Post Labor Day blahs

Obviously I haven't posted for over a month. I haven't been able to bring my self to work in the garden, let alone blog about it. August's heavy rains left the roses in various degrees of decay and disease. I do have some pictures that I need to upload and caption. I've come to the conclusion that our yard is just too big -- I need a smaller garden. Never thought that would be possible, but I'm more and more convinced that a "Beacon Hill" garden is not such a bad thing. Greg just remarked "huh, it's dark at 7:15."

July turns to August

I'm ba-a-a-a-a-ck... It's hard maintaining a blog, I tell you. And the more you procrastinate, the harder it gets. Embedded here is a slideshow of pics spanning the month of July into August. The flea market plant stands referenced in the slideshow are cast iron pieces we bought at the flea market in Rowley -- two aquarium stands, and a grate and a griddle.



And the reason I post now? I'm on vacation, so have found a moment and the energy to do this. Anyone out there interested in some daylilies? We really need to divide them this year, and I don't really have a place to plant the divisions so take your pick... (pos. 1 & 3 no longer in bloom). First come, first serve:

Pimm's and fava beans

With borage in full leaf, Pimm's season can now commence (though one can cheat and start drinking Pimm's Cup before the borage is out...). Very refreshing during this muggy weekend. Saturday did some much overdue deadheading and planted some larkspur seedlings. On Sunday weeded cutting flower bed and finished mulching some of the bare spots; installed some plant supports; nearly passed out from the heat and humidity. Greg seeded some late crops (collards, etc.). Greg thought the favas were ready to harvest, but after having resolved to harvest and build a meal around them (and some escararole), there weren't really as many mature pods as initially thought. We forged ahead and supplemented the favas with peas. All turned out well and we had a delicious meal. Lettuce heads are fully formed and cut and come again is beginning to bolt -- hard to keep up with some crops!

Here's a limited slideshow.


Phototaking is something I'm also behind on. What photos are missing? The red Shakespeare roses in full bloom complemented by the lavender. The pink Geoff Hamilton roses in full bloom complemented by the Siberian iris (and the delicate cloud of blue creeping veronica flowers that preceded them). Brilliant blue delphinium bouquets. The vegetables' progress.

Zinnias, sweet peas, cosmos and larkspurs starting to bloom. Not enough for big bouquets yet though.

More on Pimm's.

Spring photos

Finally, am updating this blog with some photos. (Click on the slideshow/photos and you will go to Picasa and see the slideshow in a larger size.)

Rainy sunday

Yesterday was beautiful and we spent the active part of the day weeding the vegetable garden. I finally got around to mulching the herb section -- what a mess it was, but now it's tidy. Today we awoke to heavy rain; we were supposed to weed the shrub and flower beds. My vote is to have Strawberry Hill (our lawn service) do it.

Last weekend we had to go to New Jersey because Greg's brother Ron had bypass surgery. The weather here and there was quite hot (high 90s) and the peonies pretty much peaked this week; not much left. Last Friday I brought enough with me to NJ for two big, gorgeous bouquets. This past Monday I brought a big bunch to work and have rotated through a few bouquets in the house. God I love peonies. Also Siberian iris have pretty much peaked. So gorgeous. Asparagus season is over. Got some peas at Volante farms yesterday; delicious cooked simply with butter, salt, white pepper and some windowsill chervil.

The roses are blooming like crazy. They'll probably keep going at least a week or two more. Plants in the cutting flower garden are doing well, though the Teddy Bear sunflowers are down to about 1-2, and some sort of disease got one of the delphinum.

I have tons of photos but haven't had time to download, upload, caption, arrange, etc. Hope to get to that this week (mabye).

First Peony Harvest

It's been really busy lately, didn't get to do much gardening last weekend. However, couldn't resist sharing the first peony harvest of the season. Here they are with a couple of Siberian Iris.

Memorial Day Weekend

The gardener's busiest weekend of the year. Spectacular weather. Yesterday, helped Greg install a new cornstarch-based solar "mulch" and planted out his tomatoes (10), cucumbers, peppers (28!), broccoli, lettuce, eggplant seedlings. The mulch will last about 3 months. Also planted my cosmos, teddy bear sunflowers, and store-bought snapdragons and replacement alchemilla (Lady's Mantle). Today planted some plants that had been bought/delivered a while ago (tricyrtis, anemone, rose campion); repotted the bay (my theory is leaves turning brown due not to disease or insects but being rootbound); potted leftover eggplant seedlings; lobelia and calibrachoa that we bought today. Sprayed roses, baptisia and yarrow with Pyola. Tomorrow, hope to tackle the agapanthus and impatiens.

Last night Greg made some really delicious cream of asparagus soup -- really simple, sauteed leeks, chicken stock, asparagus, salt, pepper, a touch of creme fraiche, pureed. He made this soup last week (also quite good), but the flavor was more intense this time, in part due to the asparagus, in part due perhaps due to the leeks.

Struggling along with a bruised shin/ankle obtained Thursday night (run in with the tub, sleep walking perhaps?).

Daffodils & Asparagus

What is up with the Daffodils in my yard? This particular clump is blooming well but...

Other clumps are kind of pathetic; weak sprouts, few blooms. We've planted several daffodils since moving here, and in years 2-3 following initial planting, they seem to kind of crap out. I need to research this. Too much mulch? Some kind of subterranean bug? It's not the deer or rabbits.

Accomplished a lot this weekend and last. Planted out larkspur and sweet pea seedlings (direct sowed additional larkspur last weekend, including Sydney Blue Picotee seed purchased to replace the plants sold by Parks). Planted dahlias last weekend (0rdered new tubers from Swan's). Weeded cutting flower bed and mulched seedlings and young perennials with Mainely Mulch. Put soaker hose irrigation systems in veg and flower gardens. Sprayed vulnerable plants with copper soap and deer repellent. Thinned phlox to reduce mildew. Bought a rose (Falstaff) to replace one of the pathetic tree peonies. Still so much to do! Delicate balance between enjoying the work and doing everything that needs to be done; gardening is peaceful and fulfilling but can easily tip toward feeling stressed out about not getting key tasks done in time. Too tired to do the copper spray and deer repellent? Then you'll be crying when your peonies rot or the deer devour your tender plants and rosebuds.

First meal-size portion asparagus harvest of the year tonight. This is what it's all about!

Cherry crostata

On Saturday I baked a cherry "crostata" -- a free form tart with some leftover frozen sour cherries I ordered from Michigan last year. Yumm.








On Saturday I also potted up the Johnny Jump Ups and Bellis Perennis. Cleaned up and fed the Hydrangeas. Planted the mail order plants and some plants picked up at garden centers (Quince Toyo-Nishiki, Helenium something or other, Party Girl miniature hollyhock, Hellebore). The Hellebore were probably planted in a spot that is too sunny. Forgot that I had intended to use them in a shadier spot to replace Tricyrtis that are out of place due to height. So, sigh, will have to move them. But the good news is we have a fairly sunny bed that we had underappreciated as such. Room for more perennials!

Tues: Ordered seeds for Delphinium (Annual Larkspur) Sydney Blue Picotee (plants from Parks were a total bust, should've known, will get refund); Dahlias (Lauren Michelle and a 2008 introduction, Rawhide). Friday (4/25) received shipment from Brent & Becky's. Nice plants and bulbs, but bulbs packed in box on top of plants and crushed the leaves.

Patriot's Day weekend

The weather was glorious so we got a lot done. Greg's nephew Matthew helped out on Saturday. We amended the soil in the vegetable and flower gardens; amendments included compost that Matt and Greg screened. (Very satisfying to feed that monster every week and have it produce gold eventually.) Flower bed included lime, humus/manure blend from Home Despot, peat, some old "Cock-a-doodle-doo" organic fertilizer that's been lying around, and some alfafa (if it works for the roses, why not the flowers?). Scratched alfalfa and Rose Tone around the roses. Exhausting work.

Sunday pruned the roses and treated roses and peonies with harpin (Green Guard from Gardens Alive), a plant protein that is supposed to stimulate growth and natural immune response. I'm mainly interested in the latter. Pruned the lavender. Fertilized the peonies w/slow release and 5-10-5. We purchased some johnny jump ups and bellis at Russell's; need to pot them next weekend. Greg direct sowed fava beans, radishes, escarole, cutting lettuce mix, arugula, carrots and scallions; planted mail order onion plants. Inquired about Bullseye Bioinsectide at Russell's. They don't sell it; no one seems to, need to research online.

Monday, I cleaned up the daylilies and scratched in some slow release fertilizer and 5-10-5. Greg helped out by watering the roses and spraying them with dormant oil, and spraying the peonies with anti-fungal copper soap. Planted a phlox and campanula (chettle charm) that arrived from Bluestone perennials last week. Discovered that all my dahlia tubers were rotten. May order 1-2 replacements or just do without this year. Still have hellebore (5), helenium, quince (toyo-nishiki) and tricyrtis from Bluestone to plant -- next weekend. Bought a ridiculously expensive watering can at Needham garden center.

There was quite a feeling of accomplishment for all three days' work. Gardening, like cooking, is one of those hobbies that I derive a great deal of pleasure from, but which is simultaneously relaxing and anxiety-inducing. Anxiety inducing because it can feel overwhelming, and certain chores must be done within fleeting windows; there's always one more thing that seems to need doing and must be put off.

Both lilacs are chock-full of blooms. Can't wait for them to come out. It's one of those things you pine for all winter.

The other highlights? Mysterious clog in downstairs bathroom sink. Clothes dryer broke down. Service person coming Friday.

Snapshots from trip to Rome

Finally got around to doing something with the photos we took in Rome. Decided to experiment with Picasa. (Post's title links to full size slideshow with captions.) Because we hadn't ever been there before, there are a lot of pictures toward the end taken at Villa d'Este in Tivoli, outside of Rome (I believe also known as Tivoli Gardens though no one seems to refer to it as such any more).

Kind of cold and cloudy, with occasional light rain. In the garden today:

• Cut back the sage and perovskia.
• Pruned a couple of roses, but didn't finish any.
• Cleaned up some perennial crowns. Baptisia looks like it's sending up a lot of shoots.

Postscript: Actually, Tivoli Gardens "is a famous amusement park and pleasure garden in Copenhagen, Denmark. "...'Tivoli' alluding to the Jardin de Tivoli in Paris (which in its turn had been named from Tivoli near Rome).

The sunny day that wasn't supposed to be

Because we're both recovering from bad colds, we were looking forward to the forecast of heavy rain -- it would be a good excuse to stay inside and rest. Well, turned out to be a pretty nice day, reaching close to 70. We decided not to do any work in the yard anyway and will rest up for tomorrow, and may postpone all this till next weekend anyway. Need to clean up perennials, scrape away winter build up of detritus, fertilize, prune out dead stuff, etc. I've purchased Carol Stocker's book and want to try to follow her weekly "to do" lists; I may try to use this blog to hold myself to that.

I suppose that with this being the first post, I should provide some sort of introduction or charter. I'm not sure it will be intended for a wide audience (I kind of think these things are narcissistic anyway -- who has the time to read blogs, let alone WRITE them????). But as a web professional a I feel obligated to do some experimentation. (Mind you, this isn't the first one.) And it serves a useful purpose, recording the progress of the garden, creative outlet, etc.

Please don't expect anything profound or witty about politics, culture or new media (not that you necessarily would).

Seeds started so far:

3/23?

• Sweet peas- Late Spencer Choice (new), Perfume Delight, Jewels of Albion, Electric Blue (new, for container)
  
• Larkspur - Sublime Dark Pink, Gentian Blue, Cannes (new - supposedly disease resistant), Giant Imperial Mix
  

4/6

• Cosmos - Seashells, Picotee (trying for cutting garden)
  
• Sunflower - Teddy Bear, Henri Wilde (for veg garden)
• Zinnia - Granny's Bouquet, Raggedy Anne
• Verbena Bonariensis (for Hamilton border)
  
• Chervil, Marjoram (indoor pots)
• Italian Parsley
• Basil - Aroma 1 (new), Sweet Thai