Gardening starts early if you want good results. The first photo is from today, March 5th. And it is after I spent about an hour each of the past two days cutting dead stalks and flowers from last year. Ok, that’s not quite true because I got distracted today and decided that Claire needed a trim since her fur was so long it caught leaves when we were hiking and dragged on the ground. But we were out there for an hour each day and most of it was spent gardening!
The other two pictures are of the same flowerbed from June 14th of last year. What a transformation three months can make! Most of those plants are perennials, but don’t underestimate the work involved. There is still transplanting, splitting of plants, weeding, fertilizing, pruning, and mulching to be done. And did I mention the weeding, lol? During the summer I dead head and prune my roses about every two weeks. This seems to give the best results.
Our patio garden is completely fenced, so the dogs can come with me while I garden here. Otherwise, I would never get any work done. Cassius the greyhound naps on the patio furniture. The others usually lay on the cold flagstones in the shade, or under the Dawn Redwood. Although Claire is a busy girl and spends time watching the rock pile for chipmunks to chase. All of the dogs learn quickly to stay out of the flowerbeds. I will have to teach PeeWee, our newest addition, this skill. He learns quickly and I don’t anticipate a problem. He is only two and will almost certainly help Claire chase chipmunks.
The pictures of the beds in bloom almost make me ready for the flurry of gardening to come. But not quite. I am still resting. That’s why everything has its season.
Now that all the hubbub from the holidays is dying down, it is setting in that the new year is upon us. I am looking forward to this year being a better one for us as 2023 was rather difficult. And I intend to make it a better one.
I titled this article Goals for the New Year since I have never been a big fan of making New Year’s resolutions. I always looked at it as a poor excuse not to set goals during the rest of the year. I would make New Year’s resolutions like, “Eat more chocolate”, as my form of protest. I know, what a rebel I am. I have set three goals that I plan to work on this year. We’ll see how far I get. Something is better than nothing, right?
Goal #1 “Daily writing/journaling for a calendar year perspective.”
The photo above is the inside cover page of my journal. The journal was a gift from my daughter last year and I can’t think of a better use for it. I have wanted to do some writing and following my life through a year seems appropriate with how tied to the weather our lives are here. What we do each day is very weather dependent. At this time of year, we hike. We check the weather forecast to see when the warmest temperature occurs during the day. We also check the predicted precipitation times. The goal is to stay warm and dry. During the warmer months, this flips, and we look for the cooler hours. The elements also play a part in our choice of trails for the day. Will this affect how muddy the trails are? Does the weather increase the chance for flies? How does this impact which shoes I wear? There is a bit of science to it. It’s not a good idea to just put on sneakers and run out the door.
The weather affects our daily decisions and when we do what during gardening season too. I suppose we make our daily plans somewhat like farmers do. Infact, maybe we are a sort of farmer, except for our own enjoyment and not for profit. When it’s hot, we work outside in the mornings as much as possible. I try to limit afternoon chores outdoors as I am a baby when it comes to enduring heat. Sometimes it is necessary. Certain tasks can’t wait. If it’s been rainy, you mow when it’s dry, even if it’s 90 degrees.
Not all of my writing will be about these physical things. I also like to ponder thoughts and emotions, and pretty much anything. Like, why do I sometimes dream that the university is coming to take my college degree back? I once had someone else tell me that they’ve had this dream too. So far, I have missed one day of journaling. Not a biggie. Onward!
Journal illustration
Goal #2 “Meditate each morning on: being kind AND, how can I spread joy today?”.
This has been going pretty well. During the brief meditation (I am starting with just two or three minutes), I focus my thoughts on drawing in peace to be stable enough myself, to be able to project positivity to others. Followed by several thoughts of a “Be Kind” mantra. Then I thought about something I might be able to do to spread kindness as I am going about my day. I plan to extend the length of this meditation as the year progresses.
If I have trouble falling asleep at night, I have begun thinking the mantra of “Be Kind” then too. If I am awake anyway, I may as well put my time to good use. I don’t know if this goal is having any impact on my life or those around me yet. I find it hard to believe that there won’t be at least a few positive experiences from it. I believe kindness makes the world a better place. And we definitely need our world to be a better place right now.
Goal #3 “Get another one of our dogs certified as a therapy dog.”
This goal is totally different from the other two, but I still deem it a very worthy one. Shelby is still certified with Therapy Dogs International and works occasionally. I don’t work her very often because she will be 14 years old next month. She is still very happy to be working with mom when I do take her on a visit. I used to have hopes that Zekie would be my next therapy dog, but his anxiety never receded to a level where I can trust him to be reliable to my commands. He is very obedient, and I believe he could probably pass the test tomorrow. That still does not mean he would be a good therapy dog. He is obedient to my commands, but I must give him commands all the time. If I did not anticipate an inappropriate action, it could be a problem.
I think the next dog I will try to train to pass the test is Claire. She will not be an easy dog to train for the required exercises, but I think we can do it. She is slow to respond to training. She is not stupid, she just doesn’t seem to understand what she is told. Either that or she just doesn’t want to do it. We will get there. One of my biggest qualms about using her for therapy work, or anything else, is the fact that she gets car sick if we drive more than about six miles. That’s why I don’t take her to my brother’s or my daughter’s homes. She would be well behaved once there but would get sick along the way. Claire also has a penchant for waiting until we are pulling into the driveway of our destination and get sick as I put the car in park. Other than hiking the only place Claire gets to go is grandma’s because it’s not very far.
We have a storm heading our way and I see giant snowflakes out my window. The winds are starting to kick up and I’ve received an email from the electric company on how prepare for possible power outages. I should see about making dinner now. Just in case.
Happy belated New Year to you all. May your resolutions, if you make them, be going well!
Shelby spreading joy at an elementary school while we read to the kids.
This photo sums up a large part of the reason why I have been behind on posting my lists of books read. Watering, weeding, fertilizing, pruning and deadheading. That’s why. With this post I will be caught up. At least until the calendar flips at the end of the month. So follows my list of books read for July.
Forever and a Day-Jill Shalvis
Grace Brooks arrives in Lucky Harbor to figure out what will make her life happy. Answering an accidental call from Dr. Josh Scott, she agrees to be the dog walker and then temporary nanny to his five year old son. Grace takes care of the son Toby and paraplegic sister Anna. Grace is there for Josh too. Some families are built rather than born and they are worth the work.
2. Send a Ranger-Tom Habecker (Non-fiction)
A summary of a 32 year career as a ranger serving the National Parks system. From Washington D.C. to Gettysburg, then Yosemite to Glacier to Denali National Park, it was quite a career. The book covers day to day functions such as maintenance, law enforcement, and rescues. The author also shared the beauty and grandeur of the scenery and wildlife. It was interesting to hear what the life of a ranger is really like.
3. OMFG, Bees!-Matt Kracht (Non/fiction)
A hand-illustrated guide with everything you ever wanted to know about bees. The drawings are adorable and the information is presented in a lighthearted, funny way.
4. Ruby Spencer’s Whisky Year-Rochelle Bilow
Ruby quits her high-powered job and moves to Scotland for a year to write a cookbook. She rents a tiny cottage and helps with cooking at the adjacent local pub to help pay her rent. Ruby becomes part of the local community and feels that she has come home, especially after meeting a village Scotsman. It was fun being immersed in this bit of Scottish life.
5. The Café at Beach End-RaeAnne Thayer
Meredith Collins is trying to get her life in order after her ex-husband swindles many people out of their retirement savings. Most people feel she was involved even though she was as surprised as everyone else. Meredith moves from Chicago to a small beach cottage she inherited from her grandmother. It’s all she has left. Her estranged cousin Tori still lives nearby. Her undercover neighbor is looking for clues as to where Meredith’s ex-husband hid the money before he died in prison. Lots of storylines going on here. It made for an enjoyable read.
6. Subpar Parks-Amber Share (Non-fiction)
This book is humorous, informative, and has nice graphic art. Each of America’s National Parks has a chapter starting with the worst and most humorous review. Ie. Crater National Park,”Just something to look at and leave”. I think some people should just stay home. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and learned a lot about our parks.
Magazines: Dogster, Cottages and Bungalows, The English Home, AARP, Country Living, Down East
Yesterday’s vegetables!
This picture also illustrates the comment about why I am behind with posting my book lists and posting in general. I gave about half of these away to my daughter and mother-in-law. This evening, we are having sweet and sour eggplant with peppers and a few green beans served on Jasmine rice for dinner.
I keep four different varieties of rice on hand. Jasmine, brown Basmati, long grain, and short grain. They all have a different taste and texture that makes them preferable for different dishes. Sometimes, I buy long grain and wild rice too. Not bad for a girl whose only exposure to rice growing up was the occasional Minute Rice for our canned La Choy “Chinese food”. My tastes have expanded from when I was growing up and our winter vegetables consisted of canned corn, peas, or green beans. I don’t think our family was all that unusual for the times. The variety of foods that we have now were not as readily available then. At least not where I lived. This may be part of the reason I enjoy growing and cooking such a wide range of things now.
My friends, I hope you are enjoying the bounty of summer as well. Until next time…Peace be with you.
This is what I harvested from our vegetable garden on Monday. Two beets, two types of cucumbers, and a Genovese zucchini. I planted the garden right after Memorial Day which is a little late for us. Everything above was planted from seed. There are a few vegetables we buy plants to put in since there are some things, I just do not have success with from seed. I needed to replant the squash as I think the crows ate the first round. This is the first year we have tried the Genovese squash. They are delicious. A little sweeter than the standard dark green ones.
Candy Striped Beets
The beet seeds I planted are from a specialty mix from Pinetree Gardens. I never know which beets I will have until they are near harvest since they are different types all thrown into one seed packet. I think this makes it more fun! Our first two beets were both of the striped variety which I also think is fun. They are a little milder than the dark red beets. Whatever the case, these two are gone. We ate them for supper that evening along with the greens. My husband and I both agree that beets greens are the best greens. I usually have so many greens that I boil them down to put in the freezer. They are a wonderful addition to soups, stews, and rice dishes in the cold winter months.
Wednesday’s Haul from the Garden
Output is picking up. I spent about an hour picking vegetables yesterday before I went to the grocery store to get away from the heat. I made a big batch of green beans, potatoes, and ham. We gave some green beans to the neighbors. I still had beans left and will be due to pick again tomorrow. That’s ok, I like to have some in the freezer. And folks, that is one day’s picking of cucumbers. I have made two batches of refrigerator pickles thus far with more on the horizon. We also have another crook neck squash that is ready. along with our first eggplant of the year. I don’t have good luck with the full-size eggplant. They take too long to mature. I planted the Japanese variety that are long and slender which do much better here.
Some of the garden vegetables are ready pretty much anytime we want to eat them. I just leave them in the garden until we want them. Green onions, cabbage, Swiss Chard, lettuce, arugula, beets, and turnips. They store better in the garden than in the refrigerator.
Peruvian Lily
And last but not least, I wanted to share a few flowers with you. The Peruvian Lily is a plant that we wintered over in an upstairs bedroom. It was sad and pitiful looking by the time we took it back outdoors in the late spring. It appears to be quite happy now and is covered with buds. We may try something different next winter. Rather than attempting to keep plants going through the winter, we want to try putting them in the basement and letting them go dormant. I will have to report back on how that goes. Hopefully it will not be a failed experiment.
Hollyhock
I get a kick out of this hollyhock. All of my hollyhocks had fungus or hollyhock rust for the past couple years, so I thought I was out of business with them. I planted them from seed several years ago. Now that we are several generations into production, they have started coming up in different beds and seem to have avoided the fungus this way. At least for now. This particular plant amuses me because it grew up beside our pear tree. And grew. And grew. Up into the leaves and out of sight. You could see the buds and flowers for a while. It finally bent over in its search for sunlight and now we can enjoy it. (By the way, the pear tree was called lefty for a long time because it only had branches on one side. Thank heavens it has filled in.)
Hydrangea
We have an entire bed full of hydrangea bushes and generally have many big heads of beautiful flowers. There are nine bushes in one raised bed. Well, my friends who comment on how everything always does wonderfully for us, this last photo is for you. Out of all those hydrangeas, this is the ONLY bloom we have this year! So, there you go, lol. Seriously, all gardeners have successes and failures. It’s a metaphor for life. Things don’t go right for anyone all the time. Make the most of your successes and promote those. I assume no one wants to see pictures of my plum trees riddled with Japanese beetle holes, or my stick of a rose plant with no blooms.
Wow, I am really behind on sharing the books I have read. Gardening is all I can blame it on. That or I’ve been lazy and I sure don’t feel like I’ve been lazy. With the summer drought so far, watering takes up a significant portion of the morning. I have also run the small rototiller a few times to keep the weeds down. Now the vegetable plants are too big to get the tiller between the rows. We will have turnips, beets, cucumbers, zucchini, and green beans all ready soon. It’s a race to see which will be our first veggie to ripen! Anyway, without further ado, here is my list of books.
1. Be the Light that You Are-Debra Landwehr Engle
This book boasts ten simple ways to transform your world with love. Like any inspirational self-help type book, I found some ideas that were worthwhile and some that found me thinking “I do not agree with that at all”. I think that if I get one or two positive ideas from a book, then it was a good investment of my time in reading it.
2. The Confession Club-Elizabeth Berg
A group of ladies in a small town start a monthly supper club, it soon becomes a weekly confession club. No judgment, just listening and occasional advice. Lives change when people are accepted for who they are and the ladies become a source of emotional and hands on support for each other. Berg understands how to convey relationships.
3. The Embroidered Closet-Alexandra Stratkotter (Non-fiction)
A crafty book showing you how to enhance your wardrobe and bags with your own embroidery. Provides design templates and instructions. What a cute book! I think I would rather come up with my own designs but still these ideas are fun.
4. Feral: Losing Myself and Finding My Way in America-Emily Pennington (Non-fiction)
The author has saved up and quit her job to hike all of America’s National Parks. Shortly after she starts, the Covid pandemic hits and she suffers a lengthy break up with her boyfriend. These tragedies play a big part of the story. The tales of hiking through the natural beauty are inspiring. And Emily has an impressive amount of experience and hiking skills. Complete with being able to climb a cliff of ice!
5. Big Dog, Small Dog-Selina McIntyre (Non-fiction)
This book is a nice blend of training techniques and anecdotes. I learned a few things and reviewed reviewed others which is always good.
Magazines: Mother Earth News
These books are all so different that I can’t really recommend one above the others. It depends what type of book you’re in the mood for. Enjoy!
It’s really starting to feel like spring. Everywhere I look I notice something in bloom that wasn’t there the last time I looked. This columbine has been so successful that I would like to get another one in a different color. Who knows, maybe I’ll even put it in my fancy decorative urn. Until this one, I have only ever had the traditional pale pink columbine that re-seed prolifically. I’m a big fan of these fancy bi-color cultivars.
Irises
My bearded irises are starting to bloom. I love their faint grape-like scent. These used to grow in a bed beside the house, but they didn’t like it there. I moved them into the walled garden where they call be in a bed that provides sun for a portion of the day, and they seem much happier. They are spreading and give us many blooms. We also have Siberian irises that will bloom as the bearded ones start to fade. Gardening is a fine dance to be planned out step by step. Most perennials bloom for a set amount of time and you don’t want them all to bloom at once and then be done. You want to plan it, so they peak in phases with something beautiful to behold at all times.
Clematis
The clematis are just getting started with their blooms for the year. When this one peaks, it has over 50 blossoms at a time. I have another smaller plant that I grew from a shoot off this one after I separated it last year. We also have a burgundy clematis that gives us beautiful blooms, but it is nowhere near the monster that the purple one is. This one also provides a second, if smaller, round of blooms later in the summer.
Have you noticed that I have a penchant for purple flowers? I also like pinks and apricots. Really any pastel flower. But then I think about the reds and the orange and yellow variegated ones and I love them too. I guess I like them all.
Lilies
This lily reminds me of popcorn because of its colors. I don’t know what kind of lily it is. My mother-in-law asked me if I wanted starts from the ones that she had and of course I said yes. I have these growing in several places. I always enjoy plants given to me by others the most. I get to be reminded of the thoughtful person that gave them to me in addition to the lovely plants.
Ferns
These ferns were growing as weeds along the edge of our driveway. I transplanted several of them to the shady corner of my rose garden and am quite happy with their performance. They had spread so much over the past few years that I had to dig some up and move them as they were beginning to encroach on other plants. I love ferns in general. They are so lush and green. They also provide greenery throughout much of the year when other plants are dormant.
We purchased the rhododendron and the St. John’s Wort in this garden bed. All the other plants have been transplanted from off shoots or re-seedings from plants that we already had. Astilbe, red coral bells, columbine, myrtle, and snapdragons are what grow here now.
Freshly mulched
My rose bed is ready to go for the season. It looks like a simple flower bed but I already have hours worth of work invested in it. All the roses needed to be trimmed back from their winter burns. I have weeded this bed two times already. I also grow most of my gladioi in this bed because it is the sunniest one we have and in my experience, the more sun glads have, the bigger they get and the more they flower. I spent two afternoons planting glad bulbs and mulching after that. Yesterday afternoon I did the fertilizing. It will be worth it. All the rose bushes are loaded with lots of blooms. I sprung for the good fertilizer for my roses. I get the stuff that has nutrients, and prevents Japanese beetles, and black spot. It prevents a lot of heartache.
Last summer I was dubbing myself the Japanese beetle queen. I suppose Japanese beetle slayer would have been closer to the truth. I have never seen as many of these beetles as we had last year. They were on most every plant we had. I would make the rounds with my jar of soapy water, knocking beetles in as I went. I probably got 100 with each round. We even put milky spore in the yard which is supposed to kill the larvae. Fingers crossed that this year is better.
New flowers!
Does this photo look like lots of pretty flowers? It does to me too. It also looks like days worth of work which it also is. There are a few perennials for our ever growing collection. And there are annuals for the concrete planters on top of the garden wall, some for my hanging baskets, with enough left over for other urns and filling in empty spots that need a little something.
It all sounds like a lot of work, and it is. But the rewards are worth it. I find that if I put in extra work early in the season, it gives more free time to relax later in the summer. Prevent those weeds and seeds now, and it will pay off big time later. I try never to get so involved in the prepping and maintaining of the garden that I don’t take time to enjoy it. For each time I do some gardening, I also make a little time for a cool drink and reading on the patio. The dogs also hang out with me in the garden which makes it more fun for all of us. They are all trained to stay out of the flower beds and know where they can go. They think the fountain is the world’s largest dog bowl! And so, it is.
A section of the Buckeye Trail at West Branch State Park
We are still hiking but our days on the trail and mileage are down about 50% for the month. We just don’t have the heart to walk a lot of day since Baxter passed to the Rainbow Bridge early in the month. We miss the way he pranced back and forth with such joy, urging us to hurry! He also told us when it was time to go since we went everyday near the same time.
You can see that things are starting to green up out in the woods. The spring wildflowers are slow to arrive this year. The weather has been rather cold and rainy. I’m sure the flowers will arrive soon. We have seen violets along the path. This area is interesting. There are purple violets, white violets, and yellow violets. I have never seen the yellow ones anywhere else and there are not very many. Maybe I just don’t get out much.
We have discovered new sections of the Buckeye Trail at West Branch State Park to explore. I imagine the trail has been there for a long time, but some wonderful volunteers have been doing trail maintenance and painting blazes, so they are easily visible. I will report back after we have gone exploring.
I am also getting the licenses on our kayaks renewed! We haven’t taken them out in a few years. I discovered that if it’s been more than three years since you renewed the license, you have to go to an official boating agent for Ohio Department of Natural Resources to renew them. Luckily, we have one here in town. The kayaks have been stored in the basement of the workshop. I have the kayaking itch and hubby agrees it will be fun to use them this year. I’m sure we’ll start out at West Branch since it’s so close to home. Later, we hope to give Punderson a try, so look for updates on that later in the summer.
American plum trees
Things in our yard are starting to green up too. Hubby just mowed for the first time, and I think our yard looks like a park. The major things in bloom for us right now are fruit trees and bushes. We have American plums, a Methley plum, and another type of Japanese plum that I can’t recall the name of. We have learned that you need two types of Japanese plums for them to pollinate and bear fruit. You can’t for instance have only two Methley plum trees and have them fruit. They must be different types. The American plums may pollinate the Japanese plum trees, but only if they flower at the same type which is apparently not guaranteed. We also have two cherry trees. One we planted last summer. The other is an old tree that has been here longer than I have. All its cherries grow in the top canopy where only the birds can reach them. We also have five blueberry bushes. They performed well last year for being so young and we hope for a good crop this year. We also have random black raspberry bushes around the property. They reseed themselves so we never know just how many or where they will be.
Redbuds
Above is a group of three redbud trees. We planted them together several years ago until they grew bigger, thinking of the group as a tree nursery. Well, we never got around to moving them and now it’s too late. The trees seem happy though and we are happy with the arrangement too, so all is well. We find several redbud seedlings a year that have made a good start. A few we have transplanted to better locations. We happily give an occasional one away, free to a good home once they reach about a foot tall.
This is the time of year when we spend lots of time picking up sticks and pinecones, clearing off flowerbeds, and weeding. Soon will come mulching and planting. There will be a brief respite when we sit on the patio and enjoy it. And then will come the watering and the weeding. Followed by more watering and weeding. And so on.
The garden takes on a different feel in the autumn months. I know, it’s technically not fall yet, but you can definitely tell a difference. The light has a sharper feel and the path of the sun over the course of the day has changed. There are more shady places to sit on the patio throughout the day with the angle of the sun on the move. I see this as prime patio time. I can load up a tote bag of books and magazines, grab a beverage and the dogs, without worrying that the blazing sun will drive us back indoors.
In this shot of the garden, you can see Zekie photo bombing all the plants. Actually, it was a fortunate accident. Who wouldn’t want to see a photo of Zekie Bear? The other dogs were with me but laying in out of the way places.
First dahlia!
We finally have dahlias! We have two blooms so far. It is my fault that we are just now getting them. I was late in planting. I find that I’m rather glad about it. So many of the other plants are winding down. It is nice to have dahlia blossoms coming on to look forward to. I learned this year that you are supposed to pinch off the top of the main stalk when the dahlia plant is 12-18 inches high. This forces more branches to grow, and more branches means more blooms. Yay! If you want large blooms, you need to pinch off a few of the buds too. I also learned that dahlias are heavy feeders and need lots of fertilizer. I won’t claim to have kept up with fertilizing them like I should have, but I did do it a couple times.
The Leaning Tower of…Gladioli?
This is one of the last spray of gladioli blossoms for the year. They have been so reliable for me. I follow the routine of digging them up in the fall, planting them in the spring, and they never disappoint. These days, most of them get planted in my rose bed. That is the only place I have in the garden that remains sunny enough for their tastes.
Mandevilla
This is a mandevilla that I wintered over last year. The summer was half-way done before it produced many blossoms. Now it is putting on a show. The mandevilla is a Zone 10 plant. We live in Zone 5. During January we wondered if our upstairs hallway where the plant sat was even warm enough to keep it going, 55 degrees when it’s really cold out! Ah, the joys of an old farmhouse. It dropped a lot of leaves at the beginning of May, right before I moved it to the enclosed porch. I’m glad we toughed it out. It turned out to be worth it.
Butterfly bush
The butterfly bush is one of those plants that I wouldn’t grow just for the flowers. What makes it worth it, is the fact that it lives up to its name. Once it starts to bloom there are butterflies on it every day, throughout the day. The majority of butterflies we see are yellow swallowtails and monarchs, although many others visit too. Not to mention the hummingbirds and my personal favorite, the hummingbird moth. So many pollinators like this bush that it makes me wonder if bats feed on it at night? That would be awesome.
We bought a couple butterfly bushes many years ago and have not been without them since. They reseed prolifically. Ours prefer to grow in craggy, inopportune places. Between sandstones in the garden wall. Along the fence. In walkway screed. They are easy enough to move when small and always seem to survive. They are such good reproducers that we weed out lots each year. Definitely don’t let one take hold where you don’t want it. They develop massive roots that require my husband and the spud bar to remove them. We have had them in different locations over the years. The bushes bloom nicely for two or three years and then start to look straggly, and we take them out, wondering where the next generation will sprout.
Fall sedum or stone crop.
The sedum that we have, was transplanted from my husband’s grandmother’s house shortly before it was sold. I don’t find it to be a very showy flower. It has other merits. It is reliable and brings fond memories. Reason enough to grow any plant.
Cleome
The first year after we planted a four pack of cleomes, we were inundated. I was ripping them out by the handfuls for two years. It must have been 10 years ago that we planted the first generation. We are down to one this year. Will I plant them again? I just might. They have shallow roots and are easy to pull out. It probably depends on which plants the garden centers have to offer when I am shopping.
Canna lily
This plant has been a pleasant surprise. We purchased it for $5 at Walmart thinking it was worth a try. It has done well, growing to about three and a half feet tall and blooming several times over the summer. We save our canna lily bulbs and replant them in the spring. They never do as well as that first year. The leaves don’t get as big, and the flowers are tiny. If anyone knows what we are doing wrong, speak up! It may just be our climate. They are a tropical plant. I see huge ones growing at the nearby university each summer. Perhaps they throw them out and buy new ones each year?
Hanging basket
And last, I’ll leave you with our hanging basket on the grape pergola. I bought yet another basket and threw in leftover plants that we had purchased in multiples for various garden beds. They appear to like it there.
Incidentally, this is the first year that the grape leaves have provided enough shade that we can sit under them and escape from the sun. My husband did a heavy pruning on the grape vines in early spring, and they really grew after that. Incidentally, if you have dogs, I would not recommend planting grapes! Grapes are toxic to dogs in case you didn’t know. I did know that but did NOT know that grapes fall continually from the vines throughout their growing season (at least ours do) which seems to go on for months. Each time I want to sit on the patio with the dogs, I must pick up all the fallen grapes first and throw them over the fence. This gets old very quickly. Still, I do it religiously to keep my pups safe. I imagine you can guess which dog starts looking for grapes as soon as he gets out there. My problem child, Zekie, of course! Zekie the Wonder Dog
Our flowers and gardens are approaching their peak as the summer wears on. The hardy Amarillys is such a unique flower. The leaves come up early in the summer and are long and flat, similar to hyacinth leaves. I did not know about these flowers until I moved here twenty years ago and discovered them on the property. I thought they were not doing well or were not happy where they were planted. If you are familiar with this plant, you will know that part of its normal life cycle is that the leaves die back to the ground. Then after a week or so, you see a stalk sprouting in the center of where the leaves had been. And this stalk grows quickly. Within a few days it is over two feet tall and blooms with a few large trumpet shaped flowers!
I had to research on-line to discover that these flowers are the hardy Amarillys. They are also an interesting plant because they go by a couple of aliases. They are often referred to as Naked Ladies. Because they lose all their foliage before blooming. The flower stands alone.
Last month I discovered a third name for this flower when I was reading a fiction book, The Heirloom Garden by Viola Shipman. It was on my list of books read for last month. Books I Read in July 2022. Apparently, they are also called Surprise Lilies because you think the plant has died and then, surprise, you get the unexpected gift of a flower! I think this is my favorite name of all for them. A Surprise Lily sounds so magical.
Mandevilla
Many other flowers around the yard and gardens are taking off too. The red Mandevilla is one that I wintered over from last year. It took a long time to hit its stride after losing so many leaves over the winter but now it is in full bloom with more buds on the way. The root ball was large, and it has woody stalks, so I expect it to perform well for the rest of the season.
Hardy Hibiscus
Another hardy version of plant that I am happy with is the Hardy Hibiscus. This perennial is only in its second year at our house. We discovered that it does not grow back from its stalks. You should cut it to the ground, and it will come back from the ground up. Ours was the last to bloom in the area, but this doesn’t seem like a problem to me since it is a young plant. If you live in a northern zone and want your hibiscus to come back year after year, make sure you get a hardy hibiscus and not a tropical one. We have a tropical hibiscus also but realize that it is just an annual for us. I tried to winter a tropical hibiscus over in the house a couple years ago, but it did not survive.
And then there are my ever-faithful gladioli. I dig the bulbs up each fall after frost and store them in paper bags in the basement. And each fall I wonder, is it worth it? One year I dug up 80 bulbs! I plant them again in the month of May and then we wait. They start blooming in late July and peak in August. It is then that I decide it is worth it. Come October, we get a hard frost, and the entire cycle starts again. Most years I get more bulbs out of the ground than I put in. This is good because there are always a few that I slice in half with the shovel. Oops!
Glads growing in front of the patio fence.Rose of Sharon and Phlox
I’ll leave you with one last photo of some old standbys that you couldn’t get rid of if you wanted to. The pink phlox on the right seems to end up everywhere and tries to take over. It grows by runners underground. I pulled out a couple bushels of it from the flowerbed next to the house this spring. I do this every other year. If I don’t, it outcompetes the other plants and you end up with nothing but phlox. One bonus is the hummingbirds love phlox. Sometimes I am bent over weeding, and I hear the hum from the beating of their wings and when I look up, there they are. I often hear the hummingbirds before I see them. Occasionally we stare at each other eye to eye for a while before they flit away.
The pink flowered tree-like plant on the left is a Rose of Sharon. They reseed themselves everywhere. We frequently weed them out. There are so many that sprout, most often in inconvenient places. We have transplanted several and given a few away as well.
If all plants were as easy to grow as phlox and the Rose of Sharon, there would be little challenge in gardening!
It’s a patio type of morning for me. The weather is predicted to be hot today, and for nearly the entire country, not just here. So, I am spending some time outdoors before things heat up. My trusty canine companions are with me, except for Shelby who opted to stay in the house.
Due to some recent rains, I have been able to skip watering for the past several days saving me hours of work. What a treat! Except for the container plants. They look droopy by afternoon and long for a splash of water on their roots. We oblige them because we do not want unhappy hibiscus, mandevillas, gardenias, and such. They make views from the patio so much better!
Patio time!
I have been thinking about the nature of friends in current times. Relationships have changed. I’m not sure if this is for good or bad. Probably a little of each as most things are or maybe only different.
I ponder why they have changed. My first thought is, we live in an electronic age. My second thought is we live in the time of Covid. Both have certainly changed things. People have cell phones and computers. Even most television viewing is by streaming rather than a live broadcast so we don’t even all get our news at the same time. We no longer use face to face interactions for the majority of our communications unless you count Zoom meetings and Facetime. We text, we email, and occasionally call. I am a believer that texts and emails can make life easier, but they also cause problems. Some emails are lost, but the sender doesn’t know it. If the message does arrive, vocal nuances and facial expressions do not accompany it so the meaning may be mis-taken. Sending, “That’s great”, does not convey the sarcastic tone that may, or may not be implied. Irony and a questioning lilt that is implied with a tone of voice is lost. Misunderstandings occur and feelings get hurt. I imagine this must be something we have all experienced. I do believe that electronic communication is a beneficial and powerful tool. We just need to take care with how we use it.
Keeping in touch with friends electronically is the new norm. I don’t feel that I have as many close friends now because we are texting and Facebooking, but not really visiting. This is exacerbated by Covid protocols. I am just as guilty of this as anyone. But it does make for a different type of relationship. Or maybe part of it is the natural progression as we get older, we don’t have the same intensity of friendships because we all have our own families and lives to take care of.
When I was younger, I had friends that I frequently spent time with. Even entire weekends. We went places and did things and were a regular part of each other’s lives. Fast forward to today. Does this still hold true? Not so much. Admittedly, two of my closest friends of my adult life have both passed away. So, it’s beyond my, or their, control that we don’t hang out.
On the flip side, I have many more friends than I ever did. These friends are more of the acquaintance variety. I have made most of them virtually. Or I may have met them in person once and we became friends via Facebook. I have made friends through other friends, at parties, at animal rescue events, and through other activities I have been involved in. People that I would only have had contact with one time, have been converted into regular acquaintances.
Some of my friends, I have never met in person at all. We hooked up through different Facebook groups or maybe as friends of friends or we find we share common interests. I have even had some of these virtual friends for years. And these friendships are important to me. I care about these people, and I believe they care about me. We “like” each other’s posts and frequently have conversations about life experiences and day to day life. In times of trouble or sadness, we offer each other words of comfort and support. One of my Facebook friends that I have never met in person was recently diagnosed with an aggressive and rare form of cancer. (Don’t give up, sometimes the doctor’s prognosis is wrong and there is more time to be had!) I am saddened by my friend’s diagnosis and think of her several times a day. My point is these types of friendships can have great value and be meaningful too.
I am blessed to live in an age where I can have friendships with people that live far away from me in distance, but we are close in spirit. I have reconnected with childhood friends and classmates, relatives that live far away. People I wouldn’t have the chance to be in touch with otherwise.
Now don’t get me wrong. I still have some friends that I visit with in person. Even a few new ones since I retired. And family members that I hang out with regularly. In fact, one of the best things is being friends with your adult daughter and your considerably younger brother and all the extended families that now come with them. I also know I am blessed that I love my family members and love spending time with them.
So, what is a friendship? I think it means different things to different people. May your friends be as dear to you as mine are to me.
Sanctuary Acres 