my borage

have mostly survived their transplant operation. (The larger one against the rock wasn't moved, but the smaller one in front to the right was.)

The clary sage I moved from the back garden spot, also survived its transplant just fine. I thought I was going to have to cut the flowers off and wait for a second bloom, but no.

Cranesbill in the front bed looking nice.

Tulips just finished blooming- four pinks this year and only one red, on the other end of the bed and faltering. That's peonies to the right of them- they grow up so fast!

on the second sideyard

where the maples came out. This spot against the house looks nice right now- until the deer get at it. I should dig and move that ostrich fern that's come up in the middle of the hosta- but not sure if I can do it without damaging one of the plants. Maybe to divide the hosta.

The sensitive ferns are coming up. 

Pulmonaria is almost done blooming- all the flowers fallen over from center, they sure are glorious. Caught a bee in the photo- upper left!

Lily of valley starting to flower

All the gladiolas arising-

Milkweed is coming up-

It's already spreading! Which the swamp ones on the other side of the house never did. This one is further downslope, right next to one of the little hollies.

Which isn't doing so great. Some leaves yellowing with spots. I think it's holly leaf-spot- a fungal disease. Starting to wonder if this is another volunteer plant I'll regret having moved and encouraged to grow. If a thicket of milkweeds does better in this spot, I'd rather have them here!

Not really on the sideyard, but on that same side of the back area- I was cleaning up more leaf litter and weeds, and found to my surprise that what I think is the canna lily, regrowing! I had planted these because they were freebies, and then mulched them heavy against winter instead of digging up to store indoors, without much expectation they'd survive. Well, I think one did but looks like a deer chomped it. Either that or I accidentally got it with the lawn mower blade.

not much

in the garden, so I admire more what is there. I was out pulling weeds (purple dead nettle mostly) from beds five and seven, noticed right away that the one which I'd mulched with cut monarda stems just recently, already the soil is softer and holding moisture. Here where it's been untouched and bare all winter except for the weeds, dry and compact. I took a break after weeding to just sit and admire some of the foliage colors- especially the ones that are kind of blue-green: lovage

catmint 

the one collard

Lavender.

Then found myself once again staring at a plant, feeling sure I recognize it, but not able to remember its identity, if I want it or should pull. 

(I thought it another catmint at first, but those have toothier margins)

Had the same experience with a bug. Twice the other day I saw an oblong beetle fly to a plant stem and settle. I instantly had the urge to step close and slap it between my hands- felt sure it's a bug I don't want around, but I couldn't recall why.

Later I remembered ha, of course- it's that beetle that wrecks part of my garden every year. I wonder how how the emerging insects will do with an empty garden. Will they leave, looking for host plants elsewhere? or stay around and eat other plants instead. 

I'm mostly thinking of the pests, in that case. I'm glad if the beneficial ones are still around, and anxious if they don't have enough plants! I saw a black swallowtail yesterday landing on the lovage and carefully curling its abdomen to lay a single egg on a leaf here, another one there. I'm planting a few flowers for the hummingbird- though maybe it would have enough with just the black-and-blue salvia.

Which is coming up now!

against the carpenter bees

I should feel glad this was successful, but it makes me sad too. Few years ago (after realized the paper bag trick failed) I bought these jar things to trap carpenter bees.

They work, somewhat. Each one now has at least one dead bee- maybe two in the one by the garden.

There's one been persistently flying around my deck every day, of course not deterred by my squirting water at it (bee veers away around the house, comes back within half an hour, over and over) or swatting at it with a handtowel (the idea was to knock it on the ground). 

I finally took my makeshift insect net and nabbed it when it was slowing down to aim at a hole in one of the deck railings. Brought swiftly to the ground and ended with my shoe. I feel bad about it, but I can't have them riddling my deck structure with holes (yes, we do need to paint it).

On the other hand, I don't mind the wasps- there's mud dauber nests under my back awning and I just leave them alone. I don't mind the other bees, either- the smaller ones that use already-existing holes. It was amusing to see one hovering around the holes in my smaller compost bin under the deck, that's made of an old metal trash can with holes in the sides.

Just don't want the carpenter bees. 

new duo

I told myself I wasn't going to go nursery shopping this season, to avoid the heavy work of planting stuff. But visited some friends of my husband, who have tons of azaleas in a beautiful huge shade garden. And when I admired certain plants, they gave me some (I turned another three down, because afraid the deer will just munch them). I'm taking chances on these, then. First, a nice large-leafed rhododendron, 'Solidarity'. Not sure what color it will bloom. I took out the sad dying bayberry, and planted this just uphill of it (my husband dug the hole).

Second, was this azalea 'Seigai temple red'.

It's a 'spider' azalea, I'd never seen one before. In fact, that's how I got it, on the walk through their garden, I pointed and said "what's that plant that looks fluffy?" because the leaves are so narrow and deeply cut, the whole thing looks soft and rounded from a distance. And the flowers (just one was open while we were there) look like little red fireworks.

I wanted this one close to the front of the planted area, to admire its delicate foliage (and to start moving our lawn edge forward). I put it midway between the pawpaw and the large straight oak tree.

I was just delighted with this plant, because it's so unique. It doesn't look like an azalea to me. It was really hard to get photos though, because it's small still, doesn't show up well against the background of everything else. Here from the side, looking at the oak (and you can see in the rear, eyesore of the blue tarp still covering the compost I need to finish putting around the perennials).

View of it from the rear, looking up towards the house. You can see how empty the garden beds are. And how the deer have eaten all the lower half of that bright euonymus shrub against the house corner.

Speaking of the pawpaw, here's a much better photo of it. Grown enough I can actually see it from the kitchen window, inside its little protective cage.

small wildlife and things

in the yard. When I was digging compost out of the pile (still a lot to spread) I startled a leopard frog. I reached for the camera in my pocket but in the few seconds it took to lift up, the frog was gone.

But I did get a picture of this little toad that was under the weeds in my garden bed 7. I think it's a Fowler's toad.

The other day I was out picking dandelion heads from the smaller sideyard (just so the poufs don't scatter seed everywhere) and saw a narrow tail disappearing under the stepping stone. I thought it was a baby snake and wanted to see- lifted the edge and there was a fat skink! pressing himself further away from me and then dashed out into the open, scrambled into shelter behind a shrub so fast it made me laugh. The stones have a hollow underneath and I wonder if the skinks shelter there in winter, which pleases me. Though it probably makes a nice place for slugs to stay, too.

Today I found another brown skink, it had fallen into an empty bucket. So glad I found it while still alive. Called my husband to come see it up close (would have hollered for my kid but she was at school) and then set the bucket down laid sideways to let it go. It sat there very still as if stunned on the decking for a moment then ran down between two boards, so quick. Yesterday I saw a very small skink with bright blue tail, on the railing up top. So lively again.

My daughter looked out across the yard and said "oh, is that my favorite weed?!" at the ajuga. I'm not sure if it's the one she's thinking of- she said it grew at our previous house, and she liked to pop the "bumps off the stem in a row." Maybe it's the ajuga she means, when it has buds or seed formed? I just thought it was great she has a favorite weed. Who else but the child of a gardener.

Although I'm dismayed to learn that once again, I planted something that's considered an invasive in my yard. Both the vinca here growing among the bright purple bugleweed.

At least the lamb's ears opposite are not invasive, just alien.

only sowing

for this year. It feels so very late in the season. I didn't sow any chervil or cilantro, already too hot probably. Mostly did herbs, with two plants just because I like them- cardinal climber because I want to see the hummingbirds come, and fenugreek for the lovely scent. I didn't start any decorative sage, or any of the basils I never eat, or even nasturtiums or tithonia. Just carrying the boston fern, geraniums and coleus plants in/out of the house every day right now is wearing me out. A few trays of herbs is all the more I can handle, still. Sigh. Well, here's what I started:

Dill

Summery Savory

Parsley

Sage 

Sweet Basil

German Thyme

Garlic Chives

Bunching Onions

Fenugreek

Cardinal Climber

young fig leaf

the plants are both fully leafed out now, but it makes me happy to see new leaves growing in too

found

the identity of that plant I was wondering about just a few days ago, when it started to bloom. It's the clary sage, of course! I think a volunteer seedling. I dug it up and moved into the front bed. A little droopy now, but I've watered it heavily twice, the day became overcast, and tomorrow it's supposed to rain, so good prospects.

Also counting on the weather, I dug up and moved out of the garden (near these leaf beet chard)

a handful of what I think are black-eyed susans, put them on the larger sideyard. And cleaned up the mailbox spot- dug weeds, trimmed grass edge, reset some of the stones. Pulled out all the smaller borage seedlings, dug and moved some of the larger ones to space them more evenly. Have to do this when they're small or too much damage to the taproot to survive. Not a great photo but I'll take another when the plants are more impressive.

Worked on cleaning up the front bed, too- trimmed the small azalea (which is doing great now the larger trees are gone), pulled mock strawberry, trimmed grass against the bed edging and cut back stonecrop where it was sprawling and growing. Lots more violet seedlings! And glad to see my first cranesbill is alive, after all. It will probably just be smaller this year.

My pink clematis started blooming!

I guess one plus about not really gardening this year, is that I'm spending what time and energy I do have, on the yard plants. Paying more attention to them, getting more weeds cleared out by hand . . . 

out in the yard

I had thought that ajuga was a shade plant. But this large clump that survived the removal of maple trees on my larger sideyard, has grown even bigger and is blooming great!

There's also tons of violets scattering down the hillside. I'm glad these aren't considered invasive, because I like them.

More bleeding hearts-

Found the crown of my false indigo is growing back, so I cut down its old stems. Only the larger plant, though. Smaller one closer to the hydrangea, no sign of it.

Nearby, glad to see this bit of artemesia is still alive too.

I feel like every spring I'm still looking for some as survivors, wondering if they made it through the cold. Especially when I wasn't out there mulching protectively as much as I used to.

dug up

Again, just an hour's work before I get too tired. I trimmed the euonymus near the garden. Was hesitant to do so a week ago because I thought a bird was preparing to nest there- we saw a pair of finches on the deck (I think house finch or purple finch? the male had rosy color on its back and head) the male held a bunch of dried grass or stems in its beak and was quivering wings at the female (brown and black-streaked) and they were twittering very fast. My husband said "those birds are sure excited". I thought we were seeing courtship behavior, and had seen birds going in and out of the shrub. But they're not there now. (Lots of robins about, and a few cardinals. A pair of mourning doves taking up residence nearby again, and I've seen the wren going to and fro the woodpile. But no catbirds yet). 

Well, realized I shouldn't be so pleased about the euonymus seedlings I grew into decent little shrubs (here's a better photo of those two in the back)

I found out they're considered invasive in my state. I should have guessed, anything that came up so easy to propagate. I promptly went out and dug up the smaller one on the other end of the property line. Dug an offshoot from my forsythia (it's the first opportunity I've had for that) and moved into its place. Probably too hot a day to do so, but this plant is tough. Doesn't look like much in this picture (that's a mayapple next to it) but it's already twice the height of the euonymus I took out. I know forsythia is an aggressive grower too, but I feel I know how to control this one (my older plant is still clear two feet to the neighbor's fence, and I intend to keep it that way with pruning every season).

Moved another, much smaller plant. Embarrassed I can't think of its name right now. Growing in the corner of my garden bed 7 is the parent plant-

and I dug and moved this baby one that came up nearby under the deck in the gravel. When it flowers I'll probably have a better idea.

Also dug today some plants that self-seeded out of the rear perennial bed, coming up around the walkway. Black-eyed susans, baby hellebores and in the back there a few yellow salvia from behind the panicle hydrangea

and a couple echinacea. Planning to take them to the plant swap next week!