May 2021 - Week 3

 Tidying the Front Yard

Confession: This is a job that I don't want to do because tidying up the grass is boring and because my future wildflower meadow/tall grass prairie (sown last December) is looking particularly feeble right now.  However, I will probably get reported to the city if I don't make it look at least a bit intentional so I'd better get to it.

My plan is to crisp up the edges and leave everything else including a big patch of long grass in the middle for no mow May.  This will involve:

• A bit of strimming around the edges of the wildflower beds
• Mowing a strip around the whole area (with my manual mower)
• Perhaps a bit of work with the lawn edger
• Sweeping up the brick edging to the flower beds.

I'm thinking about getting some sort of sign to convey to the general public that the big bare squares are there for a reason.

Confession 2: I'm posting late so I've just finished doing the main part of the garden.  I was going to take before and after photos but I forgot to take the before and the after doesn't look different enough lol.  I really hope things start popping up in the wildflower gardens soon or I'll have to come up with plan b.

And speaking of things poppin' up:

What's poppin' in the garden?

Geranium that I got from the take a plant leave a plant library on the street began flowering last week, turns out it is Geranium phaeum 'Samobor'

Geranium phaeum 'Samobor', muscari, next door's shed

Bareroot apple trees have been given their first chop.  looking particularly feeble so finger's crossed...

Bareroot apple trees

The 'lawn' under the feeder trees is looking particularly lush right now, replete with forget-me-nots, goldenrod and tiny wild strawberries.  There might even be some millet in there, not surprising given how the sparrows have spent the winter throwing the stuff about.

Looking under the bird feeders toward the berry patch

First of the wild geraniums out in the front garden, you can see them on this pic taken to remind me how the garden looks in mid-May:

Front garden May 18 2021

While we're at it, here's another view.  You can't tell very well but the wild white achillea I grew from seed is doing really well and the Hybrid Tea, Lady X hiding in behind the thuggish perennial cornflowers is doing better than it has before:

Front garden May 18 2021

Jobs for this week

• Big front yard tidy up
• Main lawn May 17
• Side area Not going to do this bit as it's not too bad
• Boulevard May 19
• Sort out 'lawn' in back yard May 21.  Dug out most of the dandelions and other nasty looking weeds and gave it a bit of a going over.  Left an area of wild, potential new flower bed around the feeder trees
• Start hardening off tomatoes, peppers, tithonia and nicotiana  First day out May 17
• Dig new pond May 21.  Installed new pond with water and rocks.  Planted coneflower 'feeling white' and some yarrow around it.

Extra bits and bobs

May 17.  Planted out lavender by the garage and sage in the berry patch.  I've located it in the southern side of the garden because it likes full sun and it is in accordance with the medicine wheel teachings of the traditional peoples of this area.  Also removed the greenhouse in order to water the lupins and peas that are coming up in it.  Had to net the entire bed as this rather left things at the mercy of hungry critters and I've not got any more fence.

The veg gardens on May 17

May 18.  Helped Rose plant out a pot of peppermint so she can grow her own tea, also sowed chamomile but we're a bit late so it may not work.  Sowed Borlotti and scarlet runner beans in pots.  sowed acorn squashes directly into the chimney bed in the veg area.

May 19.  Weeded the boulevard.  Didn't bother to mow it yet but I suppose I'd better come June.  Another 2 butterfly weeds from last year are popping their little heads out of the ground.

May 20. Yarrow and blanket flowers are germinating outside in newspaper plugs.  Jacob's sunflowers have started to germinate where they were sown in the raised vegetable plots and are getting ancillary water.  I think that my biggest dahlia is beginning to come to life.

May 21.  Lemon bergamot is germinating outside in under a plastic box and the little blue stem on the heat mat in the living room is also popping up.  White perennial cornflowers are just beginning to come out.  Irish moss has tiny white flowers.  Sowed rattlesnake master and put on heat mat in the house to germinate.

May 22.  First of the bloody cranesbill out in the back and front gardens.  Pale green aquilegias just opening under the feeder trees.  Shoots on the Virginia Sweetspire - thats good as I was sure it was a gonner.  I'm not certain, but one of the dead astilbes in the woodland bed might just be showing it's face.