Oops! I May have skipped a month!

My last post was April 30, and while I had the foresight to create a May banner, I never had the time to write a single post.  And here it is now June 1 already!  

It's not as though the garden has been dormant -- in fact, it's been just as busy as I've been, so I'll take this opportunity to catch you up on a month's worth of growing, harvesting, and blooming. Take a deep breath while we race through the following...

The Chinese tree peonies came and went early in the month, their bloom time compromised by an early heat spell followed by three days of cold nasty rain. Not even my trusty parasols could prolong their bloom.  But while we had them, they were glorious!

Here's Coiled Dragon in the Mist...

And here's Green Dragon in a Pink Pool

Doily in progress... grrr.

On the mound in front, we had a profusion of stalwart Solomon's Seal, standing like so many soldiers guarding their charges.  Perhaps they were protecting the delicate little woodland anemones that also bloomed in early May; that would have been most noble of them.  Or perhaps they were simply standing watch against deer incursions.  One thing I do know; they were NOT defending my poor lilies against the evil red bugs that like to reduce them to doilies.  I'll have to try something more effective -- an herbal potion of some sort, mixed with Murphy's Oil soap, applied liberally and with glee.  



But I digress.  Here's the Solomon's Seal...

And the woodland anemones, a miniature version of the late season Japanese anemones that will cover the back hill through September.

And the woodland anemones

Speaking of the back hill, it too was full of spring flowers, including Dicentra -- otherwise known as bleeding heart -- a staple of the Spring garden.  It's up early, is unperturbed by wind or rain, and happily covers a wide swath of bare ground until the later plants are ready to take over.

By mid-May, the entire back hill is a symphony of pink and blue, with ajuga and phlox carpeting the left side of the path, pink azalea "Vito" anchoring the right hand side, and rhododendron capping off the display up above. Meanwhile, you'll see the netting in the raised bed on the right, ready for the tomatoes that we put out early under plastic and "walls o' water" to start using as their climbing wall.

Thanks to the early start those tomatoes had, we already have fruit!  And can already start daydreaming about the first tomatoes of the summer.

We're at the point where we can start depending on the garden rather than our local farmers' market for our veggies -- always a happy development.  With the exception of the peas, who have not appreciated the hot spells even a little bit, most of our crops are doing very well.  We've already had a few meals of kohlrabi, many kale sautees and salads, arugula, lettuce, scallions, radishes.  And I've gotten very adept at whipping up a caesar-y lemon dijon dressing that complements their bright flavors very nicely.  Next up: zucchini!

Naked lettuce waiting to be dressed

The first Zucchini!

 

 

Things have been just as prolific -- and fragrant -- in our front garden... lilac, the intersectional peonies (a cross between herbaceous and Chines Tree Peonies), and the irises -- oh, the irises!

We have two standard lilacs flanking the entrance to the front garden, and the fragrance fills the front yard!

Our intersectional peony, with a parasol to prolong its bloom -- it really works!

And these blooms are certainly worth prolonging!

And, the irises... big yellow, white and purple bearded irises! They were my Dad's favorite flower.  He was an artist, and he loved to draw their intricate folds, frills, and flourishes. I have several framed pen and ink drawings of irises, and his sketchbooks always have a series of them when you hit those pages that he filled at this time of year.  So Dad, I grow these in your memory!

 

These don't last terribly long either, but I have another late blooming variety waiting in the wings to take over, and in between, there will be gladioli... lots and lots of gladioli!

We also have several varieties of Columbine out front.  Their varietal names are lost in the dim mist of my forgetfulness, but the difference between flowers from the same plant family is truly crazy.  Do these two look like siblings?

A very tall peacock-like blossom that droops down...

A shorter bushier Columbine whose blossoms face up, and look like a lady's ruff

And speaking of crazy, I also have this wonderful variety of Allium that looks like a cluster of little bells -- or an exploded fireworks.  The only downside to it is that in order to appreciate it, you pretty much have to lie directly beneath it on your back and gaze upwards, which is what I had to do to get this shot!

Looking up at Fireworks Allium -- the only way to see it!

There's more, but I think that's enough catching up, and I do need to save up a bit for June, when the vegetable garden should be in full swing, and those dozen plants we put in today -- in ridiculously early 90 degree heat -- have taken hold in the new bed we just created.  Oh, and there will be asparagus, too -- not for another three years, but Mr. Mulch is hard at work on their bed, and we hope to get the crowns in next week.


Despite the planting and harvesting frenzy we seem to find ourselves in constantly, we do get a chance to stop and admire our work.  And sometimes we get really lucky and time that of relaxation just right -- and are able to capture a breathtakingly beautiful moment.  With the late afternoon sun streaking through what would otherwise be a jauntily silly parasol, but just at that second acts as a prism, giving us a new perspective.

Enjoy!