Garden Bloggers Bloom Day– May 2013

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How could it be the fifteenth of the month already? When I woke up this morning and saw another blogger’s Bloom Day post I had to quickly look at my calendar and check the date. It just didn’t seem possible. A lot has happened here in New England in the last month. The garden continues to soothe and heal all of us.

My long awaited dogwood is still in bloom. I know that I just have another day  or two with it so I’m enjoying every minute that I get.IMG_1318 Soloman’s seal is unfurling. This is “almost a bloom.”IMG_1302 Viola, lots of them, everywhere!IMG_1298 Lily of the valleyIMG_1289Crab apple
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My little girl’s favorite, the bleeding heart. She’s been able to identify this since she was three. IMG_1279

And there’s still plenty of pollen! I’m so allergic to it, but I’m hoping that in just a few more days or after another good rain (this afternoon), it will be better.

Be sure to check out the other blogs on maydreamsgardens.com to see what’s blooming all over the world!

Michele

Check Out the Link to This Wonderful Post: Creating Your Own Special Retreat From the World by Linda Buzzell

Don’t we all need our own special retreat from the world? Here’s the link to a post by new-to-me author and blogger, Linda Buzzell. She writes about the healing benefits found in nature and the garden.  She expresses my feelings so well that  I had to share!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/linda-buzzell/nature-health_b_3134900.html?utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false

My Mother’s Day Gifts

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We have a busy weekend here. Today’s the dance recital, which means lots of work and lots of fun! This is our ninth or tenth year of dancing, actually I should say this is “my daughter’s ninth or tenth year of dancing”  but it doesn’t really work that way. As a dance mom, it’s my project too, and now my youngest child has joined in so we spend more time at dance then ever. I believe that dance is a wonderful way for my girls to develop skills in many areas. They love to dance and we love to cheer them on.

When I let Winnie out this morning I was greeted by this view. It was rainy and overcast but all I could see were the flowers.IMG_1266

Of course I was drawn right out there and I had to keep looking. Tomorrow will be garden day for me but I’ve been so busy with rehearsals and running people places that I haven’t been down to the garden in a couple of days. I’m always surprised by the changes when I’m absent for a little while.

The rhubarb is in flower already.IMG_1277 Shallots are peeking out.IMG_1275 My daughter decorated the fence for her birthday party. I think the lights are staying here, I love them! This perennial border is starting to come together this year.IMG_1274 We need some more rain to fill up the pond so that the kids can use the canoe, and I need to make that fence with the dogwood twigs.IMG_1272

There’s always bleeding hearts and spirea for Mother’s Day, along with the flowering cherry in the background.IMG_1269

Dancing and flowers…what better gifts are there?

A perfect Mother’s Day weekend to me!

Happy Mother’s Day!

Michele

A Quick Derby Garden Update, With a Stop at West Beach

Here’s the Derby Garden when I blogged about it on March 26th. IMG_0415

Here it was on Sunday. It’s greened up beautifully. I’m sure that it’s at an even different stage now, a few days later.
IMG_0938I love these old chimneys. Maintaining them here on the waterfront is probably quite challenging.IMG_0958 This was taken by my littlest girl. We girls were out for a ride.IMG_0947 Aren’t these tulips great? Donna Seger at Streets of Salem posted a photo of them in bloom on May Day and I was sure that I was going to miss them. I was so happy to see that they were still going strong on Sunday.IMG_0925 Beautiful peach columbine, coming into bloom.IMG_0924I’m not sure about this plant’s identity… does anyone know what it is? Let us know!
IMG_0922Before the garden we stopped at the beach for a few minutes. It was windy and cold but still a nice little break in the busy weekend. Sorry, no kid pictures… girls don’t always want to be photographed. That’s okay, neither do I.IMG_0916

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I thought that the view might make you smile :)

Summer is coming~

Enjoy Everything!

Michele

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What’s Happening In the Garden- May 1

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Happy May Day!

 I hope that you had as nice a day where you are as we did in Salem. It was gorgeous out there!

 I had to spend some time poking around outside and checking things out.  Here’s what I saw in between dropping off and picking up children…

Lady’s mantle and siberian iris, with the bleeding heart in the background.

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I pruned the beejeebes out of this poor butterfly bush the other day. I’m planning to move it way over to the left in the next few days. I ran out of time and steam when I started this project so I have to get back to it (or get Michael to help me, soon)…IMG_0855
The sweet peas are all in a row, ready for their climb up the fence and trellis…
IMG_0860 Asparagus is peeking through!IMG_0864 And we have this beautiful pile of red twigged dogwood branches. I have to decide what to do with them. I think that they would make a great little fence!IMG_0869The rhubarb is ready. I wish I liked rhubarb more. My mother-in-law makes the best rhubarb custard pie in the world! I should work at that.
IMG_0872 The flowering pear tree that we planted last spring is turning out to be beautiful!IMG_0874 The soloman’s seal is poking through. I need to clean up and get rid of the dead stuff around it, however that requires me to  steel up my courage because it’s snake country over here, not across the yard, just over on this side ;) !IMG_0875 There’s a pot of potatoes underway. This year I’m planning to add a little bit of soil at a time, as the plants grow.IMG_0877 The radishes pushed through. Radishes are great to grow with kids because they germinate in 4-6 days and you can be harvesting them in just a few weeks. IMG_0856 Here’s the view looking down through the dogwood tree. Dogwoods take several years to flower after transplanting. I think this is going to be the breakthrough year for this tree. I have a feeling that it will have been worth the wait.IMG_0848 And finally, looking out at the juneberry tree. This is another example of patience paying off. I was very tempted to cut it down a year or two ago because it just looked so sad and sickly. We treated it with Treetone organic fertilizer last spring and fall and the comeback is dramatic. It looks quite healthy and happy this year!IMG_0843

Try to hang in there with your plants and trees.  If your having difficulty with something in your yard go ahead and google for a solution, or ask me to help you find one.

My husband will tell you that I live for this stuff :)

Enjoy everything!

Michele