I'm sure it will survive. The snowsweet apple tree has quite a few apples this year, and the cherry tree is loaded with cherries. All the tomatoes, peppers, summer squash, cucumbers, brussel sprouts, peas, and beans are planted, and look pretty good. We've been enjoying lots of salad greens, a few strawberries, a bit of asparagus, chives, and dill so far this season. I planted more asparagus but if it doesn't improve production within a few years I may pull it all
out.
The projects for this year are to fill in the redbud circle and add a bit more to the quaking aspen area. I've already divided and moved some perennials and strawberry plants and added some more native plants. A couple of surprises with woodland phlox and a pretty red daisy. Time for photos!
More photos soon!
Greenie
So, I really cannot believe it is June already, summer has decided to fly by again, but I'm determined not to miss any of it!
The crimson clover I planted last Fall survived the winter, even though it is an annual, and it looked gorgeous, so I scattered more of the seed. The bees really love it, although most of it is done flowering now, I hope the new seed planted will bloom before a frost and maybe most of it will survive the winter again. Quite a few plants did not survive the winter, or came back in poor condition. Even my Pasque flower which is an early prolific bloomer barely survived and no flowers have bloomed, but it seems to be rebounding. The trumpet vine is leafing out earlier with more shoots from the old wood so I'm hoping for more flowers. My new grape vine is slow and I'm sure most of that is my fault for not pruning it this winter, but I'm sure it will survive. The snowsweet apple tree has quite a few apples this year, and the cherry tree is loaded with cherries. All the tomatoes, peppers, summer squash, cucumbers, brussel sprouts, peas, and beans are planted, and look pretty good. We've been enjoying lots of salad greens, a few strawberries, a bit of asparagus, chives, and dill so far this season. I planted more asparagus but if it doesn't improve production within a few years I may pull it all
out.
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| Woodland Phlox |
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| crimson clover |
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| surprise! |
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| lots 'n' lots of cherries |
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| A different perspective |
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| poor little Redbud, but better than last year! |
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| native prairie violets |
Greenie
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