Such a Busy Time of Year

Has it really been almost 2 weeks?
After such a long dark winter I guess it was natural to move out into the Spring sunlight and not want to come back into my basement studio.
Some spring gardening chores can't wait so when Nature gives the sign, it's a race again the clock to get things done so that you're not interfering with or damaging the beds. I have very full perennial beds in both sun and shade so there is a lot of baby sitting to do in May.

We also made a couple of forays out into the local woodland trails to catch Spring with my new camera and I did manage to get some wonderful photos without trying. Some of the material will reappear in my art.

Such a show of Trillium this spring.

A few years ago I picked a handful of 'forget me not' s from an abandoned civic area and now I just toss the spring remains into the empty corners knowing they will brighten the day next year.

I thought the tulip bed would be gone in a flash but a spell of cool weather has given them a long show.

 These lovely dwarf iris have a lovely but brief show each year. They only last a day or so.

But the blowsy and cheerful Bleeding Hearts will be around for quite a while. I'll spend part of the summer reining them in again and banishing all their children from various corners of the other beds.

And of course one of the main joys in the garden are the birds. The first of May I put out my feeder and the 3rd of May I received a visit.

I have four feeders but they still squabble all day.
And my year round crowd change their dress for the season .

But with all the feeders I maintain all year I have some other visitors as well. Just a tad messy they are, but still part of the scene.

There are a lot of others but I don't always have my camera within reach. I'll capture them sometime.

It's August..... REALLY?

I took a break this summer.
After all the flurry in June .. .... I was exhausted, and brain dead. So I've spent the last 6 weeks or so WORKING AROUND THE HOUSE ( yes really) and re visiting a number of very different UFOs.
Both knitting and sewing.. as well as working on "JANE".

We've had a very wet summer here in Ontario, but I managed last week to strip and re-stain the deck and paint hubby's deck chair. I think it was the only warm and dry spell this summer to date.

However this is DEFINITELY the summer of MY GARDEN.

So much rain has done wonders. (Actually it's showed me how much I've been under watering.)

Here's the current view of my jungle from my dining room.

Voila... the newly "spiffed" deck

But the Crowned Queen this year is my bed of  'Chicago Apache' day lilies. They have never looked so good.

And the supporting cast is also lush and full. Enjoy.

The Garden - Late July - Early Rousseau

I'm  going away for a few days and I know my garden will look very different when I return.
Some of the Daylilies are on their last legs already. Some are just beginning.
The Crocosmia is in full bloom for the hummingbirds. Too bad its just so hot to enjoy sitting out.

The Pictures will get me through the next winter.

Chicago Apache

Crocosmia

Elaine Stutt

Silome Double Classic

Fanciful Finery

Yarrow

Common Echinacea

Strawberry Candy

Golden Prize and Chicago Apache

Garden Report - June 2016

Garden is looking good even if everything is a bit off schedule. We had a prolonged cold spell in May that really slowed everything.

The June roses are still opening and are looking lush. The spring bulbs weren't! I don't thik I'll replace them either. I split a couple of hosta for my Step daughter and the plants responded by being even bigger than before!
 I'll have to do a whole page on my hosta someday.

And my CLIVIA or Kaffir lily, inspite of being both frost bit and sun burned has done wonderfully.
Time to pour a glass of wine and enjoy. ( Hubby had the Tour de d France on this morning and now its soccer. I go out an listen to the birds ( well the grackles actually squabbling over the feed!)

The first 3 pictures were taken in were late May

Clivia sp.

Always standing guard

Glorious Poppy

Who can work in a basement studio when this opened in the garden this morning?

Patience in the Garden

Blue is my favourite colour and its hard to come by in my area. But I found this guy at an Arboretum sale one year.

Okay not really blue but in these last days of summer it never fails. This is Aconite, otherwise known as Monkshood. Unfortunately for most gardens it is VERY poisonous. (All those Agatha Christie novels!)

The flowers look like the medieval cowls and hoods worn by the monks of the Inquisition. As the rose and the mums are finishing this beuaty will bloom for almost another month, or until a first early frost.

It is a substantial plant but sits in the background till everything else begins to die. Rather ironic I'd say. I have two on either side of the garden and love watching them come into their own as the cool weather begins to close in.
I DO wait all year for them. They need no coddling as the stems are quite stout. I've only ever seen it once before and it was in a historical herbal garden.

End of the Season

We've had our first dusting of snow so its a push to get the rest of the "gotta do" chores done before winter sets in. I really don't want the snow to stay yet. We had an early winter last year and it just makes the whole messy season too long. When I was younger and skied etc with my kids that was different, but now I just hunker down and wait it out.
The Fruit cake was the first sign of winter, and then I turned to putting my garden to bed. I have a perennial garden. There are those who like to leave it all for nature and clean in the spring and then there are those, like me, who want to clean it up now.

I have extra reasons for my thorough cleanup...I'm at war with a rabbit. Two winters past the rabbits moved into my back yard and did a lot of damage.

Second summer of healing, but it will take 2 more growing seasons to close this wound.

 

 Last winter I successfully fenced them out and will do so this month BUT I decided to prune heavily to encourage the rabbit to move on. My back slope is a mix of Hansa shrub roses and cotoneaster, both of which are the perfect cover for the rodents of this world. So I spent 4 hours this morning and made 5 trips to the compost depot in the city and striped the garden of all its hiding places. (Almost)

I filled in and blocked a few gaps in the fence where he might enter from the neighbours and removed as much cover as I could with out damaging the shrubs. Both these plants do well with heavy pruning, but I'm usually to busy to do it right.
So here are some shots for what I did. Each has a midsummer view and a view before I started and the portion of the garden as of now.
I'm not finished, but my energy gave out. I'll wait for another "nice" day to finish up.

Mid summer with echinecea and day lilies

Filbert in is autumn colour and Aconite with a shot of Blue

Most of the perennials have died back

Roses cut to the ground cotoneaster sheered down

 

Then next 3 repeat the process. This is the central part of the garden

And the far corner where Le Lapin prefers to catch the afternoon rays.

 

So right now I will put my feet up with nice cup of Coffee and rest!! Tomorrow is soon enough to sew.