Now, these aren’t really garden photos, but they do illustrate an important vantage point that we see from the garden.
The first photo is looking from our back yard into what we call the Back Forty. The Back Forty is a sort of weedy, semi-wilderness area that we keep cut so that the wild critters won’t feel too welcome to wander close to where we have little dogs, a cat and chickens milling about.
Tree line before tidying
As you can see, it’s not very pretty and it’s not very inspiring. The undergrowth is out of control and you can’t even see the trees for the forest, so to speak. It’s a wall of green.
After having done some clearing for our fledgling woodland garden (scroll down to the bottom of the post to see a photo) I decided we needed more of the same. The hearty tree guys spent the better part of two days limbing up trees, clearing brush and generally tidying the area.
Tree line after tidying
It’s still a blank slate, but at least now it’s a tidy blank slate and we can see the trees.
Next step: Figure out the next step.
Robin
Sometimes when I look at photos of my garden I think, “Hey, that looks pretty good.” This isn’t one of those times.
I don’t know why, but it seems that for all the work I’ve been putting in, the flowers just aren’t cooperating. Things don’t look as full as I want. The grass isn’t green and lush. I’m dissatisfied. It’s just not…enough!
Perhaps it’s because all of these photos were taken around June 1. This is the second month of this year’s marking time in the garden with a monthly overview shot of the potager. May’s photos are here. Maybe things will get better. But the point of documenting is to show warts and all. So here goes…
- Potager on June 3
The naked spot in the potager is where the ‘Speckled Trout’ lettuce was just pulled up. I found that it bolted more quickly than the other lettuces. The rest of the lettuce is still doing well—’Red Sails’ and the heatwave blend from Cook’s Garden.
Next to the mimosa tree limb trellis I’m giving some yellow pear tomatoes a shot, despite the past fusarium wilt problems in the potager. They are supposed to be resistant and I haven’t grown them in this spot before. I’m fully prepared to yank them out if they look sick.
The herbs are healthy, although the cilantro insists on bolting after about five minutes of heat. I still need bedding plants for the borders but haven’t been able to bring myself to choose from the measly offerings of annuals at the garden center. *snore*
Herb bed June 3
We have been enjoying the new, cleaner look of the tree line from the back patio. In fact, the tree guys have been out doing some more edge clearing so that we can now see the trees for the forest. I’ll have before and after photos at some point.
View from the back patio on June 3
There are a couple of cute little details. The ornamental oregano is a new plant for me this year. This one is Origanum rotundifolium ‘Kent Beauty’.
- Ornamental oregano – Origanum rotundifolium ‘Kent Beauty’
And, given how partial I am to chickens, I think the little chicken form covered in hens and chickens is adorable.
A whole new meaning to hens and chickens
I will work on being less critical, less persnickety and just enjoying the small bits of beauty.
P.S.
You can click on the photos to see a larger version.
Robin
There have been springs when we have been deluged with rain. There have been years when I was already hauling hoses in May. But this year we’ve been fortunate to have just the right amount of rain—not too much and not too little. I think the purple stuff here likes it too. Maybe we have been having purple rain.
The side fence wisteria is blooming, as are some of the peonies. (Why don’t I have more peonies?)
The baptisia I had to move from the front flower bed into the potager was threatening to die last year. I don’t think baptisia likes to be disturbed, but it has rallied and making a rather nice purple show now.
The irises are blooming, as are the foxgloves. Everything that isn’t green is purple.
I still have so much spring work to do and seem to be forever behind. I still have containers to fill and annuals to plant. There is the truckload of stone dust I need to buy and haul into the woodland garden. And this is the year—I hope—that I will finally install some kind of edging to separate the border beds from the paths in the potager.
For some reason making decisions about what to plant this year has been more difficult. Part of the reason is that I just haven’t had much time because work has been keeping me running. But I’m also weary of the same old, same old annuals I see at the local nursery. I am sick to death of petunias and marigolds and the like. It’s like getting up and wearing the same dress every single day. I need something new and exciting to break through my annual ennui!
Perhaps something purple.
(Click on the photo to see a larger version.)
Robin
