A Cold, But Sunny Morning

I think the rains are  over at last.   We got  5.5 inches and are  not really complaining.  This is a wonderful time of year to get lots of rain to get the grasses going.  The cows will appreciate it.  I am not so happy with the temperature.  It was 39° this morning!  I was worried about frost so I recovered my strawberry row which is looking very promising with lots of large blooms.

The yard is way beyond needing mowing.....but between the rains and family obligations we are way behind.  We hope to correct that soon.  I finally gave in and got another mower.  I just got the Gravely out of the shop, all tuned up and ready to go and had actually mowed twice but made the mistake of trying to mow very tall grass at the edge of the garden wet.....threw a belt (I hope that is all it was).  When we took it in for repairs, I checked on a new model that is slightly larger and we decided to buy it.  Surely I will not be without a mower now!  It is frustrating to not be able to try it out......

Lots of things are blooming now.  I was surprised to look at the yard a couple of days ago and see it.

A too long Catch-Up Post

Well, it is catch-up time again.

I am having a hard time trying to keep up with everything and am failing........

GARDENING
 
We finally got 1/2 inch of rain last night and might get a shower or  two more.  It was appreciated.  I had just planted some very late spinach and turnip seeds.   The newly set strawberries and potatoes will be happy.

I can pick lettuce for  lunch today.....it is small but needs thinning.  I have the bunching onions from my Oklahoma friend Ilene so wilted lettuce will be on the menu.

I have yet to plant the warm  weather crops:  corn,  pole beans, sweet potatoes and squash. 

My pepper seeds failed miserably after almost a month two little  red cheese peppers came up.  We were out doing MIL errands yesterday so I bought some very high-priced plants, 3  different varieties of peppers and Greek oregano.  I didn't see any sage plants so will  have to chase that one down.  It really kills me to pay those prices for plants I can grow at home!

I have been cleaning flowers beds and the cheat grass is so thick everywhere that you have to just look directly at what is in front of you and do it.....if you look around and see the 18 inch tall grass everywhere you would be tempted to throw in the towel.  

Humming Bird Bed. 
We hung the feeder out the 23rd and saw our first tiny male hummer the very next day.  We can't hang it on the porch (now screened in) now so it is outside the kitchen window hanging in the peach tree.  I didn't get a picture of him but did catch the first female visitor yesterday.

Look closely; she is well camouflaged.  Max  had to point her out to me.  I thought I just had a picture of the feeder.



Side note:  I dropped my little Canon Powershot on the floor several days ago and the lens wouldn't come out.  I tried it several days and then we picked out a slightly better Canon PowerShot.  Just after ordering I thought that I should just toss the old camera and just for kicks turned it on before dropping it in the trash can.  I  worked perfectly!  It will become Max's dedicated farm picture taking camera now.  That is not a bad thing. 

Back to the HB bed,   I finally got it cleaned and it took several hours.  It made me very happy to be done with it.

I have finally decided to buy mulch for the bed.....I have held out hating to spend money for mulch but if that is what it takes for me  to keep  some of my flower beds, I will do it.  My Sis has been mulching for years (she has a very citified country property)We garden totally differently.  I have naturalized cottage-style beds and she has mulched beds with spaces between all plants.  Not  my style but hers are quite beautiful and easier for her to manage with her eye  sight as bad as it is.

This is taken from the south side of the bed looking north (the debris is still laying on the grass).



This is taken from the north side looking southeasterly:


This is the east end of the bed.  I will be filling in the bare center with zinnias and cosmos and whatever else I can find,



New Blooms

Tradescantia in west end near bird bath in HB bed


I have lots of self-seeded Dame's Rocket (hesperis matronalis) scattered over the yard.  This clump is on the garden fence border, another candidate for lots of mulch.


I have mostly white now, but I spied (amongst the cheat grass)a very dark purple one out in the front ditch.  I may try to save seeds.

This clematis Nelly Moser.  This is one I cut back way too far two years ago and she still hasn't reached her proper height.


This is a China rose which shouldn't be doing well in my zone.  I have had it for twenty years or  so.  It has its own micro-climate on the south side of the well house and the west side of the outbuildings, well protected from cold winds.




A few iris are blooming,





The weigela opened up overnight,



This next picture will show you exactly the kind of  gardener I am.  This is where I  tossed the  dead poppy plants after shaking out all the seeds (I thought).

I have very few within beds so I now have a dedicated bed right in the middle of the grass.  Be fun to see it in full bloom.


Random pictures

I looked out the kitchen window and was surprised.  Max had seen her a few days ago on the west side of the yard.

Cross Pollination, new bread and new blooms

Sometimes  this is a good thing and sometimes it is not!

In the case of my Dame's Rocket it is a good thing.  I started with these:



Then one year I had some white ones.  Since I hadn't  any whites to cross with the purples I am thinking these were self-seeded and the white genes were in the plants.



Now I have some that look like these:



They are all fragrant in the early morning before the sun is up good, probably at night to but I am not out there then to check!  (I am early to bed/early to rise).

 I have been sticking  to the l-2 hours a day trimming until the showers began yesterday and today.
So far, we have just had about 1/2  inch.  We need several inches.

Finally the recommended  Contractor responded with a feasible bid to screen in the dining room porch, lay tile flooring and build a custom screen door. He said it will be about 3 weeks....in the meantime, we will clear cut the honeysuckle vine in his way. It needed to go anyway.  I am very excited about this project.  Now we can enjoy the outdoors without cats and puppies and wasps and other flying creatures and no maple seedlings to sweep up.  I will take before and after pictures.  We will leave the house siding as is in case.......it is just a screened in porch; not another room.

I am delighted. I plan to get a bid on enclosing the very small entrance porch that one person has used in 23 years! I want to make this my tiny computer office. It will be about 4.5x6 and is right off the living room.

Dont know yet if I will have a door to the outside.

5/7/15

I trimmed the garage wall and the east end garden, l hour, put my tools away (DH will be delighted not to have to do that later in the day......) Came in and have a new recipe of oatmeal bread going. Interestingly it calls for a teaspoon of cinnamon to 5.5 cups of flour. I don't think the taste will be significant. The dough looks good and is now in the l hour raising period.

It turned out great; just a faint taste of cinnamon.  The only negative is that loaf is dense right at the bottom crust.  I don't know what causes that.

From 2015-05-08

Each day something new  blooms:

Clematis by old chicken house with Blueberry Bliss iris:  I Think the clematis is 'The President'

My red iris:

Do iris cross pollinate on their own?:  This didn't have the edging before and it is near Wabash:

This was moved from cellar bed where it was buried from view:

 

and iris 'Swingtown' in the wellhouse bed:

The bed is a little bedraggled after the rain:

Lilies will be here shortly.  I see the clematis behind the pony has dropped down.....need to do something about that.

I should have lots of self-seeded poppies later:

This clematis H.F. Young by the garage and near the garden gate

Please note the wall of the garage bed.....this had weeds three feet tall a few days ago.