Some garden updates

The past week was busy. These pictures are a few days old – from June 5. I’d like to post from the same day, for a more immediate sense of sharing. But what happens is: I take photos, upload them, fully intend to write a post, and then days slip by.

The garden takes up a lot of time of course. Then we had a teacher come to the meditation center over Wednesday evening and Thursday. And I had two events socializing with my fiber friends. And I’ve been helping Sam with his multitudes of projects. Yeah, it’s a lot.

I had to plant several rows twice. I didn’t get much germination – I might have planted seeds too early. Or maybe didn’t water enough or maybe slugs? Who knows. I told myself I’d make a fresh start after we got back from our trip. Already I see more babies popping up.

Some things have done well right from the beginning. These three are so reliable – peas, fava beans, potatoes.

The fava beans have blossoms now. That shows what a difference a few days can make.

The circle garden (below) is such a joy. It was amazing to see the perennials come up after they died back completely over the winter. I kept records – but there were still surprises. Plants I didn’t think I planted came up. And plants I definitely planted disappeared. The milkweed comes up late, and the aquilegia very early. It is fascinating to me to get to know the plants’ habits better. I see this garden as a testing ground. If a plant does well and I like it and it’s spreading (at a reasonable not invasive rate!), I may divide it and put it elsewhere.

The aquilegia (columbine) is much taller than anything else. It appeared earliest and has been in bloom for awhile. I wonder what I could pair it with to make it look more integrated into the landscape. Maybe another plant like the vervain will shoot up and make a good companion. These are thoughts that occupy my mind. I try to research here and there.

This rock garden was here when we moved in. I was calling it an herb garden, but I’ve changed its name to rock garden because there are not that many herbs there. We are planning to continue it around the corner, but right now that area is just dirt and jumbled rocks. Patience required. Maybe it will progress this fall. It’s heavy work building rock walls.

This is a section of rock garden near the house. I think the plants in this photo are lavender, a white flowering allium, and lemon balm. The background is mostly wild blueberry. I like the effect of the more cultivated area in front with the native shrubs outside the rock border. I’m cultivating my inner landscape designer!