Posted this to Facebook yesterday. Today, I’m enjoying a late-70’s / early-80’s music mix courtesy of YouTube Music.
Vintage Earworms
Category Archives: gardening
trying not to kill the beautiful things
Friendly Firefly
I found this little guy doing the backstroke in the birdbath when I went to fill it up this morning. When I gently splashed him out of the water, to my surprise, he started climbing up the side of the bowl.
I didn’t see him land here on my maple bonsai-in-progress, but I assume it’s the same firefly. He’s been hanging out on this leaf for some 15 minutes or so, presumably drying himself off.
We’re just chilling here together before the temps turn unseasonably warm later today.
Also? As I was writing this, tapping on my phone and sitting in the Adirondack chair with my big friend, a critter sauntered under my chair and into the plants behind me. Guess I’ve been chill enough that he didn’t even care that I’m here.
Morning Peony
Peonies and Asparagus Greens
The peonies are starting to bloom!
I always bring in the ones that are either drooping close to the ground or are at the back of a planting where they won’t really be seen. That way, taking cut flowers from my garden doesn’t make much of an impact overall.
Our previous neighbors started growing asparagus a few years back, and the family who bought their house have let the entire vegetable garden go — including the asparagus. As I trimmed back some of the asparagus ferns that threatened to whap me in the face as I collected my peonies, I realized that they would make a nice filler for my arrangement. Bonus!
Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day: May 2024
It’s been a while since I participated in Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day. This month feels right for a return to the routine, mainly because I’m in the right head space: motivated to plant and weed, motivated to write and photograph, and ready to give myself permission to be OK with wabi-sabi-style plantings.
May has been filled with more and more bearded irises over the years — mostly because deer don’t eat them the way they do lilies. The alliums are also super deer-resistant, and they offer some long-term interest, but they don’t have quite as much of a punch of color.
I planted bearded iris Califlora War Chief in Fall 2021, and I’m fairly sure this is the first year it’s bloomed. It needs some support, and I’m not sure if it’s because it’s not getting enough sun or if it’s just how this iris behaves.
The two Peggy Sue bearded irises I planted in Fall 2018 have spread nicely over the years, and they now make a colorful impact from a distance. I took this photo a few days ago, and now there’s easily some two dozen blooms.
These purple and lavender irises with yellow throats were already established when we moved into this house some 11 years ago. I’ve divided them once or twice, and I’ve also seen them popping up in places I didn’t remember moving them to.
This little white irises were some more that were already on the property but needed dividing to thrive. I’d honestly forgotten that I’d moved them to a spot by the driveway where they can be enjoyed.
The peonies are putting up buds, but none but the early single-blooming red peonies have shown their colors quite yet.
I also saw this morning that the purple Siberian iris has started to bloom. The foliage looks grassy, so I’ve lost more than one of them over the years to well-meaning landscapers who whack them before they’re in bloom. Glad I still have at least one out there… might need to divide them this fall as a bit of an insurance policy.
This May has also been full of weeds and grass and things that didn’t survive the winter for whatever reason. I think this will be a good summer for my plantings, though, and I’m looking forward to tending to the growing things.