DEBORAH CROMBIE: We started our summer with a bang on Memorial Day. A huge storm in the early hours of the morning brought down two limbs on our old elm, one on the power lines, one on our very old and decrepit fence. We spent the day without power, ugh. The humidity was close to 100%!
If we had been on the fence (sorry, couldn't help myself there) about replacing our old fence, that certainly decided us. We now have 206 linear feet of brand new cedar fence, and it's a good thing I wasn't planning a trip to London because I wouldn't have been able to afford it!
You'd better believe I admire that fence every time I step out the back door! In spite of the heat, the garden is a little oasis, a tiny bastion against the ills of the world, and I do my best to remind myself of it daily.
Every day there is something beautiful. This morning I went out to find a lovely surprise, the first bloom on our perennial star hibiscus.
So pretty!
Things are in full bloom in the front as well, although I'm sad that the coneflowers will be finished soon. The nice thing about a perennial garden, however, is that that means something else will be coming along to add some brightness--in this case, black-eyed Susans, flame acanthus, and Turk's cap, all the things the hummingbirds adore, and all those will last until autumn, when the native asters will bloom.
That's my David Austin Heathcliff rose adding a splash of red in the center!
Photos never convey how pretty this is.
We've had more things going on in the back, too. We have struggled mightily with grass here over the years, mostly due to the roots of the big trees, but last year we replaced some of it with zoysia and it did really well, so this year we've put down more in a couple of bare spots. (This means I am out watering sod twice a day.)
This is the grass we put in last year (photo bombed by dog.)
Here's one new section. Fingers crossed it does well, too. That's the big elm with a gap now in its center, and you can admire part of the new fence!
It's been too windy to put up the patio umbrella, but the pots on the patio are so cheerful.
We have tomatoes. too.
And our fig tree is covered with baby green figs. I check it every day, hoping to beat the birds and squirrels to them when they begin to ripen.
I love our outdoor mantel.
And I love this view of one of the front perennial beds through the gate.
Thank you, dear Reds, for indulging me, but it's cheered me up just to write about the garden and share the photos.
Where do you find little bits of joy in your day?
Flower gardens are always filled with joy and yours are so lovely . . . .
ReplyDeleteRight now, my days are filled with bits of joy from the grandbabies . . . .
Joan, that's a different sort of garden! How lovely, to get to spend time with your grands.
DeleteYou have a beautiful garden, Debs.
ReplyDeleteDEBS: Seeing yoir garden soothes me, and puts a smile on my face this morning. I am envious of your fig tree and your gorgeous plants!
ReplyDeleteI am just starting to harvest yummy eats frim my bslcony garden. Thanks to the prolonged cool spring, I have harvested lots of leafy greens such as arugula, Swiss chard, kale + herbs ( parsley, basil, mint) for my recent meals. It is the first year without insects ravaging these greens. And SATAN and his kids have dug holes & only smashed one pot, so it's a winning garden battle for me.
Grace, did the skewers you put in the plant pots help?
DeleteI love your garden so much Did your new fence come pre-painted?
ReplyDeleteI just went out to my garden to replenish the bluebird feeder. I then surveyed the tomato and garlic garden. Damn woodchuck ate most of my smallest tomato plant overnight - grr! And I need a better solution to cover my waist-high lettuce box - Chuck is getting in under the netting on hoops. My son the creative builder said he'd help.
But then I just stood a few yards away from the feeder, which is next to the nesting box, and watched Dad and Mom bluebird eat, transfer (dried) meal worms into the box, and chase away intruders who try to steal their food. Total joy. I have to get to the bird store tomorrow for another bag of food. It's expensive and worth it for the joy it brings me. This is the first year the blues have deigned to nest with us.
Yay for those bluebirds. Woodchucks are the worst!
DeleteGRRR to the woodchuck! We all have our garden foes.
DeleteBluebirds will do somersaults for those mealworms! Steve has bluebird boxes along the 1/2-mile drive from the road to the trailer at the farm, and there are power lines that run parallel to it. The bluebirds will follow his car, flying from perch to perch, when he gets down there. They know he's going to replenish the feeders--and they recognize his car. Gobsmacks me every time.
DeleteMay this be the first of many years that bluebirds are at home with you, Edith. Elisabeth
Deleteit's gorgeous Debs! I too am dying for your figs. John's doing more of the gardening lately and I prepare the produce and enjoy the flowers:)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your flower garden today. We‘ll be having our landscape beds redone in September. The builder just plops in whatever they want and we have no input. No one likes it. It’s mostly all just green grassy things and way too many plants that are going to quickly be overgrown snake havens. We are replacing with half as many plants that will all be flowering things to attract and feed the hummingbirds. In the meantime I am enjoying the deep red hibiscus in a big pot on the patio as are the hummingbirds. I enjoy listening to the other birds and trying to identify them with the Merlin app and I want to get a good look at the bald eagles nesting nearby.
ReplyDeleteWe have zoysia grass for the front lawns and that is coming along nicely. The sides and back are bahia and not irrigated. It is not a nice grass and my husband is obsessed with improving those parts of the lawn. He is having some success and neighbors have started coming to him for advice.
Your gardens are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteRight now, my joy is coming from the fauna rather than the flora in my yard. We have an abundance of birds nesting around and ON our house. We live in a log cabin, and robins have selected the upper corners where the logs crisscross as superb locations for building their homes and raising their young. As a result, we have baby birds entertaining us (and Kensi Kitty) endlessly. We also have a surplus of bunnies (and baby bunnies!) this year. Deer and their fawns graze in the field outside my kitchen window.
This coming week, we should start to harvest squash and cucumbers from our garden, which will provide a joyful feast as well.
You must have a sturdy fence around the garden to keep the deer out!
DeleteAnnette, this is a banner year for bunnies here, too. Sounds like you're living in a Disney movie!
DeleteDebs, what a fabulous oasis you've created! It's just breathtaking, especially all those coneflowers! Masses of flowers make such an impact. And I LOVE your outdoor mantel, it's thoroughly charming and whimsical.
ReplyDeleteI have one fig tree in the ground, and last year got just over a dozen figs. I was really worried that it hadn't survived the very brief but harsh winter we had, despite my tender care in covering it up, and it did take a long time to leaf out. But I watched it, held my breath, and got ruthless about pruning off the parts that died back and now it is resplendent, much better than it was last year. Phwew. But lesson learned: it's better to have healthy branches than leggy and unproductive trees. I have two others in pots, and one has a fig that I am also watching every day. I knew figs would live in this climate, if they were the right variety, because a classmate from my hometown told me about fig trees her Italian grandparents had planted in the 1940's still producing figs today, in SW Ohio. They just need winter protection, and a sunny spot. Who knew?
You don't have deer, do you? Last year I planted, inside the deer fence, a dozen raspberry canes, and four black raspberries, in one corner, next to several blueberry bushes in both a raised bed and two giant pots. This spring Steve helped me create a big cage over all of it, large enough for me to walk into, to keep the birds off the fruit, but allow pollinators (and ticks, oh, well) to get in. It wasn't as complicated as it sounds. The fence is 7.5' high, so I used the two walls of the corner as my anchor, then stretched bird netting up and over some PVC piping we had leftover from another project. Steve put in a 4x4 post anchored to the corner of a raised bed to make it stable. It was working really well, and then yesterday I spotted a squirrel (GRACE, it's Satan's American cousin!) run across the yard, up the fence and over, quick as a flash. I went out to investigate, and it was INSIDE the berry enclosure! Which meant I had to do some reinforcement. Now I'll be watching to see if that works.
That patch has been wildly successful this year, too. I've been harvesting over a pint of mixed berries every day for weeks.
Wish we could all visit one another's gardens, for real. Including Grace's mini balcony farm!
Karen, what zone are you? We are 5/6 (more 5 now it seems), and were told that a magnolia would never survive the winter here, but it has done wonderfully. I wonder if I could plant my fig outside - it would solve the bugs in the winter issue.
DeleteDeborah, my day has been cheered by this early morning stroll through your yard and gardens.Thank you. Elisabeth
ReplyDeleteOh Debs, what beautiful gardens and patio! My garden beds bring me joy, even if the dastardly bunnies keep breeding and eating. The orange day lilies here are having a banner year, as are the Stella d’oros. This is the first year I’ve kept suet in the suet cages and we’ve been enjoying 3 types of woodpeckers, rose breasted grosbeaks, more nuthatches and blue jays. And always the cardinals, my favourites. I haven’t seen as many hummingbirds but they are here. And always more work, more bunny chasing.
ReplyDeleteDebs ~ Your garden is spectacular; no wonder you like hanging out on the hammock in your "little oasis, a tiny bastion against the ills of the world". So perfectly and beautifully stated! I especially love some of the hardscaping. Photos can sometimes be deceiving color-wise but I think your pavers near the tomato plants and market umbrella are sandstone...my favorite. I also love your choice of ornamentals; i.e., the fireplace mantel (very clever) and that beautiful iron gate. We used to purchase garden ornamentals at two of our favorite antique shops in Newport and North Kingston, Rhode Island when we had a large yard at our previous home. We hung an antique window on our fence, placed an iron gate in a corner section of our garden and our very first ornamental was bought at a funky antique store in Beacon Hill, Boston. Such wonderful memories accompany these items of which we, unfortunately, could not take with us when we located to a condo on the South Shore...well...except for the Beacon Hill dog which is currently in our garage because it's too fragile from age. I simply can't part with it. Although our large garden has now been reduced to a 16' x 16' private courtyard and a small front yard I have learned as I grow older that large container gardening is a blessing on the knees :-) and perennials in the form of colorful lime, yellow and silver blue junipers and cypress can be enjoyed year round. I can change out the seasons (and colors) with summer pollinator annuals, autumn pumpkins and spring pansies to fill in the gaps. I always add filler containers around the large ones so I can always stay active in the "yard" and keep my fingers in dirt. We found a way to display two garden statues in the courtyard...one being an antique stone cat holding a garden shovel and the other being a bronze rabbit sculpture that was made for a special birthday. I am also enjoying my very first Japanese Maple...a beautiful specimen...that was just added to our front yard during a landscaping project last week. No matter how large or small someone's garden may be you are correct when you call them an "oasis", Debs. They sooth the soul. I am reminded of a few garden quotes that I especially love ~ "Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the gardeners who make our souls blossom." (Marcel Proust) and "The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration of the five senses." (Hanna Ron Verbeck) and finally my favorite "To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow." (Audrey Hepburn) Now more than ever we have to still believe in tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteDebs, I love your beautiful garden. Thanks for sharing! The star-shaped red hibiscus is a show stopper! I'm enjoying my mongo honeysuckle, which is so fragrant--the hummingbirds love it--and raspberries! For whatever reason, I have a bumper crop of raspberries this year and they are yummy.
ReplyDeleteThank you for showing us your little oasis! It is truly lovely and I don't blame you for wanting to spend as much time as possible there, when the heat allows. Were the elm limbs dead? The remaining tree looks pretty good, but what do I know. I do know, however, that I love seeing elm trees, which are rather rare now in my part of the country but I can still see a few here and there at the edge of a field, as I drive around the countryside. There had been a huge one, the largest in the county it was said, in the middle of a field on a hillside. But several years ago it came down and last time I looked it was still lying there in the field.
ReplyDeleteI will join in on the wish for those figs. I got a new plant this year as my old one got bugged, but the new one is only 6” tall, so doubt I will be eating any fruit in the fall. Do you bring the tree in in the fall or is it grounded? I also am envious of the coneflowers. People keep saying they are easy to grow, but my thumb is not that colour of green. I do have a lot of mint if anyone wants a mint julep!
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, the vegetable garden is now full of milkweed mixed in with other crops. We let it grow semi willy-nilly – just enough space for the vegetables and let the milkweed grow in the pathways. The monarchs should be coming back in the very near future, as they have been seen at the other end of the province. It is always a case of hold your breath in the hope that they are back this year, and then rejoicing when they arrive.
I checked the rain meter this morning as it is almost the end of the month. 44mm which is 1.7 inches – very little for a month. The rest of the province is complaining about too much rain, but every time it just skirts by us. It was promised yesterday – and then went out to sea. The hose and I will be best friends again today. Think I will start the day with a trip to my uncle’s next door. Noone is there, and I suspect their roses need pruning – just enough to bring inside!