I thought you might like to see our blueberry bushes.  They are loaded with little baby blueberries.  

 

We usually start picking blueberries on Father’s Day, and then for the following month.  

 

It has been two years since we’ve had any blueberries.  So we are very excited this year to have them.  I will show you again when they start ripening.  They are really pretty then.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

It seems like we just planted these the other day.  Well, it was April 27th.  But just look at them!!!

 

We already have baby zucchinis.  Not quite ready to pick, but happy and growing.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

I know that most of you have seen George and his tractor at one time or another.  He often does chores in the neighborhood, like remove fallen trees, move big rocks, haul away the haybale, and other jobs too big for “the guys” to handle.

 

But I wanted to show you what a good sport he is:  helping us push up our redbud tree.  It didn’t work, but he did give it a try.  And we really appreciated that.  

 

 

THANKS, GEORGE!!!

 

 

Our beautiful, big redbud tree fell over during that storm earlier in the week.  It made us both so sad.

 

We thought maybe George could push it back up with his tractor.  He came over, and tried from several different angles.  But the root ball was just too weak to hold it up.  So, Jon cut it up, and George straightened the stump with his tractor.  

 

The next step was to dig up a two year old seedling from the other side of the second redbud tree.  We are going to nurture the baby tree a couple months, and then plant it in the heartwood of the stump.  

 

I’ll let you know how that works out.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

Here is my beautiful Clematis blooming.  

 

Last year the deer ate it right down to the ground.  I love it too much to just give up on it, so this year we put up a little fence to protect it.  This is the top deck.  It has grown and bloomed all the way from the ground up to the top of the deck rail.  

 

I am so glad I took this picture to show you, because a couple nights ago the deer breached the fence and ate all the flowers except the top four!!!  It looks a little sad.  But I know that it isn’t dead, and will grow back next year.

 

I guess we better rethink our fence before then.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

The apple trees are loaded with baby apples.  They should start ripening in late August and early September.  

 

It is so exciting to see them every day, and know that we will be making apple cake in just a few more months.  

 

Such a great investment:  apple trees.  They give us sweet-smelling flowers in spring, shade close to the garden for a little rest break, and apples in the fall.  We love them.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

 

Years ago one of my students gave me a 4 inch pot of orange lilies.  I think it must have been my last year at Sunnybrook.  We brought them with us when we moved here.

 

We planted them in the wild garden, and they grew so well that we were able to harvest bulblets and move them around into other gardens.  They were SO beautiful that first year, but then the deer decided that they liked them too.  Those unprotected lilies are long gone, but the wild garden is fenced, so we still have some in there.  

 

And we enjoy them every year.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

I always thought that growing carrots took deep, fluffy soil, and frankly I didn’t want to go to all that work.

 

Last year I discovered several varieties of carrots that will grow in “heavy soil.”  I wouldn’t call our soil “heavy,” but I figured what it means is that the soil doesn’t have to be fluffy and deep.  So I tried them and they grew!!!

 

We have carrots without all the work.  Yoo-hoo!!!

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Memorial Day is a day to remember those who gave their lives in service to our country.   

 

We can’t thank them to their faces, but we can remember their sacrifices, and be grateful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We saw this milkweed plant in the park the other day, and I took its picture.  When I looked at the picture later I noticed that one is in bud, and the other is in bloom.  

 

I remember seeing them all along the Blue Ridge Parkway, when we lived in Virginia.  

 

We love milkweed, and so do the Monarchs.  The butterflies lay their eggs in the milkweed, and when the caterpillars emerge they eat the leaves.  I wish this variety grew in our neighborhood, but I haven’t seen any in years.  

 

Be on the lookout for milkweed; you may see some in your travels, and you can be thankful that the Monarchs have food for their next generations.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!