in the roses

while i was filling the coffee pot this morning, i looked out the kitchen window and happened to catch a little patch of red from the corner of my eye, sitting at the top of the fence. i thought it was just a cardinal—the birds like to hang out on our fence—but then i did a double take. it was a rose.

i thought, really?? however could it be time for roses already; it must be just one stray, right?

nope. just look at all of them.
and they weren’t there yesterday, i’d swear it. jeez, this year is going by all too fast for me.

but whatever am i doing, complaining about roses—we should all be so lucky. looks like i need to learn to stop and, well . . . smell them.

then there are the iris—aren’t they a brilliant purple? we don’t have many iris yet, but they do seem to be spreading and my friend susie gave me a whole bunch of new ones that she divided out of her garden.

i love iris, especially the brown varieties and the pale peachy ones. amongst our purples there is a lone ranger hiding in the tall grass that makes me grin

one anomalous brown iris; i feel like someone put it there just for me to find.

our climbing hydrangea is flowering as well—pretty  lace caps that make a fleeting appearance, compared to the big blue/pink mop heads that last all summer on the rest of our shrubs.

and here’s an update on the may apple, which is also in bloom this week. in the foreground you can see the female flower, birthing a tiny apple from its center, while the male flower looks on from a distance. i can’t see for sure, but i’d bet money he’s got his hands in his pockets and is shifting from foot to foot, too.

a big patch of cranesbill at the side of the vegetable patch is in bloom, too and already attracting tons of bees. it’s a busy little spot during the summer.

and finally, the pretty strawberry flowers. looks like lots of fruit are coming out from these plants as well—i hope it’s tasty this year. our berries have not been fabulous so far, but i’m told they get better as the years pass and each year i hope it will finally be true.

at least they are pretty. i love how they look when they’re green—fully formed, right down to the seeds; all they need are their red dresses.

speaking of the garden plants, we got started putting ours in the ground over the weekend, by getting all the root vegetables in.

i planted (left to right) carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips, leeks, and celeriac. then i filled in all the remaining areas with chard for decoration.

the sweet potato starts are looking really nice—our friend jeff propagates them each year from his previous year’s biggest potato. i can only hope that our potatoes grow to the size of his; they are amazing.

at the back of the garden, the garlic, shallots, and onions are tucked into the ground for the long haul. they will just sit there and grow now for the next few months. i love the root vegetables for this reason—once they are in, all we have to do is water them and wait. i might put some parsnips back there, too . . . i’ve been reading about companion planting and am trying to plant things where they will be happy with the neighbors, in an effort to encourage better health and reduce pest infestation.

the tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and flowers are waiting by the back door for a fruit day, when i can get them in the ground. i also need to clean up my chard bed and do some transplanting, but am waiting for a leaf day to do that (i missed yesterday’s window because i didn’t get my desk work done til after dark). looks like i could also do it today if i’d get a move on around here.

naturally, the next three or four days are alternating fruit and leaf, which would be the ideal time to plant if i wasn’t leaving home tomorrow for the whole weekend.

weeeelll, as long as everything gets in before memorial day, i’ll be ok with that.
(but memorial day is just a little over a week away!)

ok, now, if i have any chance of getting outside to putter in the garden, i’ve got to get a few more things done here at my desk. so i’m going to take my leave.

tomorrow is full of appointments and then i’m traveling in the evening, but if i can manage it, i’ll post something for you to read. and then on the weekend, there will be much festivity over the baby knitspot shower. i will be sure to take pictures.