Onward to the New Year

Well, I finally decided to update my blog. I can list all the excuses, but it boils down to this. My holiday season was ridiculously busy this year, and there's not a darn thing to see outside in my garden. December was just the drabbest month. It didn't really snow, the skies were rainy and foggy, and it was just generally dreary. Blah.

 But with the arrival of the new year came the arrival of real winter time. It's been snowing, and bitter cold, just like you'd expect from winter. Brrrrr! Sometimes I think that I'll never feel warm again.

I'm ready to finally settle into my winter cocoon. Honestly, I'm looking forward to things turning a little bit dull. You see, we just held our annual wine party last night, and I'm exhausted! Don't get me wrong, it was a blast, but now I can call my time my own. We normally hold it between Christmas and New Year's, but this year we moved it off the holiday just a bit and that turned out to be a good move. However, it means that I still haven't been able to wind down from the "holidays". I promise, today I did nothing! And it felt wonderful.

In trying to inspire myself to write about gardening, I scanned through last year's pictures for ideas. Instead, I got a little lost there in my photo files. Heavy sigh. Sometimes I can put it out my mind for awhile, but seeing all those flowers reminded me just exactly what I'm missing.

 I guess that just means that one of my first winter projects will be sorting through the seed catalogs. Oh darn.

I'm actually ahead of the game with next year's seeds. I already bought some of my favorites so that they wouldn't sell out before I got to them. After all, I couldn't do without my beloved Queen Red Lime zinnias. I wonder what other treasures I'll find.

There are a couple of other winter projects to keep me occupied, and they are actually related to gardening. That's how I keep my sanity till the garden starts blooming again. I need to gather vegetable recipes for the Master Gardener farmer's market, and I need to tweak my butterfly gardening presentation before I present it to the garden club next month. Of course there are plenty of other non-garden related craft projects too. Before I know it, the first iris reticulata will pop up, and the next garden season will begin again. I can make it.

Summer Sunshine

These should be the dog days of summer. It's mid August, hot and sultry, right? Not this year.

Queen Red Lime zinnia

Shabby birdhouse surrounded by Sunny Knockout roses

Munstead lavender with black eyed susans

This year summer is more temperate. It's not too hot, it's not too cool. Perfect.

Grandpa Ott morning glory

Gazing ball with Full Moon coreopsis and anise hyssop

Apple Blossom pelargoniums from seed

Summer vegetables arrive daily, full of summer sunshine. There are jars and jars of pickles in the fridge. Tomatoes turn into salsa. I'm looking for the perfect recipe to use the lovely eggplants that are ripening quickly. The freezer is full of zucchini bread. It's all just so perfect.

Summer veggies

I wish I could say that everything is perfect in the garden this year. I'm an organic gardener, so there will always be a few bugs out there munching. The rough winter made many of my plants small and weak. Blooms are often much later than normal.

Verbena bonariensis with purple coneflowers and Karley Rose pennisetum

Black eyed susans

Endless Summer hydrangeas peeking out from armillary sphere

 Butterflies don't seem to visit as often. But they're out there. They too love the summer sunshine. But they sure don't like to pose for my pictures. There are many more visitors than you see here. Yes, I've seen monarchs, but they are the most skittish of all. That's okay, it's good just know they are here.

Painted Lady butterfly

Swallowtail butterfly caterpillar

Summer is a quiet time around my house. Many of my usual activities are on hiatus, leaving me time to putter in the garden more. This is a very good thing. For once in my life, I don't feel so behind. I might even feel like I'm caught up, can you believe it?

Sunflower!

Karley Rose grass

Tiger Eye rudbeckia

But the days are cooling a little faster this year. I'm afraid that summer won't last quite as long. I fear that fall will sneak in behind my back. So I try to spend all the time I can spare just enjoying that summer sunshine. 

Goldfinch

Summerific Cherry Cheesecake hardy hibiscus

Welcome!

Saying goodbye to May

June is here, but May had so many moments of beauty that there are still many to share here. The first round of foxglove blooms were such a delight with the other spring flowers nearby.

 The perennial geraniums are blooming so beautifully. I think this is Johnson's Blue, but I've lost the tag so I'm not sure.

So far I'm pleased with the new Zepherine Drouhin rose climbing up my beloved arbor. The pink looks very pretty with the bright yellow of the Moonshine yarrow.

I know I've talked a lot about the tall Ribbon Mix snapdragons that survived our mild winter. But I just wanted to share one last shot of the gorgeous flowers. They've finished blooming for now, and look diseased to boot. Considering that they were planted last spring, I guess I can let them go. They've served their purpose and I have another fresh flat of them planted for this year.

One lonely little lupine bloomed out in the flagpole garden. I hope it sticks around. I've only grown them once before and didn't have much luck.

My lavender is doing fantastic since it's been so hot and dry. But it's so covered in bees at all times that I can hardly get near it. I need to spread it around, there are seedlings every where. Don't you just love garden freebies?

The penstemon is blooming, but it's really getting floppy. I have a little fence in front of it, but I guess I'll need to thin it out. I haven't seen many hummingbirds yet this year, normally they are all over this stuff.

Last year the birds left me a little garden present, verbena bonariensis. It was just one plant, so I didn't really think it would reseed itself, but it did. I've wanted some, but wasn't sure I had room. It turned out to be so airy thatla it could fit anywhere. I just want it because the butterflies love it!

The mystery peony finally bloomed. It turned out to be white streaked with red, like a candy cane. Pretty! I have no idea what kind it is. I thought it was Dr. Alexander but it doesn't look anything like this. Guess it will remain a mystery!

Another surprise was the reappearance of the black hollyhocks I planted a few years back. I do love them, they are such a dramatic color. But every time I grow hollyhocks, they get covered with rust and look terrible. Last year I pulled them all out. However, this one escaped and planted itself in the middle of the butterfly corner. Once it's done blooming, I'll remove it. What a shame. I love hollyhocks, but they just don't like my garden. And these black ones are impossible to photograph well!

So it's goodbye to May, but hello to the rest of the summer! There will be lots more blooms for me to enjoy all summer long.