Summer Weather!

We just returned from an over 1 week long vacation, expecting a difference in our gardens, but wow what a difference a week can make! In that time, the really warm weather arrived, hitting the 80s. Some things, like our crabapple and some tulips, bloomed and faded in the time we were gone. And, as Mike said, weeds grew like we've been gone for a month!

Here is from 1-2 weeks ago, when I was too busy to post:

tulips

still have a ways to go on projects to improve the curb appeal

violas

little girl who doesn't want her picture taken on Mother's Day

tulip

more blooms, some of which are blooming now only because they were planted this year

And here is what I came home to:

The catmint, peonies, penstemon, and irises really took off. I tried planting tulips strategically around other plants to conceal the tulip foliage as it fades, like this:

with tulips in bloom

penstemon, peonies, and catmint covering foliage

I'm excited to fill in the open spaces with more flowers, some of which I'll probably leave bare until the fall perennials come out. And now there is a little weeding and remulching to do. It is just so wonderful having flowers just pop up on nature's cue in a garden that's becoming established!

Filling the Garden

It's now getting warm enough to leave the super frost sensitive plants out overnight, but not yet past the last chance of frost. I'm finding this a great time to get deals on perennials, and check things off my garden wishlist. A few of the things I've picked up:

phlox

bleeding heart

chinese delphiniums

columbines

 I'm really pushing the limit by putting some of my new plants in a full sun location, but I only have a full sun garden right now, and you just don't know how a plant will fare until you put it to the test! The columbines are one of Mike's favorites, and these particular columbines are so tall and impressive (you can't tell from the pic), that a couple ladies stopped by to admire them while Mike loaded them into the car at the garden center. We'll see how they do!

Other pics from today:

Mike is making progress on his garden fence, making the garden larger and putting in a more permanent enclosure this year. The UPS guy commented today that the garden looks a little ambitious; we'll see if Mike can find enough wood chips to prevent it from becoming a fenced-off plot of weeds!

Whether this year is a very successful garden year or not, Mike is knowledgeable, dedicated, and passionate about his gardening, and eventually he will have enviable garden success!

Dandelions!

The dandelions bloomed today! I was excited to see one out the window this morning, and then realized there were a bunch. There were none blooming yesterday. Mike read that dandelions are a good marker of morel season; it's time to look 1-2 weeks after the first dandelions show up in the middle of the yard. So the countdown begins!

This week it rained and rained, which felt like weather regression while we all thought "May flowers... May flowers..." in our minds. Well, it worked. The grass has greened up wonderfully, and it is nice and long, so Mike is mowing for the first time this year. The rain also brought us a couple beautiful rainbows:

there was another rainbow just above it; later in the evening there was another single rainbow

look at how the rainbow travels in front of the trees

The crocuses were very pretty, and are done just about now. The daffodils are now starting to bloom.

The current state of the garden-- may seem boring, but is really helpful for me to keep track of what's growing when:

irises in the back, daffodils in the front

delphinium and oriental lily

perennials starting

tulips and peonies

still working on the curb appeal

Overall garden

 It's still too cool at night to plant many of the annuals, but garden centers have a full inventory available now. The more frost sensitive ones are being sold from greenhouses, and I did get a few that were on early season sale- little sweet potato vines and bacopas that don't look like much, but for a couple dollars are a great deal, and they'll grow fast; they just have to come inside at night.

I also picked up a few perennials: an anemone that will probably hate this hot location in the yard, some chinese delphiniums, dianthus, Becky shasta daisy. I have a few other things on my wishlist to fill out the bed, and still need a more clear cut plan for the stretch of dirt just along the foundation. There's also a lot of plant shuffling that needs to be done around the house, removal of some rocks and landscape fabric to be replaced with mulch, and other big chores. Someday, they'll all get done, even if I only have time to move 1-2 plants per week!

The outdoor to-do list of early Spring is overwhelming, but it's a blessing after the long winter, and I hope you're enjoying your outdoors, too!