Category: Gardening

Summer is blooming and two weeks later, we see large green tomatoes with the promise of deliciousness on the horizon. The blueberries were ripe too, create a nice sweet treat. The gooseberries in the back are almost ready too.

Summer has officially begun and the garden is looking okay. The frontyard plants are thriving and my regular watering combined with the soaker hoses, seem to keep up with the heat and dryness. Tomatoes are already green and on the way.

The backyard continues to get shaded out by the encroaching silver maple trees. The raspberries and blackberries in the back of the yard seem to be doing okay, and the apple trees continue to produce (although the squirrels eat them green before they can even ripen). The elderberry and lilac bushes continue to grow, creating a haven for the many, many birds that now regularly inhabit the yard. I expect the fountains give them a reason to stay (and the plentiful birdfeed). Summer flowers are beginning to bloom.

The garden suffered during the drought last year. I lost all my currant bushes and many of my flowering perennials. This year I decided to accept the fact that my region is drier than it used to be, and I put in some soaker hoses to help with the watering. If I want to keep my garden alive and vibrant, it’s going to need a little more help from me.

On the positive side, the wisteria on the front trellis really took off and we got some beautiful hanging flowers under the arch, which was the dream I sought to create. I can’t wait to see it expand over the whole trellis. The peonies also had a great bloom.

It’s been a bit dry out there and the garden is starting to show it. But some of the summer flowers seem to be doing just fine, despite the dry air and little rain. The garden beds in the middle of the backyard seem to suffer the most. I’m beginning to consider removing those beds entirely and replace them with a suana.

It’s spring-time! The tulips are popping up and I’m quite excited. I planted over one-hundred tulip bulbs last fall and was quite eager for them to pop up and bring a splash of color to our springtime garden. We also added a patio to our front-yard and I created a new garden around it. It is mostly filled with sun-loving perennials.

We had quite the bounty this year. The new tomato trellis on the front yard worked phenomenally. Despite the drought that Minnesota was experiencing, my garden was thriving. I think it helped that the new garden is on the eastern side of the house. So, it receives excellent morning and midday light, but then is shadowed a bit for the late evening heat. This likely kept the soil nice and moist. Conversely, the backyard garden became very desert-like during the drought. I tried to avoid watering both gardens, hoping that the natural resilience of my design would work as expected. And to that point, the native flower-garden portion of the back yard was fine during the drought, it was only the annual vegetables that seemed to suffer with out water from their ambivalent caretaker.

It’s the end of May, and our silver maple trees have dumped their seeds upon the land before the heat of Summer.

Springtime is here and the perennial plants are blooming.

Summer is in full swing and the garden is filled with birds, bees, other bugs, and scurrying squirrels.

The solstice has come and summer begins in the garden. I love watching the transition from the early Spring plants and flowers, with their vibrant greens and fresh new growth, over to the flowers and colors of Summer, brighter colors and yellow-green foliage.

Summer also brings the fruits and vegetables!