A Time for Everything, Now a Time to Stop. Well, Slow Down.

After digging out and replanting most of August, it seemed like a "good" idea to remove some of our over crowded and diseased lilac bushes.  We wanted to hire someone to do that, but the tree removal companies just wanted to grind them down, but without chemical killer those roots would be vigorously re-sprouting.

Larry, with a little bit of assistance from me, started digging, and it really didn't seem that horrible, until our backs, and my hip, said NO.  So for the last few weeks Larry's been tackling the 4 stumps with persistence, and has succeeded.  So far we haven't had to go to the doctor, but we have done a lot of ice packs on backs.  

We hope to save one clump of lilacs, it is a good privacy screen, but time will tell if it is healthy enough to save

ugly green service box

.  Until the fate of the last lilac is decided I probably won't be planting in that corner, well maybe a small bush to hide the ugly green service box.

Now, I just need to lay down some more landscape fabric, and mulch, clean out the ponds, harvest the runner beans, clean my tools, roll up my soaker hoses, reconfigure my raised beds... Happy October!

Greenie.

The Last Lilac Stump!

Beautiful non blooming Morning Glory

Larry's Arbor!

A Breath of Fresh Air

 It is September 1, and there is a dry, refreshing breeze just ever so lightly reminding me that changes are coming.  We've had substantial rain in the past week, 5 inches!  We are in line to get more soon.  I can see the difference in the garden immediately, the plants, like me, are taking a deep breath.

I'm in the beginning of clean up and Fall planting to prepare for next summer.  More drought tolerant plants, one or two drought tolerant fruit plants( honey berry).  

Clean up of diseased lilacs and cone flowers.

Parts of my garden look really barren, and parts of my garden are in more shade than last year, and parts of my garden are still providing an abundance of food for bees, butterflies and birds.

I've realized I can't be everything to every bee, butterfly and bird, but I can provide something for most of them.  I'm like a wayside rest.  Now I just need to decide if I'm satisfied with that.

aster

cucumber tally-2

hummer

hummer

c

cucumber tally-2

clean out area, honeysuckle shrub added

lilacs gone, now what?

apples!

sedum, the garden savior

Appreciate the Little Things

 So many sad and frightful events happening across the world right now, earthquakes, fires, floods, terrorist take overs,  it often feels over whelming.  No matter how frustrated I get with the garden it still is always a haven and I'm grateful to have it, but sometimes I need to remind myself how lucky I am.  All the little daily discoveries of hiding toads, giant dragonflies,  hummingbirds hovering in front of me and zipping off in lightening speed.  The call of a Red Tail hawk overhead, a pretty Blue Jay feather in the grass.  A plate of delicious Italian green beans, fresh pesto on warm bread.  The 54 Monarch butterflies released!  The hundreds of bees I see every day on the plants I provided, that is what it is all about.

x5 + 4!

Lilacs before and after, mistake or no?  Definitely have to plant to cover lovely green box.

                                                      japanese beetle eating marigold.  Still here.

Lessons Learned

This has definitely been the most uninspired summer of gardening ever! My dry soil couldn't get any drier, but I definitely learned what plants are the toughest! Hands down, Wild Petunia wins! Well, a caveat, the newly planted Millenium Allium and the Crazy Blue Russian Sage have also done really well. So, I'm trying some more sage, a Russian Sage, and a Spire Sage.  I'm also trying a Super Blue Lavender, a Hidcote Blue Lavender and a Phenomenal Lavender for drought tolerant plants, and I may try a couple of other plants, Darts Gold Ninebark, and some Geum, if I can find them this Fall at the garden center.  I also planted a Lemon Meringue Baptisia in a challenging spot near the Maple tree.

It has been a tough summer of watering, but we really made sure all of our trees were taken care of first, so hopefully they will continue to thrive.

The green beans are still doing well, but I'm not sure we'll see a cucumber.  I also learned that Japanese beetles like pole beans.  They have desiccated my new Cherry Tree, (now under cover) the cone flowers, and the evening primrose.

On the upside I have playful hummers, and I've raised 54 monarch butterflies!  Good Luck flutterflies!

Greenie

cherry under attack,  even the marigolds are getting chewed.

second blooming for butterfly weed!

allium millenium

naughty beetles

hanging in there!

lovely sage

tasty Italian beans

basil, my new crop of choice!

What a (little) Relief

 We are actually getting some rainfall this morning!  It is light but persistent, and hopefully it will continue through the day.  Again it has been a few weeks since any measurable rainfall, and watering has become an every other day event.  I pulled out my tomatoes, we did have one red one that we ate, and it was pretty good.  The plants had no more blossoms and looked very unhappy.  I pulled out the snow peas, they just couldn't handle the heat, and replanted bush beans.  I also planted beans where our onions were planted.  I've put basil in the pots that the beans were in and they are doing well.  The beans handle the heat well, didn't like the pots, I think I over watered them.    I've noticed something eating them, possibly grasshoppers.  We have a lot of them in the yard.  

The perennials are doing better with watering except a lot of the phlox which may be struggling with the heat.  I've been planting more sage, and will also try some lavender.  The millenium allium plants are also doing great, I added a few more to the sweet cherry tree circle.  I just need to decide what will go in on the rock edge along with the prairie smoke that needs to be thinned out.  

My milkweed is struggling and it may be due to me just digging too much with replanting etc.  The Monarchs started out slow this summer, but now I'm in the process of releasing 30 butterflies, plus I have more caterpillars munching away on plants.  I just have to collect more plants from somewhere else that hasn't been sprayed with chemicals.  This rain should also help boost the milkweed plants in my yard.  Greenie

chrysali

cucumber flowers!

liking the crazy blue russian sage

hanging in there for the bees!

nodding onion

second coming of beans

amsonia, a garden possibility

denver heliopsis, biennial?

swallow tail on the trail, heat exhaustion?

cherry juice!

More Monarchs arriving.

 I've had a few more Monarchs arrive in the yard and collected several eggs today.  The milkweed is scarce and not too healthy.  I've pruned a few back to hopefully provide newer leaves for the butterflies in the next month or two.

I'm still on the path of more shade and maybe more shrubs.  I wish I was feeling more love for the garden but most of the time I only see work to be done! I need to come up with a manageable plan, that includes the limitations of the Maple tree's roots, and then put that plan into action.  

pale pole beans-fertilize?

needs some work, cranesbill?

sturdy little coneflower, Kismet!

The first time the bunnies decided to go after the bush beans, which are doing well!

I don't want to plant too much if the drought and high heat continues.

We are going into another heatwave this weekend, but nothing compared to what has been happening in the Northwest, Oregon, Washington, B.C.  Still it is hard on the garden and hard on the farmers.  

Greenie

What will July bring? No fire please, and less work please.

 We received 1/2" of rain on June 20th.  It always amazes me how much better the plants look after a rainfall, even a small one, compared to being watered by me!

The garden is doing a bit better, but I'm definitely going to be adding more shade to the yard.  Right now I'm considering a smaller honey locust.  I like the ferny look, plus we get a lot of wind through the back yard, so less possible tree damage.  It will give more shade to the back of the house, it does well in dry conditions, no messy seeds, or disease, or pests- so "they" say. Plus it grows fast!

This is the Sunburst honeylocust.  

Today I saw a monarch butterfly!

Greenie