Warm greetings from our lush June in Nova Scotia.
Yesterday evening was so lovely and temperate after a little shower.
Wally and I arrived home to a double rainbow over Forget-Me-Not Cabin.
I caught Wally just as he finished unloading some concrete pavers for the garden from our new old car. You can see the dry spot of pavement under the ash tree behind Wally- and how much taller our little Japanese Maple is this year.
Some of you who are familiar with such things may recognize the car as a 2005 Toyota Matrix Basic. It is so basic, in fact, that it has manual window openers! But it also has air conditioning which we're so grateful for in the furiously hot summers in this part of the country known as Hell's Kitchen to some. Fortunately we have only had about 2 days of extreme heat so far.
I wandered about the garden taking pictures and Wally followed me, weeding.
This was the first time I really noticed how flat the poppy is as it starts to open,
"like a purse", Wally said.
After 2 years with just one poppy, this year we will have 6!
Wally will divide them to plant elsewhere.
This later phase of spring is bringing so many new buds into flower, like this Allium
and these Clematis
and this tiny bud that will grow into a huge Hydrangea.
The dead blossoms still cling to the baby Harelson apples on our little tree. We will have dozens this year. I don't know how such a little tree will handle the weight.
As well, there are even more peaches than last year as well.
Isn't it fascinating how these various fruits start sideways or even upright before they droop under their mature weight? We never did see our grapes come to fruition last year, nor our peaches, as the deer ate every last one.
After a false start (meaning the deer came through) Wally reinforced the homemade fence he made from little "apple ladders" and odd bits of wood. We were discouraged by the cost of wire fencing and came home with none, but then I suggested running a mesh of string to inhibit the deer from wandering in.
Two nights have gone by and so far so good. I also had the brainstorm to discourage them with some solar lights. I know we're grabbing at straws, but hopefully it will do the trick.
The deer never touch our herbs: lemon thyme in the bottom left, Tarragon above, Parsley peeking at the upper right and a few sage leaves showing on the right with Chives dead centre.
We really scored a few years ago with some reduction-fired handmade pots selling at a big box store at a fraction of the price they would cost if made in North America. I just love them, this one here planted with organic lettuce.
I rarely show work from my past, but since this little guy has made it onto our deck with a windblown petunia blossom, I thought I'd share him. Because he was made of scrap clay, a chance I took in someone else's studio, he developed cracks during a reduction firing that made him unsaleable and therefore mine to keep. No regrets!
I hope you are enjoying your prelude to summer - or winter! - as the case may be.
with love in our hearts
2 comments:
Summer (almost) greetings from South Dakota....where we are doing pretty much the same things as you and Wally....trying to outwit the deer, bringing home pavers and admiring the amazing flowers! Getting hot here now, so we are beginning to harken back to our Florida days, where you'd have to be out in the yard working no later than 7 and back in the house no later than 9 or you'd be miserable in the heat! Good luck with the deer....we've not even seen an blossom on our 5 year old trees in the last couple of years.....the deer chew them up all winter long! We think maybe now we've got them at their own game....we'll see! Cheers!
Patti, what a delightful surprise. I am so touched to hear from you and amazed at the common garden issues we could have so far apart. Our heat will force us into the same hours though I slug it out with branch breakdown and composting ( an ongoing issue with our hedges ) in whatever shade I can find during the heat of the day.
A happy creative summer to you!
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