05-11-2013
Spring at last! After those up and down temperatures, this week has felt more like the real thing.
We did start the week with a major gusher, close to 3" of rain that has soaked the ground and washed out all those pesky maple seeds off the street.
You should have seen the bees when, finally, near 4:00 pm, the sun came out. They were all over the place like kids who had been kept inside way too long.
temperatures have remained moderate and are especially enjoyable early morning and late evening, when you want to stay out another few minutes, when you're not quite ready to give up the day and come in.
On the plus side: tasted the first strawberries, wild and domesticated. They need another few days of straight sun!
The tomato plants are growing beautifully; they do appreciate this cool temps/rain combo. For good fruit, on the other hand, you need constant, nice, warm sun.
On the down side: leeks I had planted just a few days ago are getting way too slender, meaning they are ready to go to seeds rather than grow in width for future cooking. I will have to pull them all out early so as not to waste the whole thing...
...long pause...
05-17-2013
I started this blog a week ago,I have not attempted to complete it for the last few days because the weather was so perfectly gorgeous: forties in the morning, sixties/low seventies during the day and ravishingly enjoyable evenings that I followed Voltaire's advice to Candide:"Vas et cultive ton jardin."
Who wants to sit at a desk when it's so beautiful out there?
It simply felt like paradise!
Having lunch on our little patio hidden from the street (very quiet) traffic, listening to birds has only added to the pleasure. Pleasure that may soon change thanks to...the first mosquitoes that have appeared in the last couple of days with the rising temperatures.
The first strawberries have made it to the table: wild ones that are producing very well this year (my bees must have worked them extra early this year) and some cultivated ones.
Next: the edible pod peas!
The corn and beans are growing beautifully but quite a few weeks away from consumption:
For the rest, work still consist in weeding, transplanting and watering a little more in earnest, now that the temperatures are climbing.
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| While I do love the Flanders red" poppies, I have grown to appreciate this paler version. It's quite pretty! |
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| The beginning of summer means the end of those bearded irises. They, literally, melt in the sun's heat. |
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| it is also the end of Dutch irises until next spring. |
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| More poppies! |
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| Honeysuckle: most people consider it a pest because of its quick growth and tendency to climb on anything but that sweet smell is just enchanting! |
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| Louisiana iris. Since they live in swamps and dappled light, they can take the heat a little longer. |
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| Bees also like that poppy pollen. |
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| Street view |
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| Street view from the other side |
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| Still one of my favorite color combinations in flowers! |
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| Future artichokes! |
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