the bigger sideyard

I still think of it as the 'sunny sideyard' and the narrower one with the steps as the 'shady sideyard' even though now they both get sun, what with trees removed years ago. So- it was all shabby and a mess over here. At least, the plants against the house. The huge hostas all eaten away, and edges dried out from the heat we had up until just recently, too. All the sensitive fern looking terrible- I ripped a lot of it out, that had spread too far.

There was sensitive fern encroaching on the pulmonaria- dug that all out, pulled mock strawberry, pulled out older dead leaves underneath that had aphid sign, and tidied it up. Mulched with leaf mould.

Sensitive fern had also grown in among the lily of the valley patch- cleaned that all up too. Lots of these crisped edges from the heat and dryness as well.

Here's a long shot of all that. It's so uneven. I really need to edge this bed with stones, too, and I want a path of big stepping stones or pavers all down the side, and then the main group of plants to the right (center of the hillside) just fill in so there will be no more mowing over here. That's my long-term plan.

Closer photo, though at an awkward angle- you can see from left to right (going uphill) the edge of beautyberry, spiderwort, lily of the valley, lungwort, sensitive fern and then ostrich ferns mixed in with the remnants of the hostas, euonymus and yellow salvia at the top corner. Really the ostrich ferns are doing the best here right now! 

I threw down dried seedheads cut off the spent joe pye weed on the other sideyard, into the bare gap against the wall here. Hoping they grow nice and tall. Don't know if they'd get enough sun, though.

Bright spot here, top of the middle flower bed, is the red-hot poker my friend gave me. I did water it extra during that super hot week we had- and cut off the flower stalks when they faded, and it surprised me by sprouting two more! So I think this one's going to do great here.

And when I was pulling up crabgrass and digging in the catmints, I found a little bit of hyssop in the other corner, still alive. I thought that plant had all died out in this area. It's nice to know there's still a bit here, because the one down in the planter by the rear deck, isn't looking great right now. (I've trimmed it and doused with soap against the bugs, and given it new mulch, so we'll see).

heat wave

End of summer, beginning of fall, leaves starting to change colors- and we're suddenly getting a hundred and one temps at the height of the day. I take a walk after dark because it's so hot. My yard is parched- the grass yellow and brown, the younger hydrangeas severely wilted, the little maple hybrid on the sideyard leaves turning crispy. I water what I'm able to, with fishwater from the tank cleaning, and dishwater from the kitchen. Still prefer to recycle that, rather than turn on the hose. Red-hot poker is getting priority treatment- I deadheaded and it sprouted a new flower stalk!- plus all the potted plants. Most of the rest is just left to survive if it can. 

Some things are doing great in the heat- sedums in the front yard, celosia around the mailbox, canna lilies (still no flowers though) and the cardinal climber has begun to bloom all over the place- 

so I get glimpses of the hummingbird more often, and have to go out trim off the reaching vine tendrils every other day, or it will take over. 

And here my sad (empty) garden has given me a nice surprise: that vine was a butternut squash!

I wasn't absolutely sure until I cut it open: yes.

Roasted it with some brussels sprouts for dinner- and it tasted good. There's two, I'm saving the other for a later day. Still baffled how it grew in my garden- my best guess is still that a squirrel put the seed there. I sure didn't plant it. Rabbit or deer has eaten all the leaves off by now- and even chomped on my 'kiwi fern' coleus nearby! but it doesn't matter, I got my squash.

They (deer) had also mostly chomped the flower buds off my turtlehead and the gladiolas on the larger sideyard- I never saw them eat glads buds until this year. But now I do have some turtlehead blooming, from further back in the patch against the fence, on one side of the yard. Where I guess the deer don't bother to reach. So there's that. 

I might get a picture, but it's too hot to bother going outside again now.

a friend

gave me a plant! It's red hot poker flower.

Looks so tropical. 

I planted it on the front corner of the larger sideyard, by the turtlehead patch. Which normally would be swarming with bees, but the deer chomped off most of the flower heads this year.