Tend

I have not written or published about my own world of petals and roots in a long while. Here's a blurry shot of our little white house, my mister heading up to the side door. The white cherry blossoms are still in bloom, the old cherry tree in our back yard in regal beauty. But these pink, early blossoms are long since done.

Early tulips are also finished, although shaded ones or later varieties are still blooming. I've noticed that purple tulips, like purple crocuses, seem to bloom later. These pictured above are some of my earliest tulips to bloom and are now just headless stalks next to some budding lavender.

Daffodils had a wonderful run in our cold spring, although they may be finished by now.

 Pansies and violas are and have been flourishing. Lavender is starting to bloom. My foxglove is growing tall and healthy. One of the joys this spring has been wandering around my garden, discovering that which is still alive or made it through the winter: my hawthorn and ginko trees, my echinacea, Chinese hyssop, lavender, lupine, hollyhock, salmon berries, strawberries, lemon verbena (over-wintered in the cellar), goldenrod, calendula (reseeded), peppermint (reseeded), chives, a sole leek, collard greens and kales (the flowers of which the bees love), sage, oregano, a variety of thyme, pansies, and columbine.

Right now, lavender, lilac, and bluebells are blooming which means I can plant my cucumbers and beans. In the woods, I found lots of wild columbine, bleeding heart, this mysterious yellow flower:

And a dozen wild orchids:

seed love!

Yesterday, planting joy!

I planted sunflower seeds along the fence next to the chicken coop, nasturtiums along the border of the raised beds, black-eyed susan vines in containers and a hanging basket, pincushion flowers under the holly tree, and scattered cosmos seeds under the rose bush.

I dream of mammoth sunflowers taller than me with shorter varieties of red and gold and white around their skirts and lettuce and kale at their feet. I envision raised beds surrounded by comfrey and nasturtiums around the border and marigolds interspersed amongst the tomatoes and carrots. Next to my hive will grow wild flowers and mints and catnip and lemon balm and dandelions. Vines of climbing black-eyed Susans will stretch around my front porch railing, and sunflowers, columbine, lupine, foxglove, thyme, and hollyhock will beckon the bees and fairies in my front garden.

I'm on a planting frenzy. I feel like since this is the first year with a real yard and a real garden, I can go crazy. I can experiment and throw seeds wherever my heart desires, and if they grow, hooray! If they don't, I'll learn, study, observe, solve. 

I do need to keep better notes, which equates to being a better observer. I need to write down when the apple tree blooms and when the petals start to fall. I need to record dates of the opening of the first daffodil. Little did I realize that such signs may be better harbingers of auspicious planting times than calenders are. Welcome to the world of phenology.

But currently, the comfrey grows bushy and the garlic grows green and tall. The strawberries are expanding, and the first flowers on the salmon berries have bloomed. The lemon balm leaves are deliciously lemony and green again, and the bluebells are still blooming. The apple petals are starting to fall, and the tulips are past their prime. The rapini seeds have germinated. Mesclun and arugula that I planted in the colander are more lush every day. I took two seedling trays from inside and moved them outside under the cloche. Time to start hardening them off. Are the lillies of the valley blooming yet?