Month: May 2021

A Yard For People and Rabbits

I expect the rabbits to appear in my yard for “Summer Vacation” any day now.

High raised beds keep the bunnies out of the Spring greens. However, they are welcome to all the lawn clover they desire.

New fencing around the pole beans and squash means the beans are off-limits to rabbits this year, as well. Sometimes they pick at the hostas nearby, and that is acceptable to me.

Tall pots encase my favorite red-blossomed Scarlet Emperor beans. The wild bleeding hearts next to the pots are plentiful, though.

Removable fencing keeps the largest vegetable bed protected, but with easy access for me.

Grow bags keep the Yukon Gold and Early Red potatoes safe. However, the clover and wild daisies left in between the bags are available for munching.

Wild strawberries are everywhere in the yard. The rabbits can eat their fill!

The cold frame provides great protection from both weather and critters in three seasons.

Kale is safe in a small enclosed garden on the edge of the woods.

Time to get some fencing around this cucumber and nasturtium tripod. If you have heard that rabbits don’t like nasturtium, don’t believe it!

The rabbits have ignored the tomatoes in previous years. Plenty of Solomon’s Seal nearby to eat instead.

Garlic has not caught the rabbit’s fancy, either. But will they go for the lettuce purposely planted among it? Stay tuned…

Hopefully, this blue bucket will protect the eggplant. Wild Strawberry is nearby as an alternate selection.

Thank goodness the blueberry bush is out of reach! Alas, the birds are drawn to it like magnets.

A restful area for both people and critters.

One final touch added after the garden is planted.

Wishing you wonderful times outdoors this season!

Ancient Irises

Iris means “rainbow” in Greek.

In Greek mythology, the goddess Iris carried messages from heaven to earth on the arc of the rainbow. Beautiful flowers appeared wherever she set foot on the ground.

Irises in a rainbow of colors are blooming in my garden this week!

The Queen of Shrubs

The easy-to-grow and fragrant lilac was brought from Europe to New England by the early colonists. Today this “Queen of Shrubs” is ubiquitous in Massachusetts.

Better Homes and Gardens notes that:

“Lilacs are known for their hardy nature and long lives—many lilac shrubs live to be more than 100 years old. Because of their life span, they often survive longer than the home of the gardener that planted them. So, if you’re on a country road and see a few seemingly-random lilac bushes, there was most likely a house or farm there in the last century.”