It has been a while since I posted about the garden. So here goes…
The new bed by the front door looks nice. It is framed by the witchhazel at one end and a large gooseberry in a pot at the other. Between are mostly wildflowers and perennials, a few pots of tender perennials like geraniums and such. The colors in this garden are mostly reds and whites, with a bit of sunny yellow and blue for contrast and interest.
We are managing to keep this one looking good so far this summer.
I weeded most of the bed around the fishpond before the boys and I went on our trip last week. It looks better, but too many of the plants are not flowering. The iris in this bed had only a couple blooms this year and I don’t think the gladioli are “glad” at all to be there! Will lift them in the fall and rework the beds to add more good compost and such for better growth next year. The wood poppy at the edge of that bed that Tom mowed early in the spring is still alive. I want to lift it soon and carefully separate out all the grass that is growing from the roots. I think I can do it without completely killing it…
The bed that runs from the corner of the house to the front door is looking a bit unkempt this year. I have been weeding, but it isn’t really staying pretty the way I like. I think I need a few more filler plants that can handle some dry between waterings but won’t crowd out the bulbs and perennials. Has to be something that comes on after the daffys are done for the year, and also that doesn’t spread too rapidly. I tried irish moss one year, but it was too sunny for that. Going to keep thinking.
The bed across the driveway with the heather is overgrown almost completely. I had Tom dig out some of the larger obnoxious things, but the rest of the bed must be done by hand. Hope to have some dryish weather this next week before our trip to Canada. If I can get the front edge re-defined, and locate the few perennials that are in there, I will be happy enough for this year. Next year, it also is due for a re-think.
The next beds down are the blueberries, which Tom weeded yesterday and are bearing well this year (they seemed to like the lack of fussing)… and the small square bed where in years past I have seeded oats and wildflowers. This year I am letting it lie fallow, and will pull, dig, replenish and work on in the autumn and next spring. I want to cut back some of the elderberries there and in the other large clump to allow more sunlight to reach the plants.
The “Edwardian Garden” is a loss this year. I hope to set one or the other boys the task of digging everything, sifting and sorting and then place most of the plants back. That is a long-term project though, and I think I’ll wait until after we return from Canada for that. The dahlias are apparently mostly still there… just slow and small this year. Will lift them when they go dormant, divide them and replenish their beds as well.
The orchard is unmowed this year and the trees (and the deer, apparently) are fine with that. I like that the yarrow and a few other wildflowers are growing and giving some color and texture; and that it shades the trees’ roots well enough that I haven’t needed to water this year.
And no vegetable garden this year. The one big project I really want to accomplish is still that fence…
We’ll see.
I will add some pictures later, but thought I would post this now so at least there is something new. With the kids home for summer, I get hassled when I am at the computer very much.