today

I did an hour or two of work outside. My goal was just to clear out all the creeping jenny I could- I remember well when I was pleased how that had taken and spread! but now realize with dismay it's considered invasive in my area, and it did grow far more quickly than I expected. No way I could keep this clear of the back fence to prevent it going into the neighbor's yard and further. There was an area several feet square and it took me a while but I think I got most of it out, digging down with my fingers to extract all the root clumps and thin runners possible. I know I didn't get it all, and it will probably grow back in numerous places, but if I keep an eye out for those pale coin leaves and pull anything that recovers, I hope to get rid of it. 

While I was back there I yanked out a ton of japanese stilt grass, and weeded around the entire path of stepping stones. Found to my disappointment that the sweet woodruff is now growing in only three places between the stones, I'm pretty sure I had it around five or more stones before, I don't know why some of it didn't come back. The patch of purple lysimachia in that area is doing great, however, and the coneflowers are spreading. I don't mind them spreading sideways towards the oakleaf hydrangeas, but I pulled out quite a few that were encroaching forwards among the hellebores. 

Here's a plant I didn't really expect would survive winter in the ground, but it did: canna lily. Not sure if it will bloom for me, though. Something's been taking bites out of it (probably the deer ate that tip).

I'm glad they haven't touched my new bigger rhododendron

My two young spicebush have really grown! I hope to remove their wire protective cages, have read that deer don't really like to eat the leaves but not sure if I trust that. They've eaten other plants in my yard that were supposed to be "deer resistant".

I think my older oakleaf hydrangea will be large enough this fall to remove its protective cage- and then move that to be around the smaller one, which is getting crowded. This photo is actually from last fall- it's twice the height now!

The deer don't eat my sensitive fern clumps, but some bug or pathogen makes them look all raggedy brown and wilted partway through summer. Maybe it's just the heat. Some of mine are recovering now and growing back fresh foliage.

All the hostas are eaten to nothing below the larger sideyard, while the small group of blue ones near the garden are only half-chomped. I should have been out there more often scattering soap shavings, or buy some spray I've read is a very good repellent. (What we really need is the fence)

At least my baby stinkin' hellebores are untouched. Maybe I will just phase out hostas and grow things the deer don't like (sigh). Neighbors have said they jumped six and seven-foot fences to eat things they never had before, this year. 

Checked the milkweeds because I thought I saw bug holes- but it's not from milkweed caterpillars. Some other bug feeding on them a bit. Where are the monarchs? Come to think of it, I haven't seen any swallowtail caterpillars on the rue or lovage this year, either. 

But I did see the hummingbird again today! I was kneeling on the path behind the rear perennial bed, by the camellia, when I heard a faint buzzing hum, just louder than an insect. Looked up and there it was, hovering close over the echinacea, I even heard it give a little squeaky chirp before it darted up to perch on a twig of the oak. I almost felt like the tiny bird was checking up on what I was doing- ha. Looked it up- apparently they do feed on echinacea flowers, though I've never witnessed that. I always just see bees and butterflies at the coneflowers.

tidied up

grass edges around a few more beds today, and borders of the lawn where my husband mowed yesterday. I was trimming stuff and pulling (what I think is) japanese stiltgrass from around the milkweeds- still no monarch caterpillars though I did glance looking for them- and saw the hummingbird! It was inspecting my young hybrid japanese maple tree (wonder what attracted it to that) and then zoomed over to feed on a few blooms of gladiolas. Must be feeding on the black and blue salvia, too. I'm hoping the cardinal climbers will bloom soon and then I can see it on my deck. 

I do believe my echinacea patch looks healthier than ever this year.

I'd hope it's from measures I took the year before last, to cut back on disease- cutting out all stems that had white stickiness fuzz from mealy bugs, and when the plants died back, cleaning out as much of the dropped blackened leaf litter as I could- assuming it harbored aphid eggs. This year there seems to be far less diseased leaves. (I had the same sense about my borage patch in the front yard, but it could just be that I'm so glad to be out doing stuff in the yard again, everything looks better than ever, ha). 

I've seen what looks like a single pea vine among the echinacea in years past, this time I found it flowering- looks like a sweet pea but no scent.

The funny seed stalks of my arum are standing around.

I did see a swallowtail butterfly up close among the coneflowers, and stood a while just to watch it. Still pleased with my patch of lysimachia purpurea groundcover

- although it remains much less impressive through the camera eye.

Also happy with the sweet woodruff, even though I still remember how my youngest thought it was a weed! (The one that's really a weed is the creeping jenny- I regret putting that in now. I must start pulling it out).

The boneset plant is doing just fine here in the back corner- where nothing else had really thrived yet. It's near my camellia- here's a picture of that- which also looks better this year than ever.

I'm telling you, my vision is colored overly positive since recovery has allowed me to get outside and get my hands pleasantly dirty again! Only an hour or two a day so far, that's enough to tire me out still, but I'm happy with it.

bright yellow

I'm actually happy with my forsythia this year! Surprised how much it grew- I know the deer eat the ends of the twigs but now it's tall enough to avoid most of that damage, I think. Bloom is best ever! I can see it from the house, so bright and airy. It makes me want to plant more of them.

Another pleased note is the small row of volunteer euonymus I dug and transplanted years ago. In spite of the deer, these two are finally getting some height too.

It looks pretty messy and bare back there, still- I haven't yet cleaned up the stems of monarda (new growth showing at their bases) but some of the ground covers are greening up- I found a few bits of woodruff showing itself

Nearby the patch of purple lysimachia, which hasn't filled in much noticeably yet (here's one of the dozen or more individual plants)-

and I thought this was the same plant that's coming up in a few places in the lawn- but not sure now

I'm still liking the creeping jenny- here's how it was last season

and now filling in more- but have to be careful to keep it from spreading too far- it could be invasive I've read (if it got into the neighbor's yard and then further into the woodland behind)

Also to note nearby, the younger St. john's wort I grew from seed

and planted out last year, is looking better this time. Since I cut it back it's filled in and not as leggy

of the newer stuff

or, things that got moved- as I'm especially pleased when they do well. The sweet woodruff- still a nice height for stepping over. It's like a bright little surprise, when I walk around the back perennial bed. My youngest says "Oh, I thought it was a weed!" which amuses me becaue they look so pretty bright green.

I thought my yarrow had died, it disappeared right after I planted it. But there's a new tiny lacy sprig come up, so maybe it's okay. 

Near it one a plant I hadn't seen last year- do rabbits eat milkweed?- the common milkweed.

Up front a surprise in the stonecrop- I swear this seedling with the wedge-shaped leaves is a cardinal climber. It's growing now so that should tell me it's warm enough to plant my vines outside.

The oakleaf hydrangea I dug and moved this spring continues to do well. Soon I'll have to use up part of the leaf pile and shift the fencing container, to give it room!

My black and blue salvia finally emerged a week ago- looks like this will be a good spot for it.

some flowers in the yard-

bleeding hearts

with spring beauty- 

 they are so small! 

starting to naturalize here, more in the back shaded area now

nearby the woodruff between stepping stones is flowering too

Up on the shady sideyard, lily of the valley also blooming- and spread a bit since last year

The prettiest right now is my pink clematis! It's foliage is still rather sparse on the post-

the flowers so lovely

digging and moving

plants on a rainy day again- first the bugleweed from around doomed a maple on the shady sideyard.

I put them all around the skirts of the lilac instead- where none of those planted last year survived. Not sure if I smothered them with the wood chip mulch or they just didn't make it through the cold.

Next I dug- or rather just scooped up from the ground in patches- the sweet william, and replanted it between stepping stones that circle behind the rear perennial bed.

If 'planted' is the right word! I really just pulled/dug weeds, scraped off an inch of mud, set the mat of woodruff in place, and pressed some globs of mud over some of the exposed stem to hold them down. Already it looks much neater back here. Except oops- I just looked it up and realized it can grow up to eight, ten inches tall. Maybe not the best for between the stepping stones! However it's safe back here for now and easy to relocate.

Then dug and moved my smaller oakleaf hydrangea. To pair with the other, across the path from it on the backyard slope. Once again, pleasantly surprised how easy it was to dig up a favored plant! Shovel just sank into the soil where it had been fed mulch of leaves and broken twigs for a year. Root mass heavy with wet soil though, so I needed the help of a wheel to move it.

Settled in place, gave it a blanket of scattered half-done compost and some wood chip mulch. Hope it settles in okay. Will need to remember to water it frequently all summer I think. Not the best time to transplant but I really don't want it to get damaged by the tree crew (unlikely) or the stump-grinder (more likely) or suffer from sun exposure when the maples are out (very probable).

Later in the day I went and bought a young rose-of-sharon (hardy hibiscus) from someone. It's supposed to be one of the ones I wanted because they're less invasive- pink 'Minerva', but the lady said they make tons of gorgeous flowers so there's seedlings aplenty crop up in her yard. Hm. Am I going to regret this? Looks like just a narrow stick w/leaves so far, at two years old. They grow fast, should get eight to ten feet tall. I'm looking forward to that.