In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.
~Margaret Atwood
 |
| perennial geranium |
I haven't spent much time blogging lately, but for a good reason - there's been a lot of gardening to do!
 |
| the front walkway |
With such a late spring after our record-breaking winter, it seemed like there was so much to do at once here at the Red House. I'm not even sure where May went, but I know I was outside for most of it. It was so great to be outdoors, with the garden coming back to life and the yard full of brilliant shades of green.
We've been busy the last few weeks. Raised beds were built for the veggie garden, seedlings raised and planted, and old plants moved around. We added more garden beds to the front, and decorative fences were installed on either side of the driveway for me to grow my favorite vines on.
 |
| garden fence to the right of the driveway |
I was a little unsure how the fences would turn out, but I think once all the plants around them grow up and fill in, they will look really nice.
More garden and less grass is always a good thing, right? (Here's hoping I feel the same way when I am weeding all these beds!)
 |
| fence and garden added behind the mailbox garden to the left of the driveway |
The perennials in the existing garden beds are looking nice and full, though they are now in that brief lull where spring blooms have faded but most of my summer flowers have yet to start blooming. My flower beds are full of buds and promises.
 |
| Salvia 'New Dimension Rose', one of my few early summer blooming plants |
Many edibles were also planted this year. I've always wanted a 'pie garden', and so planted blueberries, raspberries, strawberries,
ground cherries, and rhubarb. It might be some years before I ever get enough fruit to actually make a pie - I have to somehow grow more fruit than my kids can eat! We've also been hard at work in the veggie garden (aka 'salsa garden') this spring. Mr. Red House built me raised beds so I could plant in better soil this year. Don't they look nice?
 |
| new beds in the veggie garden |
How time flies when one is puttering about the garden! I can't believe it is now June and summer is nearly upon us.
 |
| blue false indigo |
I hope you all are having fun in your gardens as well!
Happy gardening!
Mr. and Mrs. Red House have both been very busy! Your garden is looking great. It already feels like summer here (today will be 86 degrees - yikes.)
ReplyDeleteThanks! We had a freak week of temperatures in the 80's a couple weeks ago. Too early for hot weather!
DeleteI have asked myself a hundred times, which is better grass or garden. Still not sure after a day spent bent doubled over weeding. I think your fence is wonderful. Wish I had a place for a short fence.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I keep hoping that my garden will fill up so much that it will crowd out the weeds. Maybe in a couple more years? Hopefully?
DeleteNothing crowds out weeds. They are tougher and smarter than any garden plant. But, what would we do if we didn't spend hours/days weeding? We would probably be out getting into trouble, right.
DeleteI am really taken with that salvia. What a wonderful color as are your red raised planters. We wouldn't expect any other color!
ReplyDeleteRed, of course! :) I do really like that salvia as well, as it's quite a striking pink. It's a smaller salvia, though, so I would like to get more of them at some time to make a larger drift.
DeleteYour gardens are looking wonderful -- I like the fences! They do look new now, but by the end of the season they will be partly covered by plants and will be weathered by the climate as well. I think they are a really nice addition to your front yard! I can't wait to see your gardens as the summer unfolds. -Beth
ReplyDeleteThanks! Yeah, I think they'll be really nice when everything grows up.
DeleteLove your raised beds! And just as much the fence around them--for the first time, I am having serious problems with rabbits. Every morning one more eggplant or pepper plant disappears:( May has indeed been a busy month, but I can't think of a better way to spend it than in the garden!
ReplyDeleteOh, no! Mr. Red House thinks our fence looks like a prison for the plants, but it's so necessary with all our wildlife. Lately I've found some of my perennials nibbled on, though I'm not sure if a rabbit or our groundhog is the culprit.
DeleteEverything looks beautiful. I fully understand that you prefer to be in the garden these days.
ReplyDeleteNow's the time before it gets too hot! It's so great to be outside, especially after the long winter.
DeleteYou really have been busy, Indie. Everything looks wonderful and I like all the details you are adding. The fences and vegetable garden look spectacular.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I've been very busy, but it's a good busy!
DeleteI really like your fences (and your lovely house with the red front door)! The raised planters are great, too. Looks like you've been very busy!
ReplyDeleteThank you! :)
DeleteI love the decorative garden fence! And I'm impressed with your solar panels, too.
ReplyDeleteSolar power is a big thing here in Massachusetts. I hope it takes off around the country!
DeleteJune is a pure tonic and havent you guys been busy. I like the fencing and the red veg beds which will make you think of --- oh, I was going to say home, but thats just us! even after 18 months we still refer to our last house as home.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean. It takes so long to get used to a new place and think of it as home! I thought of our red house as 'home' for the longest time, too, and we only lived there for a few years.
DeleteOh, I love your raised beds, and yes, I am having fun in my garden – my new garden is turning out to be a treasure trove and I am discovering new things all the time. I want to squeeze in so much here, but I am not sure I can have everything on my wish-list, but raised veg-beds like yours would have been great. A greenhouse is even higher on my list though. Your garden is looking great, can’t believe the transformation from when you moved in. And as for grass vs no grass – I am a no-grass person. I got rid of all the grass in my previous garden and I will do the same here eventually. To me grass is just a lot of work and it takes up valuable space where I could grow many more flowers! But I don’t have children who want grass to play football and sit on so I don’t need to consider that :-)
ReplyDeleteThankfully my kids aren't too into sports where they might need a patch of grass (yet anyway!) I am usually on a mission to get red of as much grass as possible - flowers are so much nicer! Can't wait to see how your new garden turns out!
DeleteOh, Indie I love your new decorative fences! And your red salsa beds! Your hard work is certainly paying off. Have fun plying in the dirt, and I bet the kids will keep their hands off the berries if they know what kind of pies are coming.
ReplyDeleteSo far they aren't into eating pies (non-chocolate ones, anyway), so they'd rather take the fruit. Maybe in a few years.. :)
DeleteI hear you, on so many counts! I too, have decided that berries are one of the best reasons to grow a garden. However, my little helpers go and pick them so diligently that we have yet to have enough to even make jam with! The answer to that, of course, is less grass, more GARDEN! Yes!
ReplyDeleteIt's looking lovely. I'm so glad spring came for you finally!
Definitely a great solution! We are definitely enjoying spring :)
DeleteGround cherries are fun to grow. Just make sure you don't eat them before they're ripe. Everything looks great! I love your new beds. :o)
ReplyDeleteNo, I make sure my kids don't eat them when they're green, as I've heard they can be toxic. They're pretty careful what they eat - this is one time where it's good that they are picky eaters!
DeleteFinally catching up and oh my you have been busy...it looks wonderful and I feel like a slug as I did little gardening in May....
ReplyDelete