Busy Day

Today was a fantastic day. At first, it was hard for me to tear myself away from the Weather Channel, I was so fascinated with hearing that our forecast was to consist of "plentiful sunshine." Oh, did it ever.

Too much sunshine, in fact, for me to stay inside, with so much on the docket to accomplish today. The first order of business was to finish digging in the garden bed around the lamp post and the clematis vine there.

As I worked the soil free of the grass roots, plenty else came free as well, all the stones and bits of organic material and all the residents, as well, like this catepillar.

And, holy crap! Look at this giant worm. I couldn't believe the size of it, but fortunately thought to lay down my hand fork beside it for comparison. Now there's a worm you want to keep happy...


I had that section finished by around 11 a.m. or so and then turned over the bed where I'd laid out all the seaweed and salt hay a week or so ago.

The last thing I did before breaking for lunch was to test out the soaker hose. I'm always fascinated by the way the water beads up out of the hose. A side benefit of this was that the hose was full of water as it lay out in the noontime sun while I lunched, so it was more pliable for the afternoon install.

The pink azalea by the front door is starting to open today. Beautiful, huh?

The lunch break included a trip to the store, as I needed to pick up a few things for the afternoon projects: twine and pushpins to make some trellacing to help the morning glories find their way up the fence, some plastic knifes to mark where the soaker hose would be buried and a few other things, as well as a tuna sub from the Harwich Subway, where the world's angriest man was making sandwiches.

The soaker hose installation went well, and I wove a path through the garden, burying it about an inch under the soil surface. I tried to arrange it so that it would water the plants who'll benefit most.

Unfortunately, it wasn't quite long enough to cover the whole garden, so I'll still have some hand watering to do in certain areas. But I've also got a lot of seeds to plant which will thrive in drier areas, so it should all work out to the good.

Once that was in place, I built up a series of mounds in the area around the birdbath, which will be the home for the Three Sisters garden. Step one is complete now, with the corn planted in the center of the flattened mound. Once those sprout, I'll plant the beans, and then a week after that, the squash.

Next I made some trellaces on a few of the fence posts and got the older vines planted and trained onto the bottom of the strings. I have a feeling they'll take right off and start climbing up the posts by summer.

Meanwhile, as I dug in the hose, I also moved a few plants into the new bed near the lamp post.

That opened up space for the tomatoes I'll be planting tomorrow. And I was able to get my garden sign into the ground, as well. Also into that bed went the two canna lily plants I've been harboring in pots inside this winter.

I finished up with all I'd planned to do today just as Owen was getting home from work around 4 p.m. Whew...what a long and productive day. My forearms and face may've gotten a little more sun exposure than necessary, but I think I'll sleep especially well this evening, knowing all I've accomplished.


Perhaps the best part of the day was having everything done early enough that I was able to steal a few peaceful moments to sit in the sun on the back porch and do a little reading.

I seem to have a lot on my mind lately, since I find myself re-reading paragraphs as I get into the first chapter of this new book. Fortunately, they are great paragraphs. And what about that beautiful bookmark, hmmm? Thank you, Patrick!!

Here's the northern flicker on the lawn outside the front door this evening.

Sunny Sunday

My backyard birding has been a bit short-circuited by the emergence of all the trees leaves and flowers this past week. There sounded to be a least a dozen different species up there this morning, as I reveled in my first giant mug of coffee, but I sure couldn't see them. The catbirds' distinctive call was amongst them, I can say--they've begun to make their appearances just in the past week.


Here's another pansy from the front border sporting some royal purple to continue our visual internet discussion/celebration of this delightful side of the color wheel.

I spent the morning (well, once I'd waken up...I did get to sleep in bit later than usual, which was very nice--my horoscope yesterday mentioned that part of my foul mood could likely be blamed on needing more sleep...and that sounded likely enough...so I was happy today was a day off) puttering around at assorted things hardly worth discussing, like laundry and dishes and stuff like that.

But I also got a substantial bit of work done on finishing up the front garden's overall layout, by beginning to tackle the last section around the lamp-post. If you embiggen this photo, you can get a decent look at the Super-Terrific-Happy clematis that's about to be taller than the lamp-post itself. Hey, I just remembered--back when we were moving in, our landlady told us it was purple!

I didn't finish the job, unfortunately, since the weather was changing as the afternoon wore on, and I opted to head inside for things like cooking some dinner, a nice hot shower, a walk with my girl and a little hot tub time.

But I did get the rock edging laid in and about half the "sod" (as you can see, our "lawn" is a model of diversity) seperated from its soil. The rest has been loosened and will probably be a little easier to get cleared away once I get back to this in a day or so.

Ideally, I'd have finished it today, so I could do my veggie planting in perfect conjunction with tomorrow's Full Corn Planting Moon. But honestly, I know if I get my corn planted sometime in this next week, everything should be just fine.

Having this part of the project done will allow me, too, the ability to shift around the locations of a few plants, as I prepare to add a few tomatoes along the inside of the fence, as well as assorted other veggies. And I am giving some more serious thought to some kind of canal/moat business to help address those times of heavy rainfall, in hopes of avoiding yesterday's frustrations returning.

Our forecast had called for showers to begin around three p.m., which is when this first bit of clouds slid by overhead. They never really thickened up, though, so I continued to work a little longer, and it wasn't until I knocked off and got things put away that it started to really cloud over.

While we are celebrating purple, I'd be remiss not to include a shot of our across-the-street neighbor's purple azalea, which has come into bloom this past week. Gorgeous, huh?

It was misting very lightly as Emily and I headed out on our evening walk around Not Wisteria Lane...but not enough to deter us (frankly, she's taking to our evening time together that I don't think any kind of weather would rain on Em's parade).

The last few nights, we've seen a pair of ducks--one male, one female--walking together along the street, which amuses me no end. I didn't realize they went in for this sort of traditional, old-fashioned courting ritual, but it's pretty cute.

I haven't been bringing the camera along, since it just distracts me from the business of walking her, and once there's a full poo bag to carry, it just stays in my pocket anyway. Tonight I brought it, though, so naturally there was no sign of those ducks.

Earth Day Weekend Garden Report

The violets of our old house are not numbered amongst the plants who made the trip with us. I was just starting to feel a little badly that I hadn't brought at least a single clump of them...when these pretty little things suddenly began blooming out in front of this house.

As the Full Frog or Planter's Moon made our evenings glisten and gleam this weekend, grape hyacinths have begun springing up along the outer edges of the front garden. Here, a pair of them frame a columbine plant and one of the pink Dutch hyacinths.

In fact, all of the Dutch hyacinths I planted in the fall have turned out to be pink, which makes me grin. I'm a bigger fan of the purple/blue ones, but these smell as lovely.

This weekend, Somewhere Joe pointed out that spring has made me prolific, and the season is certainly inspiring. Not only are new green things appearing in the border daily--old friends like moonbeam coreopsis and purple coneflower and assorted phloxes--but I also have a lot to get done when spring arrives. It's the nature of my job that I'll be busy at work when June begins busting out, and I like to head off to work in the mornings then knowing that all's well in the garden.

Toward that end, each morning this weekend I've been working on finishing off a little more of the front garden bed. Particularly, the far end where I wanted to get a nice big birdbath installed. We have so many birds around that I know it'll be popular...and it's always fun to watch them.

I had dug out this bed and broken all the sod into squares back in the fall, but had run short to finish the project then, with the moving and winter bearing down on us. So at least that tough part of the job was done...all I had to do was seperate all the dirt from the clumps of grass, which were just beginning to green up again.

By late this morning, I'd finished off the bed and was ready to embed some stepping stones and also the birdbath itself. Yah, I know the path of stones isn't exactly level, but they are reasonably secure, and water won't pool on them on very rainy days.

Here's a close-up of the birdbath, which you'll recognize from last summer in the old orchard garden. The stones in front are mica-flecked or have crystals in them, so they really catch and play with the sunlight.

They look a little stark here, but I hope soon to have them planted with some dianthus and creeping phlox, which ought to thrive on the spillover water from the birdbath and the full sun.

I'm glad to have this section finished off. It will be at least partially a vegetable bed, with some tomatoes and another go at the Three Sisters Garden.

Here's my next target: the section around the lamp-post. It will be slower work here, owing to both underground electric (danger Midnight Gardener, danger...)and an overgrown clematis vine I don't want to damage. But I imagine about the time I've finished that, the lilies should have begun to emerge, and then it will be safe to install the soaker hose throughout the whole layout.

Not all of us were hard at work this weekend. Em just loves to lie in the sun and bake her head, occasionally looking up as I dash past to the shed for some tool or other. It takes quite a bit of coaxing to convince her to come inside when its time to head off to work.


Owen's also been busy around the house, not only scraping off old exterior paint and re-glazing windows, but also replacing the old landscape timbers that line the backyard gardens with some of the new rocks we recently acquired.


It was while he was on a ladder working on the former project Friday afternoon, when he overheard two of the neighbors talking about us...one of them's a bit deaf, so it wasn't difficult. The reviews are good, though: sounds like they are very impressed with the work we're doing to clean up the place...but he also heard one of them refer to me as "the young one."

It's not untrue, four years seperate us in my favor, so I got a bit of a giggle from it all. He, on the other hand, is taking it a little more seriously. Meanwhile, Em's trying to convince him that they might think he's younger if he also took her for a walk around the block every day.

I was out examining newly sprouted things when this robin came bobbing along to inspect the new garden. I was happy to watch him try out the vantage point from each of the taller rocks in the edging, before hopping up to survey things from the fence. The sun was already sinking, so I wasn't disappointed that he didn't visit the birdbath. I imagine it was a little chilly. But I'll be watching for him in the morning sun.

Sunday Garden Report

So, look at this!! After only four days, I've got a nice variety of seedlings bursting forth from the sunflower plantings! Not bad for year-old packets of seed.

Of course, there are plenty unheard from as of yet However, of the Mammoth Gray seeds, who's package indicate 5 - 15 days for germination, there are four. Amongst the assorted varieties (pictured, left) there are 7 seedlings already climbing...and their package suggested 7 - 17 days. Not a bad showing at all.

In another ten days or so, I should be able to weed out any dud seedpots and maybe plant a fresh wave, so we can keep those sunflowers blooming throughout the summer.

I should also find myself a package of morning glory seeds and get some of those going, as well.

It was a late night at work, and then I got into photo working/blogging...and then I found myself surfing to catch up on my favorite blogs far into the wee hours and didn't end up finding my way into bed until around five...but still crawled back to life around 11.

A couple cupsa Joe later, I got myself properly moving and headed outside for the tasks at hand. As you can see above, the bleeding heart is up almost five inches, and that pinkness down near the center of the plant is, I believe, the first glimpse of the flower stalks to come.

Today's real floral moment comes courtesy of this lovely buttercream pansy (no, I don't have a dessert problem...I could stop any time I wanted).

I did get the pansies dead-headed today, so as to encourage some heavy blooming in the days to come. I was a little bit at a loss, not having Thumper George to munch up the spent flowers.

As I've mentioned, I have seen evidence of Nibbling in the garden out front, and I suspect its the neighborhood wild bunnies. So I left a pile of the deadheaded flowers in tribute to them across the driveway from the garden, in hopes of distracting them (tho it appears more likely I'll just be giving them a taste of the sweet garden's rewards).

In a more practical effort to divert them from their garden dining, I did collect a bag full of salon sweepings when I got my hair cut the other day. I've heard that human hair, discretely introduced to the garden, will deter such nibblings with the human scent it carries. We'll see.

Anyway, I sprinkled a little of that around (particularly around the crocuses, who've been chewed somewhat hard, as well as the other emerging bulbs), and tucked a few tufts into the edging rocks, as well. I've got more if I decide to re-apply later on, or as I finish off addition sections of the garden.

I also did some work on adding some more soil to the part of the bed that flooded this past week, having found a nice pile of fill behind the house which seemed well suited to the purpose. It's a little on the sandy side, but also pretty dark and rich looking. Since I'll be adding coffee grounds, etc., as the season progresses, I'm not too worried.

A call for assistance here, if you please. Does anyone recognize this plant?

I happened across it growing in the lawn on the east side of the house and it looks familiar, but I'm at a loss. That's its woody stem snaking into the ground just below the "little red floret".

Meanwhile, as I spread and leveled the new fill in the front garden, I noticed some new growth...particularly this tulip foliage, with a first flower bud in the center. This looks to be from among the "bunch" variety of tulips that put out a branching bouquet of blossoms, instead of just one.

Looks like I'll know it's identity (or something about it, at least) soon.

And to finish off, here's that columbine foliage I mentioned the other day. I've spotted the other columbine plants beginning to emerge further along the fence, as well. Additionally, today I spotted some more rudbeckia, a little more phlox and the first signs of what I'm pretty sure is beebalm.

As you can see, it was a bit of a dull gray day, but it's amazing how okay with that you can be when the temps in the low 40s and you're working with a lack-of-sleep hangover.

Friday's Progress

Rain continued this morning, but fortunately tapered off just before noon, and so I was able to get back to work on the new garden border...which is starting to look like one now. It will be fun to have all this done, so I can enjoy the business of deciding where each plant will go, as I plan out how I might like it to look.

Growing amongst the grass beneath the fence was this creeping plant. It looks a little minty, but also seems vaguely familiar. I wonder if its some form of campanula. Anyway...I was able to salvage a few nice clumps of the stuff from the weeds and grasses and have replanted those along the edges of the bed. Even if they don't bloom, the green is nice.

I also discovered an old rose root amongst the plant matter I was sorting out from soil. If not for the tiniest leaves to identify, it would've found the debris pile. But I spotted it and replanted and we'll see how it does.



Here's the sum total of today's accomplishment, which was a good one. I should be able to finish the other end tomorrow morning and maybe have a little time left to work around the lamp post.

Either way, the plants are arriving on Sunday. Everything will work out fine: the universe sent me a sign.

November Morning

I was up earlier than usual, with the garden project on my mind. A check of the weather forecast revealed that Thursday - my next potentially full day to work on the digging, etc. - was going to be a very rainy one. Ugh.

Knowing the work I was hoping to accomplish before Sunday(the proposed planting day), I quickly adapted my schedule and came up with a few hours to dig this morning. It was a very foggy morning, as you can see from the above image of the backyard and also in this glimpse of Route 6 and the fog-shrounded sun.


I arrived at Not Wisteria Lane to find a lovely morning in progress, as the fog burned away and temperatures rose into the 50s.



I was able to finish off the de-sodding and rock laying across the front of the bed, which was the priority. It's always a good idea to get that curbside face looking nice, so you can work behind that on the rest.

I'm pleased with how it's turned out, with a nice, relatively straight line across. I suppose it's a little boring, but practicality is a concern, too, in keeping the nice parking area in front of that. Behind the fence the lines curl a little more and the bed will be deeper in places.


It was turning into an absolutely gorgeous day and I would happily have stayed the rest of the afternoon to continue the project, the birds singing me on. Other things beckoned, though: a quick side trip to Hyannis and then the afternoon and evening at work.

But I did get a start behind the fence clearing out around this rose. It has flashes of pink deep on its leaves, so I suspect that might be the bloom color. Summer will tell that tale and by then it will have plenty of company.

Under the eastern bedroom window is a bit of a tangle of shrubs grown together. This dark berried beauty has some lovely autumn color, though it seems to be woven with an oak seedling.


I know you really want to see actual flowers, so look at these pretty purple asters still blooming across the front of the house.




Here's a project for another day: the backyard. Yes, that's an apple tree growing out of that small mountain. The mountain? Oh, that's the above-ground septic system. They seem to be very popular in the neighborhood (our small mountain is not unique to our yard), I expect because of the proximity to the ocean.

The fall foliage along the Midcape Highway seems especially lovely this morning. The oak trees are turning a delightful shade of coppery-red. Maybe I haven't noticed them on just the right day before, but I think their colors are a little richer this year.