Readers, Welcome to my blog (formerly Birds, Blooms, Books, etc). I'm entering a new decade taking on the challenge of moving from Maryland after living there 46 years and learning about my new home here in New England in the Live Free or Die state - New Hampshire. Join me as a write this new chapter of my life.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Foxglove



Several years ago I bought one foxglove to plant in the perennial garden.  That parent plant is long gone but before it departed it produced many offspring.  Foxgloves are biennials so they only live two years.  Lucky for me that one plant was prolific with its seeds and I was able to move volunteers all over the garden.  They are an every other year sort of plant and last year they didn't amount to much though I saw their green leaves all over and had to move them out of certain spots.  This year, it's another story.  I have to wonder if I have encouraged an invasion of foxglove into my woods.

Last week - beginnings of the flowering cycle along the glen.

 Today the spikes are filling up with open flowers. 
             Above: Last week along the glen edge. (See the Jack in the pulpit?)                             Below: today the blooms are out.   
  
Here's another new bloom in the perennial garden, very much like the foxglove and a Mother's Day gift from years ago.  The lupine.
  
And here's my Mother's Day gift this year awaiting the rains to stop so it can be planted.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Harvest Monday & Garden Status Report

The garden continues to produce lovely greens for us: spinach, lettuces, and Chinese greens.  Here are some of those photos.
 Tatsoi getting washed in preparation for a quick saute.
 Bok choy which we steamed.
 A large assortment of lettuces and spinach which I served at a Mother's Day lunch for my mother-in-law on Sunday.

It's a rainy day today.  Nice for all the new plantings in the garden and yard.  I took these photos in the rain to show you what's happening out there now.

 The second planting of snow peas is getting ready to bloom.  I think it's catching up to the first planting.
 I planted 16 tomatoes on the 9th and have 17 growing since I left a volunteer plant in place.  12 of the plants are planted in beds like this one and will be trained up the stake to the fence.  I have Goldie, Amish paste, and Rutgers all which I had last year, and new this year Market Miracle and Cherokee purple (from Daphne).
 View of the first planting of snowpeas with bok choy in front.  A row of bush beans were planted to the right of the bok choy.  Carrots are behind.  Below is a close up of one of the peas ready to pick.
 Broccoli is heading up nicely.  Below another tomato bed with the volunteer in front.  It's as big as my seedling plants!
 The final 3' x 18" bed.  All of them have marigolds planted with them to ward off those dreaded tomato horn worms.


 One of the blueberry bushes.  All except a new bush planted last year to replace one that died have blueberries on them.
 The final 5 tomato plants are planted next to the snow peas and behind the carrots second planting.  The tendrils of the peas are already grasping onto the tomato cages and once the peas are done I'll have a job of cutting them off the tomato plants.
 Above you can see one of my pots of cucumbers.  Below are the other two pots.  Last year they were in the bed where the garlic is now and grew nicely up the fence.  I hope they do as well in pots.  Not pictured is the pumpkin volunteer which got transplanted from the last tomato bed to a spot on the septic tank outside the fence.  It's been sprayed with Liquid Fence as the whole yard was again on Saturday so hopefully the deer will leave it be.  Can't be sure that the ground hog will, but oh well.
 Peppers were planted in amongst the spinach.  My pepper seedlings were so small this year.  I did end up buying one jalapeno pepper plant to add to these.
 Finally, the deck is complete.  The new fire pit arrived Friday but we didn't get to try the pit out this weekend.  Here is is in the rain.  We did enjoy sitting out there with family visitors on Mother's Day.
There are other harvests to be viewed at Daphne's Dandelions.

Friday, May 11, 2012

Iris Time!

 There's something about an iris.  If you look closely at it you realize it's quite a funny looking flower with all it's up and down petals.  In totality it's quite beautiful.  Here are the ones blooming now through out the gardens.  Enjoy!