Wednesday, April 20, 2011

A Walk Around the Dooryard


A green-white clematis unfolds.

The strawberry patch in bloom.  Wet weather has prevented me finishing the weeding.

How many days until we pick luscious strawberries?

Pink-tinged leaves unfold on the ancient grapevine.

Iris buds are plump and swelling. One stalk by the clothesline is showing blue-black bud tips, but there is just enough breeze that my photos blurred.

The dogwoods are past their prime, but still have an airy prettiness.

J. and M. have both purchased and set out brag size hothouse tomato plants being sold at the Yoder's store.
Meanwhile my raised from seed tomatoes have all been potted on and most are enjoying the sheltered warmth of the cold frame.


Yarrow buds are still fuzzy white.

Blue salvia.



A full-blown clematis.
I love the pinks with their blue-green spikey foliage and the masses of fragrant flowers.
These are not quite true to color in the photo--their real colors are deeper.

Aquilegia opening in the shady strip on the east side of the garage.

The early pink peony.

This aquilegia has daintier flowers.
I had a lovely blue one planted in my struggling Wyoming flower strip--planted in memory of
my blue-eyed Oscar cat.

The papaever somniferum have come up in clumps in spite of my efforts to sprinkle the seeds about in bare places in the second border.
I can't decide whether to risk moving some of them [I seem to recall that they resent being repositioned]
or let them crowd their way to flowering and [hopefully] setting seed.

The new herb garden at the edge of the carport.
Delila Yoder helped me to do the final deep digging and install the weed barrier fabric.
We moved plants from other spots in the gardens. 
I hope to buy several more varieties of thyme and a lavender or two.
Delila contributed anise hyssop which she says will be loved by butterflies.
The weather has veered between several warm muggy days, a sharp thunderstorm last evening and a broody morning which turned to a cool and sunny afternoon.
Although it is frustrating having the ground too damp to work, everything is bursting with growth, including the weeds.
J. gave up on the trench he was preparing in the lower garden for the asparagus roots.
He opened a strip just beyond the track that leads to the barn.
We all pitched in to plant the crowns late on Monday.
Yukon Gold potatoes went in yesterday, as did short rows of beets, carrots,
Swiss chard and several hills of cucumbers.

Willis was too involved in his nap to follow me around the dooryard. He has appropriated this tapestry covered stool which ended up on the front porch.

Therese Bugnet is covered in buds.  I hope I can locate my collection of vintage
china jugs to hold a few fragrant blooms.

7 comments:

  1. What a wonderful walk around the yard ...how fast everything is growing ...and those strawberry plants should yeild a good crop.

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  2. I loved taking the tour through your flower beds. We are just on the edge of spring here. What have your temps been? Is G. and M. and D. all getting settled in until they find their own house? Are they enjoying the warmer weather? As I was writing this my cell phone chimned a message was in and it was from you! How fun! I think the butterflies will use the house as shelter. I can't wait to see if they use it!

    ~Shanon

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  3. Oh my! Everything is a-bursting and a-blooming! I'm always surprised when spring finally comes how fast it suddenly 'springs' forth. Your cat photos always make me smile -- especially the blue eyed upside down one.

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  4. What good progress you are making in your gardens, and you have a nice long growing season there. I love anise hyssop, but be careful with it - it self-sows and carpets everywhere. I'm always transplanting some to different parts of the yard, and the good thing is it will do nicely in semi-shade as well as sun. And bees love it, as well as butterflies, so it makes a pretty, fragrant and useful addition to the garden, as long as you don't mind it's traveling nature...

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  5. Your beautiful garden looks full of promise. I think you are a little further on than us this month. Our aquilegias and clematis are still in tight bud. Strawberries have yet to flower but the blossom trees are still in full bloom.

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  6. "door yard" I have never heard that expression before. I am pleased that we seem to share a lot of the same plants. The photo of Willis, looks like he is having a good laugh about smething :-D

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  7. Everything looks to be doing really well for you. I wonder if you will get any surprise bloomings this year? You have worked SO hard to make your garden so productive and pretty.

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