June 04, 2007

Spring is all but done. The fruit blossoms are gone and fruit is forming on the trees. This will be a sparse year for peaches. We have much to learn about growing peaches - including the courage to prune and the understanding of how and when to do so. Still, we won't be short of our own fruit - that seems certain. Also certain is that we will see a stunning display of lillies. Both beds are crowded with shoots. As spring set in we noticed squirrels raiding the beds so to protect the flowers we lined the beds with garlic. It seemed to have slowed the raids AND we'll get fresh garlic - double bonus!

As you can see, the strawberry beds are now full. We have, still, to clean the lower bed of other bedding plants (as we wish to dedicate it to strawberries only). We also seem to have missed some of the sage - now to be moved.

On the upper bed, behind the day lilies, are some silver dollars.

The silver dollars will yield seed pods. The seeds will drop - reseeding themselves and so, again, will start the cycle. Behind the day lillies and silver dollars is a blueberry bush. It was only moved to the front last fall - along with the other two blueberry bushes. We are pruning blossoms from the blueberries this year to allow them to set in so there will be no blueberries this year.

The flowering bush is in full bloom welcoming us with rich colour. After fairly sever cropping for several years it is, now, at the best it has ever been.

The decorative beans at the far end of the upper bed are now in bloom. The volume of flowers will continue to grow for, at least, several weeks more when they will, finally, die off leaving lush greenery.

On the bed on the front side of the walk, more pansies have seeded themselves along with a few more sunflowers. These reseed themselves each year as well. We like to make sure we have a few around to attract the American Goldfinch which invariably come to feed. We've never had to seed them ourselves ... which is just fine. We only relocate them once nature has done its part. Lavender is, of course, in full bloom attracing bees and other needed pollinators. Of course there are a few onions left over from last year.

We got a bit carried away this year ... we bought bulbs sufficent for a good deal more space than we had so ...

ismene got planted into pots along with tirgidia which has, yet, to bloom (at least, what's left of them after the squirrel raids).

We continue to do relatively little in the back ... but not "nothing".

Blueberries were moved away from the fence to the front leaving more room for those ever-present raspberries. Climbing the fence, you can see the kiwi vine. Last year we had a few fruit that did not survive. The year before we had flowers - none of which turned to fruit. With this year's abundance of flowers, and the fact that the plant is, now, properly established we are optimistic at tasting fresh, off the vine kiwi. On the extreme right of the picture you can see a hosta. That side of the back yard is lined with day lillies, hostas and other decoratives. Lillies of the valley are now done. We look forward to the coming show.

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