Suddenly summer

Terry reminded me this morning that just seven days ago, it was cold and cloudy. We had a frost that froze a fair number of his trees. He is watching them anxiously to see if they will come back. And today it was hot, sunny, and windy.

Hilda cleaned out the raised beds that are now inside of the chicken yard. I thought we’d move the fence so that we could use the raised bed. Hilda is inclined to leave them to the chickens. They do love them. They eat the sweet grass that still comes up in one of them and have made dust baths in the one that formerly had her roses. They love their dust baths.

All of our friends are back. I’ve seen the white crowned sparrows, but I couldn’t get a picture. Same for the chipping sparrow. The goldfinches, rose-breasted grosbeaks, and orioles are more cooperative. I saw the first hummingbird two days ago. I filled a feeder immediately. The hummingbird buzzed my elbow while I was putting it up, then disappeared. I finally saw it again this morning. 

Male goldfinches in various stages of breeding plumage hanging at the feeder

Mr. and Mrs. Rose-Breasted Grosbeak

Mr. Oriole eating grape jelly (you can see it in his beak)

The trillium that I brought back from camp years ago is still alive! The penstemon (not yet blooming) has fully recovered from its relocation when we moved last year and is proliferating like crazy. The wood phlox and Jacob’s ladder are blooming.

Trillium

I spent some time cleaning out the asparagus bed, replacing the landscape cloth between the rows, and spreading mulch between the crowns. We’ve had asparagus twice so far and have more for tonight.

I whacked back as much garlic mustard as I could back by the creek. It was in flower. I hope I got it soon enough to prevent the seeds from forming. It’s a losing game, I realize.

Phlox (left), penstemon (behind phlox, not blooming), Jacob's ladder (right of penstemon), trillium

After all that, and hot as it was, all I got done in the garden was to mark out the rows with stakes. Terry brought the tomato cages around from the “bone yard,” as he calls it, which is a spot behind the wetland where all of our junk is hidden from view by the willows.

Garden with stakes along the side and tomato cages stacked in the foreground

Tomorrow is another day. Maybe I’ll plant the onions.