Category: gardening

The More the Merrier

A recent trip to Bemis Farms Nursery in Spencer, Massachusetts proves that you can never have too much of a good thing!

Sunrise, Sunset

East Princeton, Massachusetts

Kaleidoscope Monarch

The butterfly bush in my yard has attracted the first Monarch Butterfly of the season.

A Growing Community

My town’s garden allotments are in full swing, despite some difficult weather these past weeks.

Butterfly Wings

(Short audio included at the end of the post.)

During my recent blogging break, I have been learning to play the folk harp.

This is a Fireside Harp from Backyard Music, made of cardboard.

The shape of the harp reminds me of the wings of a butterfly that visits my garden.

A rain storm came up just after these photos were taken, but I’ve included a short audio with a rainy backdrop, which can be played along with these photos.

Eleanor Plunkett, by Turlough O’Carolan, arranged by harpist and composer Anne Crosby Gaudet, performed by Julie Mankowsky.

Flowers and Fresh Veg

Visiting woodchucks, rabbits, a racoon and even a bear made gardening more difficult than usual this year. Still, on a sunny July day, it seems worth all the extra effort.

Lillies overlook the beans, squash and hydrangea.

Tomatillos are a new veg for me this year. Salsa Verde recipes, anyone?

Hydrangeas sport a deep blue because of my slightly acidic soil.

Lady Belle Sweet Peppers growing on the deck.

Zinnias hiding from rabbits in the pots of Swiss Chard.

The parsley usually lasts right up until snowfall.

Perennial flowers topped off with a hanging basket of marigolds and nasturtium.

Salad Bowl Lettuce doesn’t seem to mind the heat.

Boston Pickling Cucumbers are a New England favorite.

Tall Phlox and Scarlet Emperor Beans share a trellis.

Basil and marigolds used as companion plants with tomatoes.

Hoping my French Haricot Vert Beans are “woodchuck proof”!

Garden Guests

I’m never alone on my “home patch”.

Digging for Gold

How fortunate that many of nature’s treasures are edible.

Now and Then

Even though it’s been a summer of extreme weather here in Central Massachusetts, most parts of the garden have thrived. Below, recent pictures are paired with those from late May, when the garden was first planted.

The pole beans are luxurious. The squash is holding its own, despite not being in full sun and hosting a mole that samples ground level fruits nightly.

Squash seedlings were barely visible in late May. Beans had yet to sprout.

Hard working Scarlet Emperor beans are on double duty attracting hummingbirds with jewel-like red blossoms and providing a screen from the road beyond. Additionally, the beans are tasty if picked when they are small.

The beans were planted in high planters as protection from hungry rabbits. Fortunately, rabbits have been few and far between during the past weeks.

The “Christmas tree” look of the heirloom Boston Pickling cucumber lends visual interest to the garden with its height and large leaves. A prolific grower, it is sprawling out on the ground in back of the “tree” as well.

Growing cucumbers vertically on bamboo canes makes harvesting produce much easier.

Eggplants that are ready to harvest are surrounded by marigolds for support. The plants cover the blue bucket they are growing in.

Marigold seedlings are barely visible in this picture. They bloomed so prolifically around the eggplant, I had to remove one to give the eggplant more room.

Kale has been continually harvested throughout the summer. Nasturtium and marigolds make good companion plants, as well as surrounding it with spots of edible color.

Lettuce (that had not germinated when this photograph was taken) was planted in between the kale. The kale provided shade for the lettuce during the hot July days.

In the Pink

Pink is a-poppin’ in my garden this week.

Luminosa Zinnias, Butterfly Bush and Morning Glories

How I Miss Them!

A mysterious bird disease is affecting the Southern and Mid-Atlantic states.

Birdbaths in my yard, usually a focal point for visiting birds, have been turned over at the urging of Massachusetts Wildlife officials. Although not yet reported in Massachusetts, a mysterious bird disease has affected many Southern and Mid-Atlantic states. Since late May there have been numerous reports of dying birds with swollen eyes and crusty discharge, as well as neurological problems. In lieu of the bright colors and uplifting energy our feathered friends provide, I offer these digitally altered photos, hoping the birds will be back flitting around my yard soon, and in good health.

Bees, Please

Doing my part to make my yard pollinator friendly.

Echinacea, calendula, zinnia and marigold blossoms are bedecked with bees this week.

Sparky, Marietta, Petite and Crackerjack

It’s marigold time in my garden.

I usually buy six-packs of marigold plants around Memorial Day. But last winter, dreaming of spring, I bought a set of four different types of marigold seeds. It turns out that four packages contain *thousands* of seeds. Now I have an explosion of color and texture weaving through the yard. And what a bargain! I have seeds left over to plant next year.

**Sparky Mix Marigolds** have wavy petals of orange, yellow, crimson, gold and bicolor. They are mid-sized, at around fourteen inches tall. These popular companion plants attract pollinators; they are “on duty” as a border around the squash garden.

As their name suggests, **Dainty Marietta Marigolds** are quite small, and known for the bright yellow petals with maroon centers. They have been the most difficult marigolds for me to nurture, but their delicate flowers are delightful.

**Petite Mix Marigolds** are only 8 to 10 inches in height, but they bloom in all colors. They are in containers around the yard, and used as annual borders. They are so abundant, that even if the rabbits find them, there is enough to share.

At three to four feet tall, the **Crackerjack Marigolds** are eye-catching, with large ruffles of yellow and orange blooms. They lend a festive feeling to the yard.

Hide and Seek

An Eastern Cottontail rabbit has arrived in my garden.

Knowing rabbits appear each summer, I protect my garden plants as much as possible. Still, many plants are within reach of curious furry friends.

Little feet and ears are hiding just behind the cucumber and basil plants. Tomatoes, lettuce, herbs, eggplants, beans, peppers, marigolds, calendulas and more are nearby–a veritable feast for a half-grown bunny.

It ventures out from its undercover safety, and surveys one side of the garden….

And then the other.
What will it choose?

Sweet, green clover left in the lawn just for rabbits.

Books and Bee Balm

I grew up in a rural town in Western Massachusetts, where a large patch of bee balm featured prominently in our garden each summer. One day an elderly couple, complete strangers, stopped their car to ask my father what the fiery red blooms in the garden were.

“It’s bee balm, a perennial. Would you like some?”

He dug up a clump for the pair to take to their summer home at the edge of town.

A few days later, the couple reappeared with a box of children’s books. They were retired teachers, who had noticed my siblings and me playing in the yard.

“We have collected so many books over the years, and since we are retired, we don’t need them. Would your children like some?” they asked my father.

That summer, and for many summers thereafter, the couple brought boxes of books of a variety of genres. Some were almost new; some were gently worn. Each box was a thoughtful gift.

The sight of bee balm might bring thoughts of insects, bright flower petals in a salad, or perhaps herbal tea to most people.

But me? I simply think of books.