seedling progress

Two days ago my beets started sprouting 

along with something I wish wasn't growing- the sticks of virburnum I used as pea supports. Well, that tells me I could just shove trimmings in the ground to extend the hedge!

Tatsoi and tokyo bekana have grown their first true leaves- I'll probably plant them straight out into the garden (skipping potting up)

My collards,

chard

and lettuces all have first true leaves also. (Lettuces are not doing so well as the others).

Had a few mishaps already- I accidentally dropped two seedling trays facedown on the floor. Rescued these tomato seedlings and they seem okay after a few days- although now I can't tell which are the sweetie 100's and which are the black cherry tomatoes!

The other tray I faceplanted had chives and dill- they didn't fare so well. (But these I can tell apart).

So I made some mistakes, but here's something that's gone well: that patch of grass I sowed in the backyard where there's a sunken spot (in the fall). It's greener than anything! (see the surrounding "lawn").

I am honestly quite surprised. All these years I thought I had done well to mix grass seed with compost and ashes, or to scatter just compost and ashes to feed the lawn. This grew far better, and stayed way greener, and looks much healthier. Forget saving ashes for the lawn anymore. Pro mix and a handful of compost, on top of bare clay soil seemed to work! 

tired now

 after doing just three things outside. I cut out the small-leaved holly that grows under the big japanese one. I do like its small, neat and glossy leaves, but it has such an untidy shape- all leggy and sprawling, probably reaching for more light. I chopped it down to a bare trunk six inches, might make the effort to dig that out later if it regrows. I couldn't picture planting it anywhere else with the awkward shape it had.

 In its place under the japanese holly, I planted four lady ferns. They look so nice there. Will take a picture tomorrow.

Then pruned the row of viburnums. Still uncertain if I regret having planted the volunteers. I've kept all the younger ones clear of the fence- cutting out branches on the back side, there's actually enough space to stand back there. Hopefully this makes it easier to chop them out if I have to remove in future. My pruning job made it look a lot neater- an actual hedge now.

Earlier in the week, sitting outside after some work, I was admiring the light airiness of the spider azalea across the yard, moving in the breeze. Yesterday I looked and it wasn't as easy to see. It looked sparser. I walked over and yes, there were twig ends nipped off, fluff of foliage missing. I found deer droppings near the panicle hydrangea. I looked around the yard- the deer haven't once touched the young japanese maple hybrid on the second sideyard. They haven't eaten any of my transplanted forsythia scion, or the new growth on the younger euonymus shrubs. Just this plant right now. They had to taste something new? 

I got my husband to help me remove the fencing from around the japanese maple, and we moved it to surround the spider azalea. Sigh.

in the shady sideyard

Everything turned out fine. Either it didn't get as cold as predicted last night, or my measures worked. I spent hours late yesterday watering all the garden and yard plants by hand (because I didn't want the hose to spray foliage which if still damp at freeze might harm the leaves?). I covered turnip and beet seedlings and the camellia with old sheets, heaped crushed sycamore leaves and put upended pots over the lovage, lemon balm, cranesbill, black-and-blue salvia and alstroemeria. Shifted my leaf mulch pile and gave thicker layers to most of the hostas, the ferns, lady's mantle, peonies and the chrysanthemums, which are just starting to emerge.

This morning went out to remove coverings and push the mulch back aside. The stuff from the leaf pile was warm. In fact not only did it protect the plants, but I think it gave some of them a boost. Both the old and divided piece of black-and-blue salvia doubled in height overnight! Pics of that soon. Right now I have some from a few days ago.

Lily of the valley is blooming:

I'm pretty sure the stand is thicker this year than last.

Joe pye-weed has come up, and this one didn't suffer from the cold.

The reddish huechera behind it, actually look nice this year. I think the rabbit that had been nibbling them down is gone. I thought they would make a nice contrast behind the ' chocolate' joe-pye, but I think I need more joe-pye in that spot.

Very russet, almost wine-colored. Wish I knew their variety name. It's one I picked up on a whim at a grocery store of all places.

(pink heucherella over by the garden are soooo lovely!)

Lady's mantle is looking great

First new growth on my oakleaf hydrangea, very glad to see this one leafing out!

The viburnums I planted in an area against the fence are all looking nice, too. The ones I probably shouldn't have encouraged, as I don't know what kind they are (native or invasive)

Here's that little plant I think is a rose again, though never seen it bloom.

Flush of green on my hibiscus!

There's a lot of this plant in edges the yard now. Especially in some back areas against the rear fence. I think it might be a honeysuckle?

fed compost

to the plants: 'big boy' hosta

Solomon's seal. So sad, these are the only ones left. Something has been eating them.

Rhododendrons. Looking droopy- it's been so dry.

Heucherella and turtlehead by the garden

Yellow salvia and blue hosta just upslope of that. I don't know why this yellow salvia always looks great,

while the two groups out front wilt severely if I don't water them in this heat. Is the ground damper on the west sideyard? or it gets fuller shade so doesn't suffer as much. Here's salvia on top of the east sideyard, next to smaller patch of turtlehead that does a little better:

and yellow salvia in the back, where particolored hosta I moved this spring also fares better in the heat:

Speaking of hostas, I thought they'd do well under the holly shrub-

but only three have survived and one of those looks pretty bad right now. Here's the better ones:

Newer, narrow-leaved hosta

That shady east sideyard is slowly getting filled in. One view of it:

and the other:

slightly better photo of the joe pye-weed 'chocolate' (it only got a sprinkling of compost):

I was generous with compost to the young oakleaf hydrangea

Less so with the two nandina, which look pretty established now. Still feel ambivalent about this plant, though I like its foliage.

the big, light-green hostas against the house wall. I need something taller behind them...

Hellebores:

Volunteer viburnum I moved out of the back perennial bed, also just got a scattering of compost.

Coleus in the front yard. They're still doing okay as long as I remember to water every other day.

Alstroemeria on the front edge:

The hyssop kind of looks like rosemary, but with longer leaves, and a very different scent

I was generous to the peonies, too. They are starting to look dusty and pale with a bit of mildew...

Younger 'sorbet' one. Looks very different from when I first got it.

Chrysanthemum. I'm so pleased how these turned out with two pinchings. Just the right height and fullness. And not too much work.

Last of all, the rue. It got the leftovers when the wheelbarrow was almost empty- just a scraping of compost off the bottom. Doesn't need as rich of feeding as other plants, though I will mulch it thicker with dry leaves when cold really hits.

There's brown drips on its edging on one side. Almost oily-looking. I have been searching for an insect, but now wonder if it might be rue oil or sap dripping from a broken stem? can't figure

That's not even every plant I fed, just the ones I felt like taking pictures of. So you see why I was so tired yesterday!