Lucinda's Garden

Bridge of Flowers

2011-07-25T14:26:00.001-04:00

On Wed. July 13th I went to see the Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts. I treated myself to a nice lunch of Fish and Chips on the West End Pub deck overlooking the bridge and the Deerfield River. It was a nice little "staycation" not far from home.

Entrance on Shelburne side.

Bench on Shelburne side

War Memorial in the center of the bridge

Hydrangea and astilbe make a nice contrast

On the way home I stopped at Chapley Water Gardens and bought a rudbeckia just like this one with a "blonde" eye. Very pretty. Still haven't planted it yet. The past week featured a baking heat wave with temps reaching 100+ in the valley after weeks with no rain. The leaves of my hydrangeas actually "burned" in the sun on Saturday. Today finally it is raining thank God. Maybe I'll do some planting this week.

Independence Day

2011-07-08T11:43:00.002-04:00

I'm inside blogging because I awoke to thunderstorms that have settled into much-needed showers. So far I've had at least an inch of rain, possible closer to two. We really needed it. The past two weeks have featured baking heat and no rain. The containers needed watering twice a day on days that were 90 degrees or so.

Last week I weeded and mulched the front of the house. Before and after photos below:

Before

There! That's a lot better!

Pictures of one of the tree frogs hiding out in a planter taken June 30th:

Look closely at lower corner of the planter in the middle of the photo

Too cute! (Click on photo for close-up enlargement)

The rest of these photos show the garden and containers on July 6th.

Angel's trumpet blooming

Bamboo supports for the morning glories (Star of Yelta--deep purple with magenta eye)

Sunken garden with bird bath

Perennial border with shed and raised beds in background. Daylilies and Echinaceas are starting to bloom now.

Deck has been washed clean of mouse detritus and table and chairs moved down from upper deck. Hummingbird feeder hangs from pergola behind table.

Border had been edged and mulched. Shasta daisy is in bloom. Muscadet lily in foreground has lots of buds. It is so fragrant when it blooms!

Can't ever have too much basil

Container herb garden is doing well

Succulent dish garden. One of the hen'n'chicks has sent up a flower spike.

View of lower deck from above. I'm really liking this arrangement now that the hot tub is gone.

St. Francis Garden. The annuals (sweet alyssum, white salvias, nicotiana in back) have doubled in size.

Project this week has been weeding and mulching the front perennial border which features some weeds that are bigger than the perennials!

Last Two Weeks of June

2011-07-06T14:12:00.000-04:00

Time flies when I'm having fun! I've really been overdoing with the gardening but the garden looks so much better when I have the time to devote to it. I'm in the air-conditioned house blogging because it is 90 degrees outside and I just can't hack heat like that.

Here are some pictures taken on June 20th:

St. Francis Garden newly mulched

South side of the house with spirea and stella d'oro lilies blooming.

Back perennial border has been mulched

Smaller raised bed with mesclun, arugula and radishes. In foreground the patio tomatoes grow in an Earthbox

Larger raised bed is producing a pretty good crop of sugar snap peas climbing on trellis on right. Also in raised bed: beans, green peppers, eggplant, summer squash, cukes, and one Better Boy tomato plant. Pea plants will finish soon and will be pulled so squash and cukes can get more sun. I had an extra summer squash plant and it is doing great in the pot on right.

Earthboxes with swiss chard in back and eggplant, okra, and hot and bell pepper plants in the front.

Then the last week of June, with pictures taken June 27th and 28th:

New steps and planter. Planter has four annual ornamental grasses from Andrew's Greenhouse and has been mulched.

New container with plants from Andrew's Greenhouse including a heuchera and a Cerinthe Purpur "Kiwi" that has purple flowers and blue bracts.

Another container with plants from Andrew's: licorice plant "Limelight", petunia (blue something...), and a double flowered datura (angel's trumpet) also called brugmansia.

Another container with plants from Andrew's: a silver vine, a purple flowered annual, and a perennial miscanthus "morning light" from a division of one in the St Francis Garden. Also I finallly managed to plant the butterfly bush. I dug it up earlier and had to wait until the landscaper was done before I could transplant it (in left background behind the container). I think it will survive.

More containers with mostly sweet basil (I can never have enough), a few marjoram, a hot pepper plant and an impatiens.

Container with orange celosia (Cock's Comb) and an Andrew's white-flowered petunia with one of the castor bean plants I started from seed.

Tree frog in a watering can. Photo taken at dusk. These little guys make quite a racket at night.

Frank Cuts Down Some Trees and The Hot Tub Leaves

2011-06-16T11:24:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Frank cut down a very dangerous tree that has been looming over my house. I helped a little bit. Mostly I just looked up at him 40 feet in the air on the rented TZ50 aerial lift and stood by in case I had to dial 911. Frank is amazing.

I was so scared I didn't even think to take pictures until he had it all down.

Frank in lower left corner trying to walk out of the picture

The lift and the trunks of the two trees. A large live tree looming over the roof was being propped up by a smaller dead tree. Not a good situation.

And today I finally got rid of that POS hot tub. Last week the ready light was flashing and I knew it was time. I promised myself I'd get rid of it the next time something went wrong. Good thing too. Teddy Bear Pools and Spas rate just went up to $120 (includes tech to come out and diagnose plus first 1/2 hour labor). The spa had problems with not heating properly from the start. Then when it was one month off warranty it developed a really ugly black blemish in the footwell that Watkins Mfg. said was merely cosmetic. Then it developed two more ugly black blemishes that were spalling fiberglass pieces into the water. Then the outside shell got a split in it over the winter that eventually went from top to bottom in a jagged line. The ready light flashing meant that a control sensor was shorted out. So I called Teddy Bear to come get it and dispose of it, and then I took one last long soak and drained it.

It is gone! Yippee!!!!

Buh bye!!!

There was a mouse nest, a dead mouse, and a whole bunch of mouse shit underneath. No wonder it stunk out there.

A1 Landscaping Installs New Steps

2011-06-16T10:54:00.000-04:00

A long-awaited project is finally finished. On June 1-4, A1 Landscaping of South Hadley installed steps and a raised bed planter along the lower edge of the lower deck, thereby completing the landscaping around the house. John and his son did a wonderful job and I am so pleased with the results. It is so good to be able to go down the steps to the basement level. It will make my life so much easier.

Next I will plant hostas (that I dug up and divided earlier) into the planter, and I will replant the butterfly bush at the end of the planter where it can grow freely (it is huge!).

Under construction on June 3rd

Completed June 4th

Butterfly bush will be planted at this end

Beautiful job. I'm so happy with it.

Finally, steps down to the basement slider!

First Days of June

2011-06-04T19:18:00.000-04:00

I did a lot of planting and mulching over the past few days. Now I'm really sore and tired. But I have a feeling of accomplishment.

Herbs in a container: spicy globe basil, golden sage, English thyme and a curly parsley. This is partly decorative but partly utilitarian for those times when I'm too lazy to walk all the way out to the herb garden.

One of the containers for the lower deck: a double purple datura, licorice vine, and blue petunia.

Another lower deck container: silver vine, purple flowered plant I can't remember the name of but I got it at Andrew's Greenhouse, and a piece of the miscanthus "Morning Light" that I dug up and divided from the St. Francis Garden.

I planted five of those heirloom variegated foliage "Fish" hot peppers in the back perennial border. Also nicely mulched.

Sunken garden is mostly mulched. The wisteria is starting to bloom.

A nice little shady sitting area under the upper deck where I can also put my houseplants out of the intense summer sun. I ate my lunch out there today and watched the hummingbirds coming to the feeder I've hung from the pergola.

I weeded and mulched the middle part of the back perennial border. Also planted a castor bean plant and three Santaka (asian type) hot pepper plants near the back and five creeping thyme plants in the front.

Planted the pineapple sage, columnar variegated basil, sweet basil, thai basil, white sage, bay leaf, lemon grass and parsley (curled and Italian flat leaf) in the herb garden after weeding. No mulch on this.

Two purple verbena and a variegated vinca vine are in the window box of the shed.

New Earth Box in back has grape tomato and Sun Gold tomato. Next is the Earth Box that had the broccoli in it. I've eaten all but one stalk already. As an experiment I planted 3 okra, one bell pepper, one hot pepper and one eggplant to see how they do in the Earth Box. Front box had Swiss Chard that I started from seed.

Raised bed has snap peas on right, then a row of squash and cukes I started from seed, then a row of eggplant. In front is an extra summer squash in a container.

Earth box in front has two patio (determinate) tomato plants in it that I started from seed. They are tiny! The arugula and radishes are doing well. I planted more arugula, some mesclun, cilantro, spinach and beets recently in the back of this raised bed. No sunflowers this year!

Shade container with a coleus and three petunias.

Containers for beside the front door: orange marigolds, magenta wave petunias, vinca vine, and cannas

Same combo in container in front of garage

Late May

2011-06-03T08:05:00.000-04:00

The garden was out of control! I couldn't get out there to work on it because of the continuing cold rainy weather. Very frustrating!

Azaleas in bloom in the front of the house. This doesn't look too bad but it needs mulching

St. Francis Garden after I pruned back the forsythia (in the rain!). I did manage to plant some pansies here for a little color. Still needs work.

Front perennial border out of control

The cotyledon Lewisia has been blooming beautifully

Alliums with bluestar on right and peony in middle.

hosta

Japanese painted fern

Strawberries need mulching!

Ferns on the side of the shed. About half of these came in a bargain bag from Walmart several years ago. The others volunteered or self-seeded.

Shed with pansies in the window box

Broccoli heading up already (on May 24th)!

Snap peas

Radishes (top) and arugula (bottom) in raised bed

I dug out half the golden creeping oregano to make room for other stuff

Hostas and the butterfly bush in pots waiting to be replanted once the landscaper is done with the lower level

Plants bought from Andrews Greenhouse and other places, with some plants I started myself, all waiting to be planted once danger of frost is past (traditionally Memorial Day)

Woodland garden doing very well but I need to cut back encroaching woods.

Seeds I started myself: sweet and thai basil, two kinds of hot peppers, bell peppers, patio tomatoes, asian long eggplant, okra and swiss chard

First Two Weeks of May in the Garden

2011-05-15T16:58:00.000-04:00

These pictures were taken May 5th.

Forsythia and cherry tree in bloom with daffodils and hellebores in the St. Francis garden. Also I planted some pansies.

Front perennial border. Up at the road the daylilies Frank and I planted last year all made it through the winter. I dug up and divided my Grandmother's blue flag iris and interplanted clumps of those with the lilies.

South side of the house with phlox starting to bloom. Maybe this year I'll finally finish that walkway!

Fishy has a new fountain, a Japanese "clacker" on sale at Class Grass for $20 (originally $40)!

Sunken Garden: I dug up and divided one of the hostas, removed all the "Venusta" or Queen of the Prairie, divided two astilbes (took some to plant swap and re-planted the rest in two different spots), dug up and potted the butterfly bush that used to be in the corner because it had outgrown its space (waiting until landscaper finishes with steps then will replant in a different spot. I really overdid it and got overtired.

The Korean spice bush is in bloom with the daffodils. It is so fragrant!

Pocket garden with forget-me-nots, ajuga, and violets starting to bloom. Foxgloves have self-seeded for the first time this year and the columbines are doing very well here so I won't move them after all.

Perennial border showing gaps filled with topsoil where iris used to be. Also removed some monarda and dug up and divided half the shasta daisy to take to plant swap.

Dug up half the yellow late-blooming chrysanthemums and planted half the vole-chewed sedum "Autumn Joy" in front of it.

Dug up half the golden creeping oregano and tossed it! What a job! The alliums have reappeared this year after disappearing mysteriously last year. I put some bulb food on them. The dark red foliage of the peony is coming up.

Sunken garden from a different angle. I should dig up the ornamental grass, divide it, give some away and replant some in a sunnier location but I don't know if I have the strength this year! The Joe Pye Weed will be dug up and given away when it makes its appearance.

Radishes and arugula planted a week ago are up in one raised bed. Hens and chicks and thymes overwintered here.

Snap peas are up in the other raised bed.

Broccoli (starts bought at Home Depot) in one Earthbox.

I cleaned up the herb garden and removed more than half the apple mint which was taking over! Strawberry plants are looking good. The rhubarb is not dead. Instead the roots have come back as dozens of smaller plants.

Lower level has anise hyssops, above that apple mint on left with catnip, above that I planted the valerian (moved from Sunken Garden) next to the Bergarten sage and garlic chives, and a French tarragon which came back and is doing incredibly well.

Epimedium in bloom above golden "Creeping Jenny" near the shed.

The next set of photos was taken May 10th.

Epimedium "Lilafee" in bloom in the shade garden.

Phlox in bloom on the south side. Hydrangeas starting to leaf out.

Forget-me-not, white violets and ajuga in bloom in the pocket garden.

Another view of sunken garden. I also dug up and moved the big blue hosta so it is now right beside the deck and can leaf out to its full four foot spread.

Daffodils!

2011-04-29T09:40:00.000-04:00

My daffodils were at the height of their beauty on Wednesday April 27th. Today looks to be a gorgeous day again after rain yesterday.

82 Degrees and Sunny!

2011-04-26T18:18:00.001-04:00

After weeks of below normal temps, cloudy skies and rain, the sun finally came out today and the temperature reached 82 degrees. I had to check it on the internet just now because I couldn't quite believe my outdoor thermometer. It felt like being in Florida and was definitely a shock to my system. I took it easy in the garden because of the heat and caught up on a bunch of things I needed to do, like repot some of the house plants that couldn't go outside when the temperatures were below 50 degrees as they have been. I also planted seeds of sugar snap peas, arugula and "watermelon" radishes in the raised beds, and potted up my sedums and hen and chicks that had overwintered in the raised bed.

The forsythia burst into bloom yesterday.

Two hellebores (yellow on left and variegated pink/white on right) blooming in among the daffodils in the St. Francis Garden

Narcissus, grape hyacinth and pulmonaria (lungwort) blooming in my favorite corner

Narcissus

Front border

Creeping phlox are about to burst into bloom on the south side of the garage

New woodland garden has columbine, thalictrum, epimedium, a small "volunteer" hosta of unknown type, and pulmonaria in bloom.

The forget-me-nots are about to bloom with the minnow daffodils. Violets are also blooming here.

Tulips and daffodils in bloom. All the iris have been dug up, some moved to the road near the mailbox and the rest discarded.

Shasta daisies have been divided and given away. Sedum "Autumn Joy" has been transplanted here from the front border after its run-in with the voles.

Daffodils in bloom with hyacinths which were transplanted from the herb garden (planted there by previous owner)

The alliums have reappeared with buds after unexplained absence last year. The golden oregano needs to be divided. The peonies are up.

Raised bed with kale planted last year. I think I may get a harvest out of it yet! I planted sugar snap peas on the right. They can be trained up strings to the trellis. By the time they are done there will be cukes, zukes and summer squash growing here.

A beautiful sedum I received free from one of the gardens on the Belchertown Garden tour two years ago. It is blooming with beautiful golden flowers. The foliage is a blue-green. The owner called it a burro tail but I'm not sure what it is.


Broccoli has been planted in one of the Earthboxes (last week) (Seed-starts came from Home Depot)

Assorted kale in raised bed. These came from Andrew's Greenhouse last fall

I mucked out the herb garden last week so it is looking pretty good.

Herb garden

Herb garden: rhubarb on left (it is coming back small but robust from vole damage), strawberries to right of that. In center of photo catnip, garlic chives and sage.

Sunken garden with daffodils/narcissus in bloom in background and fringed bleeding heart in foreground.

Rock garden with Lewisia Cotyledon I got from Surry Gardens last year about to bloom. This is the perfect location for them: well-drained northern-facing slope.

Tulips in bloom. They are so cheery!

A succulent container garden that I do every year with various types of echeveria and sedums that I dug up and planted. New echeveria in center was recently purchased at Andrew's Greenhouse. This year the gravel topping is recycled used aquarium gravel from "Fishy"s winter home. Waste not, want not.

Happy Easter

2011-04-25T18:47:00.000-04:00

Yay! A-1 Landscaping came in the lowest of the three estimates. He is scheduled to begin the middle of May. I'm really happy. It will be so good to have the landscaping completed.

Daffodils, hellebores, scilla and pansies blooming in the St. Francis Garden. Soon to bloom: the forsythia

The daylilies Frank helped me plant last fall have all come up. They are the common orange variety, chosen because they can take a beating: New England winter and road salt.

The first line of the Unitarian version of the Easter hymn "Jesus Christ is Risen Today" is "Lo the earth awakes again..." My Dad is about to turn 85 in May. I still remember his voice singing this beautiful hymn in the burgundy velvet pews of the Fairhaven (Mass.) Unitarian Church. That and the Easter lilies, that was Easter to me, long before my conversion to Catholicism and my deepening understanding of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

This is not Lucinda's Garden. This is the garden at Aucoot that Lucinda must tend. Yesterday I cut back the ornamental grass in the left background. Next week: rake the oak leaves out of the perennial beds.

I am so grateful for the blessings I have received.

Lucinda's Garden on April 10, 2011

2011-04-13T20:18:00.001-04:00

"Minnow" daffodils are starting to bloom

Pink turtlehead and iris must be divided. Not sure if they will go back into this space. Daffodils in back and on right are about to bloom, species tulips about to bloom on left (around the muscadet (?) oriental lily).

Crocus are going by. Shasta daisy behind must be divided again. Phlox and asters can stay but the monarda has to go. My plan is to plant okra and castor bean instead.

Daylilies, daffodils and transplanted (from herb garden) hyacinths in foreground, from left to right in background anemone, rose campion, bluestar.

Needs work. Golden oregano must be dug up and divided. There's a sage in there somewhere that has to go to the herb garden.

Sunken Garden with daffodils about to bloom. Lots of work needed here. Biggest jobs: dig up the butterfly bush and the ornamental grass and transplant them after the landscaping is done. Must be ruthless: all the Joe Pye weed must go. Still thinking about the Queen of the Prairie. It all has to be dug up, some given away, maybe some will go in the St. Francis Garden? (theme is pink, blue, lavender, white). Not sure yet.

Herb Garden: the strawberries live!; the rhubarb lives! (no thanks to the voles) but not to be picked for three years; lots of chives and garlic chives, and various kinds of thyme (French, lemon and creeping); and the tarragon and catmint (nepeta) are coming back nicely. Greek oregano (front right) must be divided! To be transplanted here: 2 topiary lavenders and the valerian (heliotrope) from the sunken garden (add compost?).

St. Francis Garden. The hellebores are all doing nicely as is the forsythia, soon to bloom (needs pruning badly and baby plants to be dug up after blooming). Oh Spring has finally sprung!


Daffodils about to bloom in my favorite corner. In bloom now: pulmonaria (lungwort), chinodoxia, and grape hyacinth.

New (2 year old) Hellebore (Lenten rose) from White Flower Farm finally showing its beauty with two flower stalks among the daffodils.

Hellebore blooming under the forsythia

Oh the very last of the pink chinodoxia that the @#$% voles left me. "Feverfew" (Chrysanthemum parthenium--traditional medicinal herb) in background must be dug up and transplanted to the herb garden.

Vole/mole/gopher remedies: stuff used cat litter or ammonia-soaked dryer sheets, down the entrances to their tunnels then cover with soil. OK I might try it. God knows I have a lot of used cat litter. :-) Meanwhile I bought a bunch more Mole Max at the local garden center.

I'm still anxiously awaiting the last of my three estimates on finishing my landscaping. A-1 of South Hadley is my favorite. I hope he comes in between the low of $3850 and the high of $4600 I received today.

First Signs of Spring in Lucinda's Garden

2011-04-11T18:23:00.001-04:00

What a day today! Temps reached 70 degrees. Spring has been a long time coming this year! However it has been perfect weather for maple sugaring. Last year the season only lasted a couple of weeks because the temperatures were too warm too fast.
To catch up:
The first crocus emerged and started blooming at the end of March.


Crocus blooming in back perennial garden on March 30th

Then we had the obligatory April Fool's Day Blizzard but it wasn't as bad as predicted. (One foot was predicted but I only got about three inches of wet snow here.)

By April 3rd the snow was all gone and the crocus were in full glory.

I started to do some spring clean up and noticed that the voles had yet again destroyed my rhubarb. There are a few shoots left so it may survive but I won't be able to pick it again for three years while it gets its strength back. @#$%& voles!

The hellebores and daffodils are coming up in the St. Francis Garden.

Unfortunately the voles killed my Knockout Rose Bush. (Sad) Good news is I now have four or five baby forsythia bushes to transplant or give away (new plants start where branches touch the ground).


Hellebore (Lenten Rose)

This is what the front perennial border looked like on April 3rd.

Voles killed two geraniums for sure. The third may survive. They tried really hard to kill the Sedum "Autumn Joy" but the five pieces they left can now be transplanted or given away (it lives!)

The male and female hollies both survived.

Site of future Japanese Garden. Voles tried to kill the bamboo I planted this year. I don't know yet if it will make it. If it doesn't there's another $75 down the drain!

Only one of many crocus bulbs I planted survived the voles. They don't like daffodils.

Here is the back perennial garden on April 3rd (partially cleaned up)

The forget-me-nots and foxgloves in this corner are now self-seeding. Yay!

Not cleaned up yet (obviously). My grandmother's blue flag iris need to be divided this year.

Crocus in bloom.

Echinaceas (Coneflowers of various colors) are here.

Daffodils, daylilies, bluestar, alliums (which mysteriously disappeared last year but are coming back this year), and peony are here. Added last year in the fall on the left is a rose campion I got on sale. White stuff is wood ash from the wood stove.

Creeping golden oregano must be divided this year. I'm going to have so much stuff to take to the plant swap!

Sunken garden definitely needs work this year. The butterfly bush must be moved because it is too big for the space it is in. My plan is to transplant it near the end of the deck where the deceased oakleaf hydrangea (killed by the winter of 2010-11!) used to be (to the right of the wysteria). This will also help to cover up the end of the raised bed planter I am having constructed along with some steps to finish off the lower edge of the deck.

Butterfly bush in the corner must be moved. The Korean spice bush just to its left will stay. Also to be divided: the ornamental grass. The Joe Pye Weed and Queen of the Prairie must go! Hosta "Big Blue" must be moved to between Korean Spice bush and the wysteria. Valerian must be moved to the herb garden. The four astilbes all need dividing. So much gardening to do! How much will I get done this year?! Only time will tell!


Raised bed planter and steps will be constructed along this lower edge of the deck and stepping stones will tie together the steps and the entrance (sliders) to the lower level of the house. I've had three different contractors out to look at it and give estimates. This project will finish the landscaping around the house (finally!).

Raised bed planter and steps will be constructed along this edge.

Boston Flower and Garden Show 2011

2011-04-03T17:45:00.000-04:00

On Sunday March 20th, Eileen, Chris and I went to the Boston Flower Show. The theme of the show was container gardening and each of the exhibits had to have a container garden of some kind in it.

This fantasy tree house was our favorite thing in the show

Chris, Eileen and me

There are three owls in this picture. The man is holding a barred owl, there is a barn owl perched on the stump above his head, and a third owl on the stump in the background

Here is a really good idea: using stumps as containers! I'm going to try this.

My favorite container garden with hellebores and grape hyacinths

Four Days Until Vernal Equinox

2011-03-16T19:04:00.000-04:00

It has been raining today. Yesterday Frank burned some brush behind the house and I did my first gardening chore of the season: I cut back the ornamental grasses in the back and side of the house. I can't cut back the one in the St. Francis Garden yet because it is still buried in the snow.

A bright note: the amaryllis I've been nurturing since last year is blooming. It has two flower stalks. The flowers do have a slight sweet scent.


St. Francis today March 16th. More snow has melted after the rain today. On the right under the forsythia bush one of the hellebores (Lenten Rose) is starting to push up buds out of the ground (the green leaves are actually last year's growth).

Weather forecast is for sun and temps possibly reaching 60 tomorrow!

Slow Melt

2011-03-13T12:18:00.000-04:00

Finally enough snow has melted to expose the head of the St. Francis statue in the St. Francis Garden: Here it is on Wed. March 9th:

St. Francis Garden on 3/9/11

Some daffodils are emerging.

Daffodils emerging from mulch in front border

And the voles have been busy all winter I see.

Vole tunnels in front lawn.

I love these old maples in my neighbors' yard.

Yesterday I set up my grow light and heating mat and started some seeds: mesclun, radicchio, cilantro, basil, and two kinds of hot peppers: "fish" (an heirloom variety with variegated foliage), and santaka (hot asian).

St. Francis Garden on Saturday March 12, 2011


Back yard yesterday.

Front yard yesterday.

Mount Holyoke Spring Flower Show 2011

2011-03-11T09:21:00.001-05:00

On Tuesday March 8th, after viewing the Smith bulb show in Northampton, I drove back over the Connecticut River and up Route 47 to South Hadley to take in the Mount Holyoke show. I'd never been to this botanical garden even though I've lived in the valley since 1977. It is a smaller show but still is very nice. I liked the miniature veggie garden, house and stream in the center of the greenhouse.

View from the steps as I entered the Talcott Greenhouse

Miniature raised-bed veggie garden with lettuce, radishes, chard seedlings

Another view of the miniature veggie garden, peas shoots on left about to be trained to grow up the twigs stuck in the ground

Miniature cold frame and building

Front view of miniature scene showing brook, bridge, trees and bulbs in bloom

Side view

Flowers in bloom near the entrance to the greenhouse. I don't know what these are but the blossoms looked like orchids

Same type of plant with darker color blossoms on the other side of the door

jonquils/narcissus

I loved the purple shades in this arrangement

I chose a sunny day to go because I knew it would make the colors look more beautiful

primroses

So beautiful!

"Sister Spring Is Whispering"

2011-03-09T18:24:00.000-05:00

It has been a long hard winter here. Last week we had 2 1/2 inches of rain combined with 20 inches of snow melt according to the Belchertown DPW. That made for a lot of water in a short amount of time. Fortunately for me I did not have any flooding at my house but others in New England were not as lucky. There was even a mudslide in Greenfield!

The above quote was on a sign at Windy Acres Farm in South Hadley when I drove by there yesterday. I took in two flower shows, one at Smith College in Northampton, Mass. and the other at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Mass. It was just what I needed to get out of my winter doldrums.

Here are pictures from the Smith College spring bulb show at Lyman Conservatory.

Detail from the second room

Detail from the first room.

The first room had a red white and blue theme going on in the middle. This is a close-up of the reds.

The blues.

Detail from the outside walls of the first room.

Detail of first room. I love these pheasant eye old-fashioned narcissus/jonquils

Detail of tulips from the first room.

I've never seen a hyacinth with this peach/pink coloration before.

The aroma of the freesias and hyacinths was absolutely wonderful!This is a detail of the white section from the first room.

The second room.

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens

2011-02-07T21:20:00.002-05:00

Here are pictures taken Jan. 19, 2011 during a glorious Sarasota, Florida respite from the New England winter:

Frank, Mom and Dad in the parking lot.

Buddha and bromeliads.

Pre-Columbian or Mayan (?) statue.

Bonsai

Orchid

Inside the orchid house: leaves and textures.

Inside the orchid house.

Inside the orchid house: leaves and textures.

Orchids

Fragrant hoja in the orchid house.

Inside the orchid house.

Mom inside the orchid house.

Detail of leaves inside the orchid house.

Lily in the orchid house

Another pre-Columbian/Mayan image from inside the orchid house.

Orchid

Bromeliad

Orchid

Fern

Peperomia

Inside the orchid house

Double-lobed leaf

Orchid

Frank in the orchid house

Orchid

Ferns and bromeliads

Mom, Dad and Frank at the Koi Pond

Koi Pond

Dad and Mom at lunch

Bamboo Garden

Tree trunk

"Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow": flowers of three different hues on the same shrub.

In the creek a cormorant finds lunch (a catfish).

Kalanchoes in the succulent garden

Dad looking out at Sarasota Bay

Sarasota Bay

Little Blue Heron in Sarasota Bay

Sarasota Bay looking through the mangroves

A palm

Example of a rooftop garden (Mom with walker on the left)

Bananas

Fragrant Garden (sweet alyssum, thymes, salvias, and others)

Looking toward the tea house, bromeliads in foreground

Sarasota Bay and palms

Dad pets the sacred cow garden ornament at the end of our visit.

Lucinda's Garden in Winter

2011-02-02T10:17:00.000-05:00

January brought at least four feet of snow in several different storms. February is starting out with back to back storms: yesterday 11" of light fluffy stuff; and today unknown amounts of heavy snow mixed with sleet and possibly finishing with freezing rain. St. Francis hasn't been visible since the January storm that dumped 23 inches.


Lower deck and garden area on January 12th. This was taken during that huge snow storm that dumped 23 inches here.

Side garden the next day, Jan. 13th, as I dug a path to the side of the house for oil delivery man.

The garden, back deck and shed on Jan. 27th. Over a foot of snow fell while I was in Florida. I cut my visit short and came back early to deal with the accumulated snow and to outrun the next predicted storm.

St. Francis garden and cherry tree on Jan. 28th. You can't see either St. Francis or the trunk of the cherry tree.


Front of the house showing up to 3 foot drifts of snow on the roof and one of the ice dams to the left of the gable over the front door. The other ice dam in on the right of the gable and caused water to leak into the garage. Threatened with yet another storm I called in the professionals (roofers) to clear snow from the roof.

Jan. 29th: heavy snow removed from roof. I had to use a metal shovel to break it up so I could push it off the edge of the deck. Snow removal guy Tony said that he got about 7 or 8 tons of snow off the roof.

Path to front door cleared by snow blower through pile of snow cleared from roof.

Feb. 1st brings another storm. Here is the bird feeder in more than three feet of heavy snow from roof and earlier storms. The sunflower is one I grew in my garden last summer and then hung to dry in the garage. The birds and squirrels have been enjoying it.

Feb. 1st storm brings another 11 inches of light fluffy snow. The only thing showing of the St. Francis garden is the branches of the forsythia bush (behind lamp post).

Feb. 1st storm. Snow is now half-way up the posts of the trellis we made for the raised bed vegetable garden last year.

Piles of accumulated snow from clearing the roof and decks. The pile on left is over 5 feet tall. This picture was taken from inside the walk-out basement slider.

Lower deck and hot tub. To right of hot tub there is at least three feet of snow on top of the retaining wall and the perennial border.

Gardens in Colrain, Mass. (Crafts of Colrain Studio Tour 2010)

2010-11-15T18:07:00.000-05:00

Garden of Ruby Rice, an artist who specializes in "wearable art." I think the deity is a feminine version of the Buddha, something like the Virgin Mary.

Bench and cairn in the low November sunlight. Garden of Ruby Rice.

A very old "burning bush" near the home of Cynthia Herbert and Bob Ramirez ("Moonshine Design at Keldaby Farm). They are known for their herd of mohair goats and their wicked good mohair socks and other beautiful knitted or woven garments.

Garden at Keldaby Farm

Close-up of pergola in the garden at Keldaby Farm

Garden of Eugenia Shearer (A Stroke of Luck Decorative Painting).

First Frost and First Snow

2010-11-08T08:52:00.000-05:00

First frost was Nov. 3. Daylight Savings Time ended yesterday morning at 2 a.m. followed by the first snow last night.

Red sky in the morning on Nov. 3rd shows effects of killing frost. The mums are still blooming though!

My supper last night: the last batch of fresh tomato sauce made with the last of my tomatoes picked before the first frost. To this I added chopped fresh basil and hot red peppers from plants that are in pots on the sun porch. Also included are EVO and minced fresh garlic. I don't cook it at all, just add hot cooked angel hair and Romano cheese and toss to blend.

First snow this morning.

St. Francis Garden with mums still in bloom.

OMG It's Almost Halloween!

2010-10-28T11:22:00.001-04:00

And I don't have my pumpkin yet!!

My parents visited for four days last week (Oct. 21-24). We did the usual fall foliage tour of Vermont and the Mohawk Trail albeit a couple of weeks later than usual. It was actually nicer because there wasn't the usual crowds and traffic.

Mom at Vermont Country Store in Weston VT (photo by Dad)

Me and Mom at Vermont Country Store at the Rockingham VT location (photo by Dad)

Me at Mt. Sugarloaf in South Deerfield, MA (photo by Dad)

Back yard on Oct. 19th

My house and barn taken from the road on Oct. 19th

Harlow's Farm Stand near Exit 5 of I 91 near Bellows Falls VT

Dad at Mount Sugarloaf

View from Mount Sugarloaf

View of Connecticut River looking south from Mount Sugarloaf

Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls MA

Mom and Dad on the Bridge of Flowers

Dahlia in bloom on the Bridge of Flowers

Bridge of Flowers

Bridge of Flowers taken from the bridge that links Buckland with Shelburne Falls

Mums in bloom beside the shed on Oct. 26

Burning bush near the barn

Mums and ornamental grass in the St. Francis Garden on Oct. 26

Mums by the mailbox on Oct. 26

Mid-October in the Garden

2010-10-19T12:30:00.000-04:00

Still no killing frost here. The hardy mums are blooming like crazy. I finally finished planting or heeling in all the plants that were in pots, but I didn't do any dividing of perennials yet. Probably that will wait until spring. It is getting colder at night now, into the thirties. Days are getting much shorter.

St. Francis Garden with roses, mums, ornamental grass (miscanthus). These pink single hardy mums (center of picture on very long bush-like stems) will need to be divided next year.

The last hydrangea flower which I picked and used in a bouquet with pink and yellow hardy mums.

Some of the yellow hardy mums with the pineapple sage finally blooming in the foreground (red flowers). I picked the pineapple sage and made a bouquet with pink and yellow hardy mums. I may as well enjoy the pineapple sage in the house because the winter will kill it.

Pink hardy mums. Now is their time to shine.

On Oct. 16th I finally planted that bamboo I bought at Hadley Garden Center in August.

The bamboo is planted in the new Japanese-themed garden in the upper right corner of the front perennial border (work in progress).

In foreground some lettuces, arugula and cilantro I planted at the end of August. It is probably too cold now for them to grow any more. On the left-hand side in back of that I've heeled in the six thyme plants that are to go in the stepping stone walkway on the south side of the house. Unfortunately the crab grass took over before I could finish it this year. Then in the right rear I've heeled in the sedum and hen and chicks so that I could bring in the clay bowl they were in. Last year I overwintered them in the bowl on the sun porch but they really didn't do well--got all leggy and then didn't bloom this summer as they should have.

Last but not least: a new alpine rock garden created for the Lewisia Cotyledon I bought at Surry Gardens at the end of July. They need well-drained soil on a North-facing slope, and should be planted in rock crevices. This site should satisfy all those needs. Planted Oct. 16, 2010.

So even though I didn't get everything done in the garden that I wanted to this year it was a pretty good summer. I did enjoy my garden as much as I could in between visiting Mom and Dad, car shows and camping with Frank, and activities with friends. It was a nice balance of activity. However, I think I need to schedule more "me time" by actually writing in "me days" on my calendar.

End of the Vegetable Garden

2010-10-16T10:51:00.001-04:00

On October 4th I picked the last of the peppers, eggplant and tomatoes and added the last of the zucchini and tomatoes that Frank brought from his garden. I added fresh herbs oregano, thyme and basil from my garden and made....

Ratatouille!

Ratatouille

3/4 lb            eggplant, peeled and cut into 3/4" cubes

   3      Tbs           olive oil divided

   1                    onion (large), sliced thickly

   1                    green pepper (large) seeded and cut into 2" x 1/4" slices

   2                    garlic clove, minced

   1 1/4 lb            tomatoes (ripe), coarsely diced

     3/4 lb            zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise 1/2' thick

     1/4 tsp           thyme

     1/4 tsp           oregano

   1      tsp           basil leaves (fresh, minced) or 1/2 tsp dry basil

     1/4 tsp           black pepper freshly ground

   1      dash          cayenne pepper (optional) I used 1 hot thai pepper and 1 mild jalapeno

     1/4 tsp           sea salt

   1      Tbs           parsley (fresh minced) or 1 tsp. dry

1. Heat 1 Tb. oil in a large heavy skillet or Dutch oven. Add the onions and
green pepper and saute until onions are transluscent.

2. Add the garlic and tomatoes. Cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes.
Transfer the mixture to a bowl and wipe out the pan.

3. Heat another Tb. of oil in the pan and saute the zucchini for about 10
minutes. Add zucchini to the other cooked vegetables leaving as much oil
behind in the pan as possible.

4. Add another Tb. of oil to the pan and saute the eggplant for about 10
minutes.

5. Return the reserved vegetables to the pan, mix well with the eggplant. Heat and cook for about 20 minutes.

6. Stir in the thyme, oregano, basil, pepper, salt, cayenne and parsley.
Serve hot or at room temperature.

7. For double recipe use 1 red and 1 green pepper

8. For a middle-Eastern variation use 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp
turmeric, 1/4 tsp ground coriander instead of basil and oregano.

Recipe Source: unknown cookbook from the UMass Amherst Libraries cookbook
collection

It is now Oct. 16th and still there has been no killing frost here in the Pioneer Valley. We're overdue by about two weeks. Frank has had several killing frosts where he lives up in Franklin County though.

End of September Photos

2010-10-04T19:30:00.000-04:00

"Who knows where the time goes?" It is that bittersweet time of year again. I can hardly believe I've been retired for over a year. All those things I had wanted to do around the house after I retired are still undone....

That amazing Siamese cat Salina that I love so much. Of course she wouldn't stand still for a portrait.

The warm September sun streams into the living room. Bamboo, basil, mums, etc. are in pots on the deck. Cat grass is inside on left.

Asters I planted near the stone wall in the front perennial border are in bloom now. Photo taken on the first day of Autumn.

Mums, ornamental kale and ornamental pepper in a container on the deck.


Giant pumpkins have their own "float" in the Belchertown parade on Sept. 25th. Later these beauties were displayed at the Belchertown Fair with a prize awarded to the biggest/heaviest.

I hit the garden centers one last time on Sept. 26th. This is a display of sedums at Wanczyk Nursery in Hadley, Mass.

Display of mums and pumpkins at Wanczyk.

Mums, pumpkins, gourds at Laurenitis Farmstand in Sunderland, Mass.

Ornamental corn, pumpkins, gourds and squash at Laurenitis,

Close-up of pumpkins and gourds at Laurentitis.

Maples starting to turn at Andrew's Greenhouse in South Amherst, Mass. Foliage is about a week early because of the drought. The maples especially have been very stressed all summer by the hot dry conditions.

Containers at Andrew's Greenhouse

Containers and bench with some of the resident chickens at Andrew's Greenhouse

Containers on my deck on Sept. 27th include a potted Chinese hot pepper plant in foreground which was purchased for $3 at Laurenitis Farmstand.

"Fishy" and the snail are inside for the winter. I think Fishy just might outgrow this 10-gallon aquarium by next year.

A polaroid picture I scanned the other day: Luther (my Mom and Dad's Saint Bernard) with my sister and me in about 1981 or 1982. I'm the one in the plaid jacket.

Pictures of Lucinda's Garden: First Week of September 2010

2010-09-28T14:56:00.000-04:00

Wild turkeys stop by for a visit

One of the butterfly weed plants I started this spring from seed saved from last year

Sunflowers

Making tomato sauce from the surplus of tomatoes from Frank's and my gardens.

St. Francis Garden

Front perennial border. I pulled up the nicotiana and planted mums and a new phlox.

Mum from Andrew's Greenhouse

New phlox paniculata from Annie's Garden and Gift Store, part of my birthday gift from Eva and Lucy

Back perennial border with butterfly weed, Japanese anemone, castor bean, ornamental grass and Joe Pye weed.

The herb garden is doing well but requires lots of watering during this drought

Thai basil

Garlic chives, parsley, white sage, lemon grass and chives with Bowles' apple mint in background

Shed and windowbox with ferns on left, phlox paniculata and late-blooming single flowered mums in front.

Veggie garden winding down. The days are shorter now.

Another view of vegetable garden. The Swiss chard "Bright Lights" did very well in the Earthbox

Back perennial border.

Apple tree had lots of apples this year due to Sonny's expert pruning. Frank and I made an apple crisp from some of them and it was yummy. The variety of apple is unknown but they are larger than a Granny Smith, tart and crisp, good for pies and such.

Hot peppers: Thai and mild jalapenos. The Thai peppers may not ripen before frost because they need more sun than they get here

Cimicifuga and glow-in-the-dark globe garden ornament which was a house-warming gift from my friend Eileen.

Garden Pictures from August

2010-09-23T15:02:00.000-04:00

The time got away from me. I overscheduled myself and now the summer is gone.

The Brothers' garden at Weston Priory in Weston VT. This shows the herb garden section. Photo taken July 31st during camping weekend at Horseshoe Acres in Andover VT

Remembrance Garden at Horseshoe Acres Campground in Andover VT


Rose of Sharon, a gift of the Art Committee at UMass Amherst Library, given in memory of my husband who would have turned 80 years old on Oct. 8, 2010. Photo taken at St. Anthony's Cemetery in Mattapoisett MA on Aug. 8th.

Detail of Rose of Sharon in bloom.

Container planted at the beginning of Aug. with coleus and sweet potato vine bought on sale at Surry Gardens in Maine.

Canna lilies and nasturtiums in containers near the front steps. The cannas finally bloomed this year. Photo taken Aug. 12th

Detail of canna bloom

St. Francis Garden on Aug. 12th

Nicotiana (flowering tobacco, an annual) blooming in the front perennial border Aug. 12th

Detail nicotiana blossoms which open pink and fade to white.

Garden in front of Gillette Castle overlooking the Connecticut River in East Haddam CT. Photo taken Aug. 14 during camping weekend at Nelson Family Campground (East Hampton, CT)

Another view of the garden taken from inside the castle showing the incredible view of the river.

The largest Big Boy tomato I grew. Photo taken Aug. 30th

The BLT I made with the tomato. The tomato slice was large enough to cover the entire piece of bread!

Gardens in Maine

2010-08-18T09:32:00.000-04:00

Here are some garden-related pictures from my trip to Maine in July.

Here is the entrance to Surry Gardens. This was one of the outings Eva, Lucy and I went on during our visit. It had just been raining:

The rain made some interesting photo ops:

Hostas under a rain-soaked sun shade:

Sedums for sale:

Close-up of sedums:

Dahlia:

My friend Lucy picks out some daylilies. That's her way down at the end of the field. So many varieties to choose from...

Lucy's family's house in Down East Maine:

The view from the house at high tide:

The garden which Lucy created and now tends. The cat head garden ornament was made using a chain saw by one of Lucy's brother's friends.

Pictures of gardens from our walk along Pleasant and Perkins Streets in historic Castine Maine:

The lighthouse at Dice Head in Castine:

View from Caterpillar Hill taken with zoom lens:

View of Eggemoggin Reach from a hiking trail:

July in the Rearview Mirror

2010-08-11T16:32:00.000-04:00

July just flew by! Too much to do and not enough time to do it in. Wasn't on the computer much. Did more traveling than usual: a camping trip to Connecticut followed by a trip to Maine and then a camping trip to Vermont. Whew!

The garden was neglected I'm afraid. Weather conditions have been horrid. Extremely hot and humid with little to no rain. The only rain we did get was via gully-washer thunderstorms. Here is a pic from July 15 showing the front of the house. Brown spot on the lawn is from the grass going dormant after a week of temps in the 90's with no rain. This same heat wave actually burned the leaves on my hydrangeas.

I started harvesting vegetables. Here is a picture from July 16th showing Swiss chard, broccoli and zucchini:

The perennial border did pretty well but I had to water it. Here is a July 21st shot showing morning glories that I started from seed and a gorgeous oriental lily I got at Surry Gardens last year. I think it is called Muscadet. It is incredibly fragrant! I picked the lily leaf beetles and larvae off it by hand and it was so worth it.

Supper on July 21st was my variation of Thai red curry vegetables. This recipe is adapted from the Thai shrimp red curry recipe that is on the label of Thai Kitchen red curry paste, except I used my own green beans, zucchini, broccoli and green pepper instead of the shrimp.

Lucinda's Thai red curry veggies

14 oz can coconut milk

1 heaping Tb Thai Kitchen red curry paste (I like it hot, use less if you don't)

Simmer together for 5 minutes then add:

2 or more cups chopped veggies

1 Tb fish sauce

2 Tb brown sugar

1/2 cup water

Simmer 12 minutes or until veggies are done the way you like them. Stir in some fresh Thai basil leaves, then serve over rice. It is traditional to use Jasmine rice but I used basmati.

Glorious Last Day of June

2010-07-04T12:45:00.000-04:00

Temps in the 70's with low humidity and a nice breeze. This weather has made working in the garden a joy.

Perennials are starting to bloom. In foreground Crocosomia "Lucifer"

Smaller raised bed.

Large raised bed. The tomato plants have set first tomatoes. Frank bought some stakes and I've staked them up. There are baby zucchini and summer squash.

The Earthboxes. I had my first serving of Swiss Chard this week just picking the outer leaves.

First green pepper is about 2 inches long.

Datura (Angel's Trumpet) that I grew from seed had its first bloom this week.

I finally planted the day lilies I got from Lucy last year this time. They are planted with some of Lucy's Mom's mums around the mailbox. Also I mowed beside the road because the weeds and grass were out of control!

Summertime

2010-06-24T08:16:00.000-04:00

The summer solstice was Monday at about 7:30 a.m. I am really enjoying my summer because it is the first time I haven't had to be working at a job since 9th or 10th grade. It is like a real summer vacation!

A couple weeks ago I weeded and mulched part of the front perennial border where I had dug out some out-of-control spirea. In its place I planted some ornamental tobacco (Nicotiana mutabilis "Marshmallow") which will grow 3-5 feet tall and have rose pink flowers that fade to white. I also planted one datura (angel's trumpet) that I had grown from seed. (The original plant grew as a volunteer in my back border a few years ago.) I was really happy with the way the border turned out, but then we got a gully-washer of a thunderstorm and it did a lot of damage to this just completed area in particular.

Damage from thunderstorm before repairs.

Here is the "after" picture. I dug a trench, lined it with larger stones, then filled it with gravel from the hump left by the plow in the driveway to the barn. I moved one of the nicotiana and planted my new Rudbeckia Maxima (a gorgeous specimen plant, basically a black-eyed susan on sterioids, it grows 5 or 6 feet tall with bluish-green foliage. The flowers have large cone-shaped centers with the usual yellow petals of the black-eyed susan.)

Rudbeckia Maxima in right foreground. The swale or dry stream bed will be finished when I dig a large basin at the end and fill it with more gravel like a sort of dry well to catch the runoff from the road.

The small raised bed on June 23rd. The mesclun mix has gone bananas!

First harvest: Mizuna and arugula that I added to locally grown romaine and red leaf lettuce for a salad yesterday. I also added some chopped herbs: cilantro, basil, spearmint. It was great!

The large raised bed. It seems these plants doubled their size in a week!

The Earthboxes with kale and Swiss chard.

The back perennial border is starting to show its summer glory. Blooming now are helenium, phlox, coreopsis, butterfly weed, and purple coneflower.

Purple coneflower (Echinacea) in bloom in front of the shed.

Stella d'Oro daylilies in bloom on the south side of the house.

First blossom on the "Endless Summer" hydrangea on the south side of the house.

Pictures from 3rd week of June 2010

2010-06-21T18:26:00.000-04:00

Morning glories "Star of Yelta" that I grew from seeds are now blooming and climbing.

The smaller raised bed. Mesclun in front three rows is almost ready to eat. Arugula in row on right. Two little green peppers are on the two pepper plants and the eggplant "Hansel" is budding up.

Larger raised bed. Everything has doubled its size since last week. Two of the tomato plants have little flowers. I thinned out the zucchini and summer squash and gave the plants to Frank to plant up at his house. Pole beans that I planted in the corners have come up.

Earthboxes with kale mostly on left and Swiss chard mostly on the right. I planted seeds of Swiss chard in the two holes where plants failed.

The small lavender flowers of the Kenilworth ivy complement the purple leaves of the oxalis in this container.

Feeding My Plant Addiction Again

2010-06-11T12:07:00.001-04:00

The smaller raised bed: eggplant "Hansel" in upper left corner of photo, two bell pepper plants I just got from Eileen are now planted in the upper right of the photo. Middle, L to R: Better Boy tomato plant, row of arugula, calendula flowers, cilantro plants. In the front of the photo, three rows of mesclun mix planted last week. In the four corners: sunflowers.

The large raised bed. The tomatoes (on left) are growing really fast. I mulched them, the hot peppers and the broccoli to try to keep the weeds down. Not all of the beet, bean, or cuke seeds sprouted so I replanted a few. But it has been wet and cold the past several days so they might not sprout either. :-(

Like a moth to a flame I was drawn back to Andrew's Greenhouse for some more plants. I did two more containers for the deck. This one has ipomoea "Blackie," an ornamental oregano "Amethyst Falls" that I just couldn't resist (it is perennial in this area so will overwinter in the garden), and a lavender-flowered verbena.

This one has oxalis and three Kenilworth ivy. These will do well in the semishade of this spot on the landing between the steps from upper to lower deck.

New plants for the window box on the shed: two ipomoea "Blackie" and two pink-flowered verbena. I've got the purple and pink vibe going on this year.

Then I stopped at the Belchertown Farmer's Market and bought three perennials from Laker Lane Perennials to fill this bare spot left from where the Japanese maple died (I still have to dig out the stump!) I came home and looked it up online only to realize that I paid $7 for a weed! Virgina tech weed pages It is a Teasil and will grow very tall. Also I got two "Creeping Charlie" which are a yellow-flowered variety of sedum. To finish the space I'm going to plant the two clumps of day lilies I got from my friend Linda. In the fall I'll think about what shrubs I want to plant here instead. I want to get rid of the three azaleas to the left (the two rhodos can stay). One is white-flowered and not doing well. The other two are true red and do not go with my color scheme. The former owner did not like pink! I think some evergreens would be good to replace the azaleas, maybe some kind of juniper.

An approaching thunderstorm lets me know it is time to head in to the house! And this one was a gully-washer too!

June 3rd and 4th Planting and Photos

2010-06-08T10:25:00.002-04:00

I finished weeding and planting the upper part of the herb garden June 4th. I planted some sweet basil and Thai basil I had started from seed, along with a peppermint, spearmint, sweet marjoram, and a lemon balm. There is still entirely too much "Bowles' Apple Mint" in the lower part of the herb garden. When it flowers it attracts butterflies so I'm not too concerned about it right now. Wish it was spearmint though. I like that so much better.

I planted some annuals (two kinds of verbena, heliotrope
"Marine", some white marigolds, some petunia integrifolia 'Alba' from Andrew's Greenhouse) in the St. Francis Garden and mulched it. This year I have a pink, purple and blue theme going on.

Coreopsis "Jethro Tull" blooming in the back perennial border.

Calendula blooming in the smaller of the two raised beds.

Gazanias blooming in the back perennial border. Got these at Andrew's Greenhouse last Thurs. when I met Lucy there to go plant shopping.

Still Planting

2010-06-01T18:57:00.001-04:00

I was exhausted from all the gardening this weekend, but there is no rest for the weary in Lucinda's Garden. Rain was forecast for today so I went out early in the morning to try to get as much planted as I could before the raindrops started to fall.

I'm only doing two containers on the deck this year. Each one has a Heliotrope "Marine", a verbena "Imagination", and one of Andrew's Greenhouse little white supertunias. I mixed compost half and half with topsoil to plant them in.

I planted four peat pots with three plants each of Morning Glory "Star of Yelta" that I started from seed. They will grow up this obelisk. The fence is supposed to keep out the bunnies.

The second raised bed was completed yesterday. Today I planted it with calendula plants I bought at Annie's Garden and Gift Shop on Sunday, and some cilantro plants I had started. In each of the four corners I planted sunflower seeds. I also planted mesclun mix seeds, more cilantro seeds, and some arugula seeds. Then to finish I put up a bunny fence.

"Earth Boxes" planted with Dinosaur Kale on the left, and Swiss Chard "Bright Lights" on the right.

I planted scarlet runner beans in each of the four corners of the larger raised bed. They will climb up the posts. When the tomatoes are bigger I'll tie them up to another crossbeam Frank will nail to the top of the structure right over where they are growing. I also planted some marigolds in the large raised bed on Sunday.

I planted six small English thyme in the herb garden today. Behind them are a German chamomile, a "Kent Beauty" ornamental oregano, and a basil. In front at the very bottom of the photo is some lemon thyme that has naturalized.

The first strawberry, not quite ripe. I hope the chipmunks leave it for me to eat.

One of two containers for the front of the house. Each has a clump of cannas I got from my friend Eileen last year. They haven't bloomed yet so I don't know what color the flowers will be. Next to each canna, I planted some nasturtium seeds which have sprouted and are growing nicely. So far so good!

These days spent in the garden have been heavenly. This is what I have needed, to be close to the land and to God.

Planting on a Gorgeous Day in May

2010-05-28T19:27:00.001-04:00

Frank came down today with a cubic yard of compost from Tillson Farm Recycling up at UMass. He built me a raised bed with some lumber he had and filled it with a half and half mix of the compost and topsoil which I already had.

Here's Frank constructing the raised bed.

Completed raised bed.

Raised bed filled with compost and topsoil, planted, watered, with bunny fence erected to keep out bunnies and the neighborhood cats.

From the top: four tomato plants (Roma, Sungold cherry tomato, Bloody Butcher heirloom tomato, and a Better Boy beefsteak type); then a row of hot peppers (three asian type and two mild jalapeno that I started from seed); then four broccoli plants I started; then Frank planted a row of stringless bush beans; next, tomorrow I'll plant a row of beets; then in the front, L to R, a hill of yellow summer squash, a hill of zucchini, and tomorrow I'll plant a hill of pickling cukes.

Rhubarb plant in the late afternoon sun.

Creeping thyme in bloom at the edge of the herb garden.

Leaf of a brunnera macrophylla "Jack Frost"

That peony I love so much. [smile]

Rose "Knockout Pink" in the St. Francis Garden.

Newly mulched shade garden on the south side of the house now has a celtic cross garden ornament. This garden has pulmonaria, a small hosta, two columbine, six meadow rue from my friend Eileen, and another rue I bought as a starter perennial last year.

Foxgloves blooming.

"Fishy" in his water garden with a new water lettuce plant. He has a new companion, a snail from Class Grass in Granby. The snail eats algae.

Dust Settling

2010-05-26T18:57:00.001-04:00

Mom and Ardith at Cathy's Shower

My life has been in chaos. First my parents came back from Florida and came to stay at my house so my Mother and I could attend my nephew's fiance's bridal shower. My sister is barely speaking to me and I don't have any idea what to say to her so this was very awkward.

Then I got diverticulitis again for the third time in as many months.

Then I went to my parents house for Mother's Day weekend.

Mom enjoying a fried scallop dinner from Oxford Creamery on Mother's Day with Dad.

Then when I got back from Mattapoisett, my little Siamese Sky had peed on my bed three times and one spot showed blood again which meant her Feline Urinary Tract Disease was back and not responding to the expensive prescription vet diet. The Vet confirmed what I had long suspected, that Sky really needs to be an only cat. So I contacted the breeder and she agreed to come and get Sky, nurse her back to health and find an appropriate home for her. I cried for two days but it was for the best for Sky.

Sky on Sunday May 23, 2010, the day the breeder came and took her.

In the meantime, my parents came up to stay with me again (with their cat) for the wedding weekend. The wedding went reasonably well. The weather was gorgeous and the reception was fun despite the awkwardness of sitting with my sister again. [Sigh.]

Saturday May 15, 2010: Mom and Dad with their only grandson (Zackaria) and his bride Cathy.

I had a CT scan for my diverticulits on Monday and spent the rest of the day crying about the loss of my kitty Sky. Tuesday I got a phone call from my doctor's office saying there is no inflammation and there are no abscesses so I guess I won't have to have another operation after all and the antibiotics worked this time. I still have to see the gastroenterologist on Friday.

It was 92 degrees today at my house, 98 degrees in Chicopee (set a new record). I had lunch with friends in Amherst and on the drive home saw dust and pollen blowing in the air as a fine haze. We need rain badly. Only hope of it would be an isolated thunderstorm though.

I have been able to do a little planting and mulching. Even though I haven't been able to do as much as I would like due to being so busy and having less energy than I used to, I at least have more time than I did last year when I was still working full time. These pictures are from Tuesday May 25, 2010:

Tomatoes I started from seed a couple of weeks ago: 2 each of sungold (cherry tomato), Bloody Butcher (an heirloom variety), Roma (plum tomato), and Better Boy, a beefsteak variety.

I'm working on finishing that walkway before the blasted crabgrass takes over for the summer.

Foxgloves blooming.

Blue flag iris are in bloom along with the wisteria I planted to climb the pergola. I got a new hummingbird feeder which is hanging from the upper deck. This morning I got up at 5 a.m. to go out and clean the hot tub before the sun came up over the trees and made it too hot to work. I've been putting it off for a couple of months. It feels good to have it done.

More of the back border, with amsonia (bluestar) and a peony in bloom on the right.

Plantings around the shed are completed and mulched.

Herb garden is about half weeded, planted and mulched. Strawberries will be ready soon and I've already made one rhubarb pie from this sturdy clump behind the strawberries.

I've always loved the look of this particular peony in bloom.

These iris make me think of that Van Gogh painting.

Two weigela "Wine and Roses" in bloom on the south side of the house.

May the dust continue to settle for a couple more days. I sure could use a breather.

Saturday April 24, 2010

2010-04-29T11:09:00.000-04:00

Pictures from Saturday April 24:

Cherry tree in full bloom with St. Francis garden on the right. Forsythia is going by now.

Front perennial border after spraying poison ivy, raking leaves, digging up the spirea and replanting the male holly. The fothergilla on the right is now in full bloom.

Front perennial border. The French lilac is starting to bloom now.

Front of the house taken from behind the St. Francis garden.

Back of the house with the back perennial border on left and sunken garden on right.

Back perennial border. The daffodils and narcissus are going by but will soon be followed by blue flag iris in this area.

Back perennial border. Phlox and monarda in the back with shasta daisy and hardy chrysanthemum in the front. Also coreopsis on right.

The peony (dark foliage on right) is doing very well. Coming along from left to right behind the narcissus are an anemone, a baptisia that needs replanting somewhere else, and some amsonia blue star.

The sunken garden. The Korean spice bush in the back corner continues to bloom with its heavenly scented flowers. The Joe Pye weed in the left lower corner appears to have died. (Possible vole damage?). The ornamental grass and all the astilbe need dividing. The queen of the prairie needs to be completely dug up with divisions given to Eileen and the rest replanted elsewhere. The hosta Big Blue needs to be dug up and put elsewhere. (It really is too big for this space!). So much gardening to do, so little time and energy!

The epimedium showing the heart-shaped leaves that are edged with burgundy. I like the way it looks with the golden creeping Jenny.

The pocket garden in the corner by the deck. Planted here are forget-me-nots (self-seeding biennials that all came from a few plants I started from seed about 4 years ago), another variety of ajuga reptans in bloom now, self-seeded white and purple violets, columbine, a large hosta, and in the back (too small to see yet) seven foxgloves I started from seed and planted last year (also biennials but mine don't self-seed for some reason).

I like these colors together: the lime green of the hosta, the purple of the ajuga, the blue flowers of the forget-me-not, and the white violets.

Snapshot of the yard on April 13

2010-04-24T16:18:00.002-04:00

Herb garden with rhubarb on left and strawberries on left

Epimedium in bloom (has heart-shaped leaves) from Eileen on right, golden creeping Jenny on the right.

Window box with pansies (on the shed)

L to R in front of shed: phlox with variegated foliage, penstemon that has maroon foliage and white flowers later on, a pink single-flowered hardy mum (emphasis on hardy), and a coreopsis.

Shed right side, front to back: Shasta daisy, yellow single-flowered hardy mum, monarda (raspberry wine), rock cress (white blooms later), lambs ears (not doing well) and adjuga (variety chocolate chip (Ajuga reptans ‘Valfredda’) doing very well indeed).

Daffodils with fringed bleeding heart in bloom in the foreground. Bleeding heart came from Pat Kane's garden in Belchertown.

Left side of the driveway facing road: two day lilies and a couple of hyacinths planted by the original owner of my house. The wild patch of woods in the corner wants to take this area over.

Front perennial border needs attention. Poison ivy in wall on right needs to be sprayed, leaves need to be raked out, and I'm going to dig up the scraggly bushes (a large spirea) on the right.

More ratty spirea that needs to be dug up on the left. Will replace with the male holly in the center of this picture which I planted too close to the female holly (on left) and fothergilla (on right).

This area just needs mulching. The cranesbill geraniums (three plants on left) performed well last year. The heuchera (burgundy leaves) escaped vole damage this year. The variegated wormwood (artemisia vulgaris "Oriental Limelight") in the back of the border has filled in nicely.

French lilac in center was planted by the previous owner. I planted the white narcissus last year or the year before. In upper right in front of the stone wall are tall autumn-flowering purple asters in back and monarda in the front planted last year. Both are well-established now and just need to be mulched.

Grape hyacinths, lungwort and narcissus with the monarda and asters in the background.

Forsythia, Daffodils and Siberian Squill

2010-04-12T09:11:00.001-04:00

Forsythia, daffodils and Siberian squill bloom in the St. Francis Garden on Thursday April 8, 2010.

Narcissus and lungwort bloom in the front border.

Stella and Salina in a sun spot with their kitty grass on Saturday April 3, 2010

Good Friday

2010-04-02T11:49:00.000-04:00

Frank and Sonny took down three trees on the southern edge of my property last week before the latest deluge of about 4 inches of rain.

Frank and Sonny surveying the successful felling of two maples and a huge ash tree. All will be used for firewood. The clearing was necessary so that Frank and I can make several raised beds for growing tomatoes, summer squash, zucchini, string beans, and whatever else will fit.

Yesterday was a gorgeous sunny day with a high temp of 65 degrees. I started some cat grass for Squeaky to have. Here it is in the sun, greening up. Squeaky is Mom and Dad's cat. They are due home to Aucoot from Florida on Easter Sunday.

The last of my crocus bloom in the back perennial border. I planted these last fall and they escaped the voles thanks to Mole Max.

The St. Francis garden with the daffodils which started blooming yesterday. The forsythia will probably bloom today. The little tree with the eggs on it is a dwarf cherry. It has pretty pink flowers then edible small tart cherries.

The burgundy colored hellebore in the St. Francis garden is gorgeous. The blue and pink flowers of the lungwort on the right complement it. The forsythia is about to burst into bloom.

I love the subtle pink of this chinodoxia which is at the height of its beauty.

Happy and Blessed Easter to all.

Vernal Equinox

2010-03-22T16:01:00.000-04:00

Oh what a gorgeous run of weather we've been having! My favorite little corner of the garden right now has crocus, pink chinodoxia, and pulmonaria (lungwort) in bloom.

72 Degrees!

2010-03-19T18:16:00.000-04:00

The crocus are in full bloom and the pulmonaria has buds. I raked too much and now I'm tired and sore but wow what a day!

Crocus in Bloom on St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-18T08:10:00.000-04:00

Yard Work Mar. 16, 2010

2010-03-17T09:02:00.000-04:00

The temperature hit 60 yesterday, the sun was warm, the spring bulbs and perennials are starting to emerge from the ground. I spent the day raking and removing dead foliage from last year. It was heaven!

The crocus will bloom today. I could almost see them growing yesterday. Temps are about 15 degrees above normal and this lovely weather is forecast to last into Sunday morning. Life is good. Any day now I'll hear the spring peepers for the first time.

Maybe I'll take a nice soak in the hot tub later to relax my sore muscles. Lots of raking to do today!

First Crocus, Mar. 12, 2010

2010-03-13T08:57:00.000-05:00

First crocus. It is a snow crocus (earliest blooming), one of many that naturalized in the lawn after the @#$% voles dug them all up one year. I had forgotten they were there until I nearly tripped over it yesterday. More will follow.

Yesterday I did some garden cleanup, cutting back stems of echinacea (coneflower), ornamental grasses, bluestar, butterfly bush, and others in the back border and sunken garden. Today I'm settling in for the forecast three-day nor'easter headed our way. It should be mostly rain here so I took the opportunity yesterday to spread a spring application of "MoleMax" which needs to be watered in to work properly. It is a repellent, not a poison, and it works well. I took the time to spread it in the fall and most of my perennials seem to have escaped damage.

First Signs of Spring

2010-03-08T18:14:00.000-05:00

Hellebore in the Saint Francis Garden getting ready to bloom. It was about 56 degrees today with bright sunshine so I went out and did some spring cleanup.

Another view of the hellebore (Lenten Rose)

Some daffodils or narcissus poking up through the mulch.

Crocus. It won't be long now.

Rhode Island Spring Flower & Garden Show, Feb. 21, 2010

2010-02-24T16:49:00.001-05:00

A flower arrangement

A miniature--note needle, thread and thimble for scale

Another clever flower arrangement

Entrance to stone cottage by Magma Designs

Another view of stone cottage and gate

Pond in front of stone cottage

The theme of this year's show was "Timeless Gardens" which some exhibitors interpreted with a 1960's theme:

An iconic VW microbus with peace sign (on left) and giant flowered dove on roof. This exhibit was by Metamorphosis Design

Another view showing bubbles coming from the top of the VW

Another 60's themed exhibit was by Sandtasia. The exhibit was still in the process of being created and is a work in progress for the entire length of the show:

Beatles, peace sign, Sesame Street, flower power on one side...

Yet another VW microbus, Star Trek, Flintstones, moon walk, and other 60's themes on the other side.

Carousel horse in the exhibit by RINLA.

An inviting garden and patio by Miskovsy Landscaping

A vignette of birds (the records being a reference to Birdland and jazz perhaps?)

Lucy and Eva at the show

A very formal exhibit by Yardworks

(Lovely but way out of my price range)

I think this was by Dominas Agway and the lights really did make it appear kind of pink/magenta. This view shows the magenta and purple bridge over a little stream.

Another view showing what looked like a ruined church as part of the display.

A garden by Ecotope that invited us to use gardening to awaken our senses.

A sweet woodland vignette from the Wild Plant Society's exhibit

Three pictures above: an exhibit by the Roger Williams Park Zoo which featured little elephants made of moss and succulents. Very clever!