Tag Archives: gardening

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Garden fluff.

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It’s Japanese Iris season at Casa River and I couldn’t be happier.

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While I’ve never been a fan of the fleshy full size irises that always hump their monstrous rhizome roots out of the ground… I adore their smaller less arrogant cousins.

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Daintier, more delicate and frankly less look at me darling, aren’t I gawgous!… they’re a lovely pop of perennial purple.

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Number two rhododendron is now in full bloom though not nearly as full as it’s neighbor. Why this should be is a question that stumps gardeners everywhere. Same soil, same sun exposure yet one is always bigger and better. Personally I think Mother Nature just likes to keep us guessing.

And if you’re wondering what the woodchucks have been chewing this week ?

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The toothy little buggers are eating marigolds!.

Marigolds!

The plant so disgusting no one will eat them. I don’t even like the silly things but have been putting them in my pots on the barn porch simply for the woodchuck gag factor. I thought they’d be safe.

I was wrong.

Very wrong.

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Riotous Rhodie

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I adore early June in Maine.

Daytime temperatures are warm but not hot. Nights are cool and there’s no humidity. The tourists have started to arrive but haven’t yet overwhelmed the state.

But the best part of early June in Maine?

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Rhododendron season. (Please note I have color coordinated my hanging baskets of geraniums… momma didn’t raise no fool)

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We have two large bushes in the front of our house and they never fail to put on a show. They even have it timed so one blooms after the other for a longer burst of color.

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I trimmed this one back last year and was a little worried I’d done it at the wrong time.

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Clearly, I was wrong.

💕

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It certainly doesn’t look like 3+ hours work.

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First, I weeded the garden bed.

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Which…. when you’re old adjacent at 59 and have a blown knee… isn’t as much fun as it used to be.

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Then I sprinkled a container of shake and feed bloom booster.

And worked it into the soil with a blister boosting rake.

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Then I watered the soil and planted the few flowers the woodchucks left me.

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Three hours plus for a few measly perennials.

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$200 worth of flowers barely made a dent. That’s just wrong.

🥴

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Plants and pickles.

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It’s finally time to start planting some annuals around Casa River. It’s really only safe after Memorial Day as we had frosty nights right up until the end of May.

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A few geraniums.

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Some peachy begonias on the kitchen porch.

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A line of alternating marigolds.

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And it was back to the greenhouse for another trunkful. One can never have too many flowers.

My husband disagrees, but what does he know?

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A pizza. With pickles. And pickle flavored potato chips. Christ, it might as well have kale.

🤢

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I always thought I was one of those people who said – I’ll eat anything as long as it’s covered in chocolate.

Turns out I was wrong.

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Miscellaneous drivel.

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Remember those $50 blueberry bushes we bought at the nursery?

Turns out they had the same ones at the grocery store for $25.

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The husband couldn’t resist.

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There are days when I prefer to soak myself in alcohol, but apples and watermelons work too.

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I passed on the meatloaf mountain. Bread and potatoes? That’s a bit much.

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Here’s the Junior chuck, just chillin’ on the deck landing.

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Probably still full from all those flowers he devoured.

😖

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It’s planting time!

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The frost danger has probably but who the hell knows because it’s Maine passed and now it’s time to fill that beautiful raised stone bed my husband built last year.

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My first trip to the nursery made me realize another trip is in order. Such a hardship.

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But look at our little crabapple tree.

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Finally in full bloom.

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So far… this is what will be living in the garden.

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I realized I chose too much pink and purple so the next trip will be for peach, red and maybe white to round it out.

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How blue are you?

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When we moved to our house in 2002 most of the back yard was waist high fields. Over the years my husband… aka the Lawn Ranger… turned the fields into lawn. And in the middle of that lawn?

Nine high blueberry bushes. (So named because the famously sweet low bush Maine blueberries are literally ankle high.)

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We’ve had good years and bad as far as harvesting goes. Sometimes the birds eat them all, sometimes we have a late frost and they never grow properly.

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Pruning is important but sadly this year we lost two bushes.

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The blossoms smell divine and everywhere there’s a bloom?

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There will be a berry…

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Like this in mid to late August.

Not wanting to miss out on summer pie, the husband and I went to a large nursery and purchased two replacement bushes.

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I was a bit shocked at the sticker price of $49.99 each, but fresh blueberry lemon pound cake with lemon glaze can not be denied.

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Fingers crossed they fruit this year.

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Random tidbits.

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We’ve finally received some much needed rain and our lawn has responded accordingly.

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The grass has started to turn green… just in time for it to turn brown in the fall…. and Lord Dudley Mountcatten approves.

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Not that you’d know it by his face.

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And while the grass is busy turning green, my husband is busy turning his rubber truck mat black.

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Back to Black to be precise, which made me start singing AC/DC … and it totally went over my other half’s head.

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Fall is here and cooler temps mean summer flowers are on clearance sale, like these sweet little hibiscus I picked up for the kitchen porch. They won’t last long… but they’re damn sure pretty right now.

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Another reason to love my town. A cart full of free flowers.

❤️

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