Sharon's blog: It might never be this green again, so . . .

19 May 2012

What a gorgeous day! I started this morning here in my Blue Garden as the sun came up behind me. No matter the hour, this is such a peaceful place to be. Shaded by the brick arches, a few slats across the top and the lush foliage of the river birch, sometimes I just let my coffee get cold and don't bother to move for an hour or more. Somewhere I hear mourning doves cooing, and always there are bird songs. It's where I begin my days and where I end them. 

It's very dry here already, we are in first level drought conditions and have been for more than a month. I want to enjoy the green while I can because it might not be here for long. The roses are gorgeous in the back gardens. They're scattered here and there and have been blooming since March. Carefree Beauty will continue to bloom till late fall, probably the happiest rose I have. This one came with a tag that said 'Sophy's Rose', but it isn't. It's hard to change names after all these years so I just call her Sophy.  She didn't even get pruned till late February; didn't seem to bother her at all.

Carefree Beauty (aka Sophy)	Veggies! Ha!

Also in the back I've potted some vegetables. I hadn't planned to do this, I was going to be all ambitious and have raised beds this year. That didn't happen with the very early spring we had. The weeds and plant growth got ahead of me so I'm going with pots and hope for the best. I potted up a couple kinds of basil, some rosemary, chives and onions. I also have a roma tomato and another whose name is gone from my mind at the moment. Two peppers too, one a bell and the other, whatever. It was a little wilted at the garden center and I felt sorry for it. It also had no name; it will be a nice surprise. With my luck, it'll be too hot to eat.  Might be good for winter chili though. I should have planted potatoes. It isn't too late for a late crop, but I wish I'd already planted them earlier. I might anyway. My lettuce is already history.  Half runners evidently were shared with unknown critters. Maybe a late crop of them too.

Here's another favorite resting spot, beneath the wisteria, beside the Norfolk pine and just off the back deck. It gets a little hot here in the back yard, since the sun travels east to west across the entirety. Mostly I just grab a seat here when I'm too tired from gardening to drag myself up the two or three back steps to the deck. The roses are just across the path that is beside the Norfolk pine, so it's a nice view here too. I cleared out beneath the bench this morning, making way for some pavers and bricks that will connect the bench area with the walkway.

Strangest thing about the canna above, which is just out of view of but close to the yellow bench; it was sent to me from LarryR in Iowa last summer and I placed it in this pot then. When fall came I thought I dug it all out of the pot and overwintered it in the corner of my garage. Late March I looked at the pot and the canna was growing; I checked the bag where I'd stored what I thought was canna in my garage. Mush. What on earth?  At least I know now that cannas will winter well in the pot in my back yard. I have no clue what the mush in the burlap bag was. Whatever, it's now compost. 

The daylilies are in full bud, not much earlier than usual but much more lush and full. The stellas are already blooming but I didn't want to get the bottom of my skirt wet in the morning dew so I didn't climb the hill to the back garden this morning, only as far as the butterfly bush, which grows on the corner of the daylily bed.  This gorgeous plant towers over me, same as most things do. But it is a sight from beneath when it's in full bloom. So are the bees that love it. That's a good time for hats.

Here's the fun corner of my back deck; behind the glider is the summer home of one of the two 10'+ tall ficus trees that live inside during winter. It shades the glider a little bit. The other ficus lives beneath the brick arches in the front garden.  Behind the lattice and on ground level is my potting shelf.  The little red and yellow totem thing is about as close as I will ever get to a chicken.  The yellow bench is just down the steps. Yeah, I'm big on matching colors. ;)

In the front yard and beside the rock wall there's a lone coneflower. I didn't plant it here, but I'll leave it and hope it looks a little better eventually with another bloom or two. If not, that's OK too, I have others in a better spot, they just aren't blooming yet. Also beside the rock wall is my experiment. I'm trying hosta there; it's a shady spot that only gets very late sun, but it's so hot and I worry that the rocks will retain heat; bad for the hosta. Even so, I'm letting the dreaded vinca and a bit of ivy climb slightly down the rocks in that spot; maybe they'll provide a bit of shade. We'll see. I have the same hosta in much better places, but I really wanted to try it beside the rock wall. So far, so good.

At the end of the rock wall is a pot that remains the same most of the time. It holds sedum, and the Tradescantia, Purple Heart, that I stole from somebody's yard in Florida one time. (Oops) Well, they'd mowed and the plant was just there, broken and battered. I rescued it. The pot also holds the vinca vine that I swear loves my yard more than anything. It does make for a nice spill in pots, so I try to use it that way. This pot overwinters just as it is.  Comes back every year. I really need something tall in it.

This is a big leafed hosta growing near the shady brick arches, which I've found is the best hosta spot. This one is very nearly in bloom.  Nearby St. Francis watches over the hosta and heuchera, columbine, and baby hydrangea and behind him nearest the next arch is my baby hosta bed. It's where small hosta divisions are planted and from where I share. A few other things grow there too, but mostly it's hosta, sometimes baby yucca if somebody has asked for some.

And then there's the potted coleus all along the walkway that separates my house from the arches. I overwinter the coleus every year, it lives in water in my kitchen window then. I planted it out in March, thinking for sure it wouldn't survive, but it did. I think it's about 5 years old now. I take cuttings every year in November and just keep them in water. Along with the various coleus, there are petunias, sweet potato vine, more Purple Heart and the forever present, persistent vinca vine.

 Here's a solitary bloom left on Blue Ravine, struggling to climb up the holly tree.

And Granny Laurie's rose taking over the white garden at the east end of the house. One of the canes fell from the roof and I didn't find it till it bloomed. Here I just let the vinca grow. There's also Chameleon here as well as some Russian sage, not visible in the picture.

My next plan involves moving pavers and bricks for a wider walkway beside the yellow bench in back. When that's done the world will for sure know. It's already too hot even in early mornings to be moving stones and bricks from one place to another. One step at a time, I keep telling myself.

So back to the Blue Garden again, with a few things left to plant, one being a lovely heuchera that I couldn't resist but have no idea where it will live; no doubt somewhere in the Blue Garden where it will be shaded and cool. Me too.

There's something about my Blue Garden that inspires me; there I think only of good things:  things that I still want to do, still want to paint, still want to write; I make plans, scroll through memories, think of old friends and count my many blessings. It's a good place.

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