December 1: Fairy Garden

Earlier this morning, a sleety rain was falling when I walked out back to make a picture of the empty fairy garden patch.  In the hour since then, the sleet has turned to tiny flakes of snow. and ice  The damp cold will be with us for the next few days, along with a Winter storm that sent JT back up north back a day early so as to beat the snow that will also arrive in his corner of New England.

Winter is here.

The fairies packed up a month ago so they’ve no fear of the cold, resting on the warm shelves of the basement.  The days are growing rapidly shorter now and the tree branches in the backyard are bare for the coming season.

We’ll probably rake up a few more bags of leaves before Winter settles in for good.  We’ll fill the bird feeder in earnest now, aware that our fellow creatures are in need of nourishment.  The Winter season is that way for me, filled with days that call for an extra blanket and a warm mug of tea, a reminder to slow down and nourish my soul with good books, garden catalogs, twinkling lights in the fade of the day, and time for rest.

November 1: Fairy Garden

Last weekend, the fairies packed up for the season.  They head south for the Winter, though in their case it’s the milder weather of the basement where they can rest safely during the cold season.   Leaves will fill this patch until they are raked up and the colder weather and snow eventually arrive.  Over the Winter, I’ll do some prep work in the fairy town and likely talk my way into some new fairy accessories, as is my way.

The bird feeder is filled to keep the birds happy in the coming cold weather.  Truth is that the squirrels will also have a try at scoring a treat but we’ve laid in plenty of bird seed, so there is enough for everyone.  Each season of the year has something to offer and this patch of the garden always reminds me of the wisdom of Mother Nature’s plan.

Last of the Season

Last weekend, I picked what I expect will be the last zinnias of the 2019 garden season.  There was a handful of pretty flowers.

I mixed them with some the fall mum bouquet I had on hand and made a pretty posey for one of my favorite antique mason jars.  It’s on the dining room table helping to make things cheerful.

I’m already daydreaming about the seeds I’ll plant next year.  That’s happy!

October 1 Fairy Garden

For 2019, I tried a new method for weed control in the Fairy Garden strip along the fence.  It seems pretty clear that it has not been a success as the weeds are in charge.

Part of this garden strip has always been shady and hidden and while I enjoy the secret in the shade, I think it’s fair to say that I like my shade in the form of ivy, hostas and the peach tree, not the weeds.  

October is always the point when the fairies tuck away for the cold, and in the next week I will clean off the houses and store them away for the season.  Come next Spring, I’ll have a better weed-control system in place so that I can once again enjoy the fairy garden.  I’ll daydream and plan all Winter for this transition.  I’ll likely add a few more things for the fairy residents to enjoy.  This planning will keep me happy in the Winter cold and that’s happy.

Indian Summer

After some days in the 70s, Summer’s heat has returned in the last week.  That’s a chance for a few more tomatoes and zinnias and the garden is hard at work.  This week’s heat may give these tomatoes enough time to ripen.

There were a handful of cherry tomatoes and a few pretty zinnias.

The tomatoes were had for supper; the zinnias joined the Mason jar bouquet on the table.

I am ready for cooler weather but these Summer treats are always welcome.

Indian Summer

After some days in the 70s, Summer’s heat has returned in the last week.  That’s a chance for a few more tomatoes and zinnias and the garden is hard at work.  This week’s heat may give these tomatoes enough time to ripen.

While I wait, there were a handful of cherry tomatoes and a few zinnias ready to be picked.

The tomatoes were had for supper; the zinnias joined the Mason jar bouquet on the table.

If we can't yet have cooler weather, at least these Summer treats are sticking around.

September 1: Fairy Garden

The weeds along the line of the fairy garden fence never lost their access to abundant rain this summer and they’ve rather taken over.  There’s green everywhere in the yard; enough that it’s hard to believe Fall and September are at hand.

And yet, here we are.  There’ve been enough cool mornings to get the dogwood tree to think of the coming season.

The same is true for the peach tree.

Though the hostas don’t look bedraggled by the heat as they usually appear in August, they do look a bit tired.

Summer flew by and I can’t quite believe that Fall is at hand.  I’m never ready to say goodbye to flip flops; this year is no exception.  But tomorrow is Labor Day and Tuesday is the first day of school and just like that, I’m wearing shoes again and we’re off and running.  By this time next month, the fairies and I will be planning for their slumber season.  I’ve already stacked up some garden bulb catalogs to enjoy as a treat this back-to-school week and as September closes out, I will have ordered some bulbs for next Spring.  At least a few will be planted in this fairy patch.  Gardening always rewards advance planning and I like that.  

I especially love the seasons as they are changing and nothing is more lovely than the cooler mornings that signal Fall on the horizon.  The fairies and I are ready for the change.

Zinnia Season

My zinnia seeds are bringing me flowers and I picked a few on Sunday.  I added them to some greenery I have on hand and they make me smile every day.

That’s happy!

Garden Report

I’ve had cherry tomatoes for a few weeks now but on Sunday I picked three lush ripe Early Girl tomatoes .  I wait all summer for these tomatoes to arrive and we are looking forward to a supper of tomato sandwiches later this week.

The canna bulbs are also looking lovely.

It’s been a wet summer and so despite the heat of late July, the yard around the garden remains lush and green.  I’m nowhere near tired of summer though the arrival of August means I have to think about the fact that the season won’t last forever.  

An Ode to My Back Yard

The backyard at Sassafras House is lush and green, overgrown, really, but I rather like it that way.  Though I have lived away from California for years, that state and my hometown in the arid Central Valley is my default setting of what a landscape should look like.  A yard like this feels exotic and wonderful to me.

There is a garden behind the garage.  These days, it’s a small patch with tomatoes, basil, and zinnias, looking quite hazy in this morning’s fog.

The plot back there is capable of being quite large.  This spring, I lacked the time to properly set up the whole patch because I was busy getting ready for T to move in.  But underneath the overgrown ivy are roses and hostas (always the hostas with me) and this Fall, with T moved in, I really hope there will be time to clean out the whole patch, add some Spring-blooming bulbs, fertilize it in the Winter, and plant a huge garden come the Spring.  Until then, I’m pleased with what I have.  There are some canna bulbs getting after a showy display, my turtle garden marker, the sprinkler ready for action as the heat builds.  I visit the patch daily, to check on the progress of my growing plants.

Though my apple and pear trees invariably surrender their harvest to the squirrels, the peach tree alongside the fairy garden may bring me a crop this year.  I very much hope so because I can nearly taste the peach ice cream this fruit might could flavor in a few weeks.  I’m excited about the potential but, like any sensible gardener, resigned to an outcome that is less than ideal.

I like a garden and yard that are works in progress, as this one always is.  For all its imperfections, it’s a lovely corner of my world.  Between the red oak and the dogwood, there are branches soaring high in the blue sky.

We sit on the back deck under the shade of these trees and enjoy the chitter of the squirrels as they try to help themselves to the bird feeder and peaches and then sleep off their food coma in the dogwood tree.  I welcome the cardinals, goldfinches, and robins that visit here.  Come the evening, I glory in the lightening bugs that light up the dark corners.

The backyard feels like home and that’s very happy.

Garden Season

Summer has officially begun and right on schedule, tomatoes are blooming in my garden.  

The zinnia seedlings are coming along nicely.

The front yard hosta bed is lush and green, with blooms sustained by all the rain we’ve had this month.  

I can spy this garden from the front porch where I sit and sip my morning coffee and it always makes me smile.

The peach tree has served as a a handy squirrel snack bar but plenty of peaches remain on its limbs, ripening for later this summer.

At twilight, the lightening bugs in the backyard twinkle on and off against the green.  No matter how long I look at them, their glow always seems magical.  There is beauty in abundance as June prepares to slip into July and I am happy to soak it all up.

Hostas!

It is an established fact that I love hostas of all sorts.  The varieties that grow in my garden make me happy on a daily basis.  In the last few years, I’ve planted additional varieties.  In the frontward flowerbed, I have some green and white-edged variegated hostas that I think are splendid.

There are also some elephant-eared hostas in shades of green and yellow that I rather enjoy.  These hostas come up slowly in the Spring but when they finally open, they are impressive.

This time a year is perfect weather for hostas —— plenty of rain followed by sunshine and warmth.  May, I find you charming.

Dogwood Day: April 4

Sunlight and a good measure of warmth has really brought out the blooms around here.  There are yesterday’s daffodils and crocuses; sights to be seen all over town.  Tulips are up everywhere in my yard.  On my daily drive to work, I’ve seen at least one dogwood already in bloom.  Mine is moving at a more stately pace but I know it will be well-worth the wait.

Spring, you are so very lovely.

Daffodils and Crocuses!

Spring sunlight and warmth are welcome on their own terms.  And then I step out on a given morning and there are flowers.  This time of year is such a lovely treat.  Last weekend saw flowers on many of the red bud trees in my neighborhood.  The tulip trees are next.  In my own garden, these crocuses peaked through the soil.

In the backyard, there are cheery daffodils.  

There  are more crocuses and daffodils set to bloom; tulip and azalea flowers are on the way.  That's happy!