Backyard Survey

I took a stroll around the backyard this morning to see how things are coming up. We've had some terrible wind this past week and the plants have taken a beating.

We must have received a bit of rain overnight but I don't recall hearing it. I was awake until nearly 2 AM so the rain must have come in between 2 and 7 as I was up by 7 am.

The Lilacs came into full bloom early this week and enveloped the yard with their fragrance, I can still catch the faint smell in the evenings.

The Peonies have started to bud and with the help of the ants they should flower soon...

These plants have been handed down from my Grandmother, my aunt Judy had them first then gave them to my Mom and now I have some. Each year they come in bigger and better...

Alleyway Peonies: I planted these about oh maybe 10 years ago along my fence line in the back alley. I think I'm the only one on the block who thinks the alley is a place that needs beautifying, everyone else just thinks it's used for transportation and trash deposits.

The Irises in the Alleyway are always the first to bloom, the first flowers arrived about three days ago and now they are all in full bloom.

Over the years I've done a lot of experimenting in the Alley to see what will survive back there and I've found that Irises and Peonies are the ticket. They come up every year and I don't have to fuss with them. The only downside is that people walking along the alley like to swipe them and they don't use a scissors. I should hang a pair out there one of these days so they don't trash the plants. I really don't care if they pick a bouquet of flowers I just don't like it when they damage the plants.

The Prickly Pear cactus is awake and has lots of little buds. I was told they only flower once every 5 years so I was really excited when it flowered last year but I've found out that was not true they should flower every year. I got this plant from Dad about 3 years ago and it is 3 times a big as when I first planted it; at this rate it'll take over that section of the yard soon...

Lots of little buds...

One last stand for the tulips, these were some late bloomers that just flowered this week, the rest of the tulips have pretty much bit the dust.

Butterfly Blue Pincushin Flowers... I'm hoping these will hold true to their name and attract butterflies.

Klaus Jelitto Stoke's Aster...

I really like the white in these flowers and the plant only grows 18 to 24 inches high

Coronation Gold Yarrow...I know these attract a lot of bees

Columbine: I love the flowers on these, they just fascinate me..

Almost alienlike...

Azaleas: now these plants have been an ongoing chore for me and I'm about ready to give them away. I have 4 plants in the backyard and one in the front yard and none of them seem to do very well. These are one of my favorite plants for their scent but I'm thinking my soil is just not right for them. I'll get a few flowers but not much for the foliage and they look pretty pathetic the rest of the summer.

Now it's time for a stroll to the vegetable garden...

Everything is comin' up...

Tulips!

In the beginning...

There once lived a proud and mighty Silver Maple with a towering umbrella of foliage. One day back in July of 2000 this mighty maple met up with Mother Nature and as they say "nobody messes with Mother Nature." The Silver Maple had met it's match and soon became firewood.

Fast forward nine years to 2009, the space where the mighty maple once stood was expanded and utilized as a Memorial Garden.

Behold!

April 2009


Grass was removed and the design was etched into the earth...


May 2009 perennials were selected and planted...



The ground was broken for the new trees...


The perennials were planted...


The Birch trees were planted...

And where once stood a fearless and mighty Maple now is a garden of memories...

REST IN PEACE

Hand Axe and a Sledge

I was finally able to get that damn root out of the garden. My "big" brother was over on Saturday and he tried getting it out and could not budge it, that's how stubborn it was. After Rick left I decided that root was going! I grabbed my handy dandy axe and whacked it several hundred times then hit it with the sledge hammer! Taaaaa Daaaa, good bye root! Now I'm ready to plant the River Birch. I found a nice clump at Linder's Garden Center tonight. I just need to find a truck/trailer and get it to the backyard. I know it ain't going to fit in the Focus, I can haul a lot in that little car but ain't no way a tree is fitting in there.

The infamous root

I worked several hours in the backyard tonight, I planted Pincushion Flowers, Columbine, Asters, 'Black Barlow' columbine, Coronation Gold Yarrow and Purple Coneflowers in the Memorial Garden. Over the weekend I went to the Living Green Expo at the Fairgrounds and bought a little Paper Birch sapling and planted it in one of my big pots with some Petunias and Pansies. I figure it's going to take several years before it's big enough that I can put it in the yard and not worry about it getting trampled so it can hang out in a pot for a while.

The Living Green Expo was great; I attended a workshop on Cold Frames and Green Houses. I don't see myself building a green house but I've already figured out where I'm putting a cold frame for next year. I also attended a workshop on salvaging rainwater. It gave me an idea on how I can divert the water from my sump pump to the Memorial garden. This will be great I wont have to worry about watering any of the plants and I can use all the fresh ground water from the sump pump. I'm also going to put in a rain barrel under one of my downspouts to capture that water as well. With the size of my roof I shouldn't have to use my hose to water anything, I'll get it all from mother nature!

I had a couple visitors in the backyard again, this time boys...

Here's a look at what's happening in the backyard:

The Tulips are blooming...



As well as the Daffodils...

The Forget-Me-Nots started popping up the other day...

Sugar Maple leaves are coming out...


That's all for this weekend.