Saturday, June 18, 2016

June Feels Summery

Summer sunshine means butterflies are starting to show up here in Robin's Nest. I haven't seen too many yet, but imagine my excitement when I spotted my first monarch of the season recently. Not only that, but she posed so sweetly for me on this orange butterfly weed right next to the lavender. I'll have to check to see if she left me any eggs.

The calendar says it isn't summer yet, but we all know that June is when summer starts. All the cool weather is gone, and every day is hot and muggy. We are already begging for rain! That doesn't normally start in June, so it looks like it's going to a hot and dry summer. Our summers usually are very dry, but every year, I wish we'd have a rainy season instead.





I've already started the daily garden hose rodeo, which I really dislike. I always swear that I garden with drought tolerant plants, and I really do have many. But in May and June there are still seedlings to baby, and containers getting started. These are the things that keep me wrangling that darned hose.




Despite the hot and dry weather, the garden glows on. By the end of May and the beginning of June, it seems to be a time when something new blooms every day.



Roses usually peak here in late May and early June. I do have problems with what I believe are sawfly larvae eating holes in the leaves every year. I'm all about organic, so mostly I just tolerate the holes. But I wish there was a solution. I'm sure I'm the only one who notices though, because the holes are small and the flowers are pretty enough to overshadow it.






One of the best parts of summer here are my patio evenings. I spend many nights out around town with all of my musical activities, but when I'm not singing, I'm thrilled to stay home and enjoy the "veranda" after dinner. My tools are my phone, my iPad, my glass of iced tea, and my camera. Some nights I swap the iced tea out for a glass of wine. My companions are usually the birds who call my yard their home.





This is the first year I've had any birds in my mostly decorative birdhouse. The babies are large enough to come out and fly a bit, but I'm not sure how many there are. They are a noisy bunch! Mom and Dad bird are constantly flying back and forth with tidbits for them. These are house sparrows, and not generally known to be desirable. But I don't mind having them around.




It's all about the flowers here though. You know I just can't resist filling my garden with as many flowers as I can fit. The goal is to attract butterflies and hummingbirds with most of these blooms. But if the flowers don't attract them, that's okay. They can still stay here.





Thanks for coming back to see me here in Robin's Nest. I haven't done very well at keeping up with posts, but then again, it's that time of year when all my spare time is spend outside working on the yard. Housework can wait, but garden season is just too short to waste. And on that note, I'm heading back outside!




20 comments:

  1. Wow - the blooms on that clematis! Everything looks so nice. I still have not put up any birdhouses.

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    1. I only have that one birdhouse, because our ground is hard packed clay. I'm lucky that hubby dug the holes that I already have, I don't dare ask him for more. The worst was the four post arbor, I thought he'd have a fit! LOL

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  2. Robin, you have some beautiful blooms! I love all the color! I especially love the photo of the monarch. It is great to know there are organic gardeners like you who welcome butterflies and birds and other forms of wildlife into a space that is good for them, not just beautiful for humans. Well done!

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    1. In theory, I know that I should organize my colors better, but sometimes, all those crazy colors just make me smile! It's my garden, I can have it how I want. LOL

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  3. Hello Robin girl !
    This might be too long a comment (I couldn't find your email address ?)
    So what happened when I got this new computer to keep all my photos in there folders etc ..
    I paid a little more to have my old data(photos, email contacts, favorite file etc..) transferred by the techs .. they also advised stripping down the overloaded and unnecessary programs to Windows 10 so it was in a more basic format for me to use and not get confused !
    I hated the thought of having to use Windows 10 when my husband went through so much when he transferred to it with his new computer (He really has more patience than I do but we didn't know about how much easier it would have been if techs had transferred his data for him! DUH!
    My advice is when you get a new system ask about having the techs transfer all you data and stripping down Windows 10 to only what you want to use .. it makes it SO much easier !
    I can now use Picasa and Windows Live Photo (the version I had transferred) .. the techs tried to tell me that Picasa was finished and Google had another version but my husband found Picasa in my data transfer and activated it for me .. I was so happy ! beyond the fact we wasted money "buying" a photo program and it doesn't get used now.
    If you have any more questions my email is gardenjoy@cogeco.ca
    Your garden is looking spectacular girl !! I love that clematis on the post and your pots are so sweet .. those birds pictures are gorgeous and I am so jealous about the monarch .. we haven't seen any yet .. but your flowering is ahead of mine , so maybe they are waiting ? haha
    I have had a terrible aphid problem on my roses but like you I am chemical free so it is water squirts and fingers to the rescue when I can catch them !

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    1. Thanks Joy for the good information. I'll probably be in touch when I finally give in and buy a new laptop.

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  4. Such prolific blooms-that clematis! Love them all. Our June has been cool and bug/deer problems abound. I will enjoy your garden this season.

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    1. That clematis really is a show stopper every June!

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  5. Hi Robin. The photo of the baby bird with its mouth open, waiting for lunch, is fantastic and award-worthy. Seriously, girl. You've got talent. Your garden is beautiful. I use the hose to do my watering too. Last year I bit the bullet and purchased a Pocket Hose. I'm telling you, it's the best money I ever spent. Now I have three of them. They're INFINITELY easier to maneuver than those nasty, heavy things. Just Google "Pocket Hose" or email me if you're interested. We gardeners need to help each other out. :) Take care.

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    1. Thank you so much Grace! I wasn't happy with that particular photo at all, because the light was fading and I had to use a slower shutter speed. It just wasn't as clear as I wanted it to be. That sharpen function is just not the same as a naturally sharp photo!

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  6. I always love seeing what's going on in your gardens. Your flowers are always gorgeous. I can't believe your clematis! That's the most beautiful grouping of them I've ever seen! What are they climbing...is there some kind of metal trellis in the middle? I would love to have a personal tour of your yard. :-)

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    1. There are two different clematis on that pole, but they're so similar that I couldn't begin to tell them apart. They are completely entangled. One is Polish Spirit, and one is Jackmanii Superba. There is a traditional fan shaped trellis up against the lamp post.

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  7. What gorgeous flowers. And while I enjoy all of them, I am especially in awe of your potted plants. They are gorgeous. I planted two big pots this year and even on the patio they are struggling in the heat. I don't know know how you do it.

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    1. Thank you Ann! I do enjoy container gardening especially. I think the secret to a good pot is to overfill it from the start, and throw a bit of organic fertilizer in there now and then. And if one of the plants give out, I just remove it and slip in another.

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  8. Everything looks perfect ! Your captures of the birds are great ( I'm guessing you have a good zoom lens). The temps here have slowed me down to a crawl plus issues got me started at least a month late. You've inspired me to move on even if it is slowly...all will be good.

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    1. I have fun sitting on my patio after dinner, and sneaking pictures of the birds who call Robin's Nest home! Appropriate, yes?

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  9. Your birds are as colorful as your blooms! Love all the purples and pinks!

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    1. Purple and pink are supposed to be my garden theme colors, but somehow, other colors keep sneaking in!

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  10. Your July garden is stunning, Robin. You have some wonderful bird visitors, too. I have a friend who puts babies' diapers in the bottom of planters like yours to retain the moisture and stop them from drying out. She puts them in before she adds the soil. Your photography gets better and better. P. x

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    1. Baby diapers, that's funny! But I can see how it would work. I am just a hobby photographer, and don't even use an SLR. But ia high end point and shoot with many settings to master, so I just keep trying to improve.

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