June 29, 2009

Evening in the garden



Lilies and the Darby



First bloom on the new Clematis



The Dill, which takes me back in memory to Mrs. Demchuk's garden where it grew in great profusion, and where every airy stalk was used.



the scarlet blooms that first caught the eye of the hummingbird who came to sip at the feeder.





A profusion of Lilies and Shastas.....



And the early evening moon that looked down tenderly on this little English Garden jungle.

Friday, June 26th, 2009



The lamb's ears are encroaching on the driveway, blithely. They care not where they go, - even across the road and down the path.. If I could I would dig a whole bunch of the babies up, pot them and give them away.. not the right time of the year for that, though.



The Shastas didn't abide the long spell of cold weather during the winter, but they were rather running wild last summer, so this has tamed them down somewhat. They are still lovely and bright and fresh, and I plan to use some of them with the sweet peas on the altar this Sunday.



And here are the sweet little star flowers (whose name I don't know). There are more of them in the bed by the trailer, and they lend a certain delicacy to the more brilliant flowers.



The sweet peas, growing ever taller. Past the point where I can open the garden umbrella... it is a constant task to keep the volunteers at bay, and I love the garden, but it is getting rather like a jungle. A great removal, replanting scheme is going to have to be devised....

June 23rd, 2009

I haven't been neglecting the garden - indeed the wheelbarrow has been full of spent poppy greenery today, and remnants from a run-away patch of mint.

The Lilies are blossoming and there is the occasional rose bud opening on the damaged Prairie Princess, but the most exciting news of all is that the bud on the Abraham Darby has bloomed true!



There are four towering branches reaching almost to the top of the barn flowers and coming from below the graft on the root. But there are three branches from above the graft, and with tender loving care I hope this rose will recover.

The Precious rose that we brought from the Lost Garden has a small delicate shoot, about three inches high. I hope it is a portent of resuscitation...

Charles has been tending the curly willows along the fence, and yesterday we bought two mole traps to ward off those pesky creatures. Instant success this morning.



The growth on the baby trees is fabulous and encouraging.

Down in the apple orchard the June drop is over, and the apples left are a great size for this time of year.



Caspar and I walk down the road and peer into the lovely coolness of the grassy avenue between the trees.



The horses come to visit, - Worms, Chester and Uncle Dudley, and the first apricot coloured hollyhocks begin to bloom, free of the pests that felled them last year. There are some around here that don't care for hollyhocks, but I have a nostalgic fondness for them.





Tomorrow we will look at the lambs ears, blooming, and the little starry flowers that came with the roll of wildflowers. And the sweet peas and the shasta daisies, and the yellow daisy, and the lovely delphinium that are reaching the end of their glory. And the cornflowers and pansies, - I need more room, more room...

Now it is time for bed

June 17th, 2009

Here's what I found in the garden this evening...



The lone lily now has companions...



The delphiniums make a delicate pastel bouquet...



The baby pink rose, - I think it shows promise...



And the golden orange grocery store rose that survived the winter when other sturdier ones succumbed??



First of the heritage perennial sweet peas, circa 1920, - planted by Charles' Mother along the front of the orchard where he was raised. We rescued some of the seed and brought them to the Similkameen where they flourish - absolutely.



And the last of the scarlet orientals...



A cat's eye view of the garden from the paths she loves to hide in....

Thought we might get a bit of rain when we woke to a cloudy morning, but only a few drops and tonight the sky was bright and clear and happy white clouds bounced along above the Cawston Basin.

June 16th, 2009

Big surprise in the garden early this morning - a nice little clump of red poppies opened their eyes overnight to say hello to the world......



And a few small shastas are up and rubbing their startled eyes.

June 15th 2009

Water on the garden and picking up some of the debris from the mint trimmings, - that's about all today.

First lily is open, and the delphiniums are in their glory.







Lots of pale blue and white, - not many bright blue or mauve delphinium????

Friday, June 12th, 2009

The Oriental Poppies are so beautifully flamboyant, and they last such a short time, - I can't resist sharing them....

Another cool and refreshing morning in the garden. I spied the first sweet pea hidden in the mounds of vines and leaves. How will I contain them - perhaps search out the bungy cords!

The late Iris and the last of the buttercups, just around the corner from the Philadelphia Orange, fragrant and coming into full bloom.





No birds have ever taken out residence in the little bird mansion, but it looks pretty amidst the greenery.



Charles thinks a pair of quail may be favouring the garden for a nesting place. Miss Callie has taken to resting in the curly willow, but she's such a wiss (sp) I doubt if she would ever bother them.

The delphinium are the flower of choice for the church this week-end, but next Sunday they will share the honours with the lilies, and maybe a couple of roses.



June and Garden - like cake and ice cream. Absolutely delicious and two glorious parts of a beautiful whole.

Thursday, June 11th, 2009

Another wheelbarrow of discarded greenery to add to the new composters!!!!

Yesterday I took the car to town to fill it up with gas. Upon doing so I found it so frisky and unbridled that when we drove out to return home it headed in the opposite direction, wherein lies Don and Anna's plantland...

This being a clandestine visit I was careful to avert my eyes from any undue temptations, and came home with only a few filler plants. Some baby geraniums to fill out the peony bed, and a few white portulaca to augment the edge. In the far corner, where no seeds from the flower carpet germinated I planted a pumpkin and two cucumbers. I can see their leaves spreading and smothering all the weeds that seem to find this bed so welcoming.

This morning I was up early and planted them all before breakfast.

A fast trip to Penticton, - thus no other garden work. The Poppies are looking quite spectacular, and the lilies will be out in a few days.



I am still watching the buds on the remnants of the Abraham Darby closely.

The early iris are finished - lovely while they lasted. The delphinium will be quite splendid in a little while, - hopefully by Sunday there will be lots to put on the altar.

Here is the low pink climber, - the tall pink climber that embraces the arbour Charles made is featured on the daybyday blog, - must be fair.



I see little signs of yellow in the pot marigold, the daisy by the ruby red weigelia, and even the barn flower. What will I do with the barn flower? And why didn't I get it moved in the spring. Ah well, another year of bright golden towering stems is bearable.... The Stella d-Oro day lilies that I moved last fall are small, but blooming....




It makes my heart happy to see the climbing hydrangea, - slow to start but this year it has lovely lacy caps and it is starting to climb. Will we live to see it as beautiful and sturdy as it was in the Lost Garden?



Tomorrow perhaps I can find some marigold to move, and maybe some california poppies.

June 7th, 2009

Hoping for rain, but it is teasing, - it comes for five minutes, then runs away and hides.....

Nevertheless, the garden progresses. Hot weather hard on the peonies, which didn't linger long in the blistering sun. Made the potatoes grow though!



and the first delphiniums are now in bloom



as well as the climbing roses that survived the winter...






I picked half a dozen red poppies this morning, and took them to church along with some cream columbine and blue flax. They sat on the sanctuary steps as a commemoration of the 65th D Day anniversary, and in memory of those who served.



There are still many fat buds, anxious to open their scarlet petals, and I am hoping that the pink poppy survived as well.

The buds on the Abraham Darby grow larger and keep me in suspense....

Oh look how the sweet clematis hugs the poor dead Russian Olive.

And what a lovely generous display in his honour....



Creeping ever higher on the bare limbs..

June is Busting Out All Over...










Flowers that make another wheelbarrow full of errant volunteers and the aching muscles worth every sweet hour in the garden.