June 2021 - Week 2

Recording Biodiversity

I've decided to add a new page to the blog to record the species that use or pass through the garden.  I've a few reasons for this:

• I can use it as an 'excuse' for the messy bits if anyone complains.
• I'd like to be able to identify more of the insect and wild flower species
• I can use it toward getting my Canadian Wildlife Federation wildlife friendly garden certification
• I'd really like to think that when we leave this house the next people might be less likely to rip everything up and put in a pool or a lawn if they know what is here and why

For now I'm going to gradually add all the things I observe, hopefully with photos, onto a page (or maybe a few) on the blog but eventually I might figure out how to put it into a database and use Python or something to make the information more query-able.

Anyway, I'm coming to realize that the more things I share the garden with, the happier I am spending time in it.  When the chickadees come by (which they don't too much right now) it's like having friends for a visit and sitting on the deck with a coffee/glass of wine watching all the flying things whizzing about (with the exception of mosquitos, I'm not much keen on them) is an absolute joy.

What's poppin' in the garden?

The new hammock chair arrived.  I didn't notice until it got here that it has a piece of wood in it, it's amazing how these things sneak in and I will try to look more closely in future.

New favorite place

Someone has been checking out the chickadee's empty nest box

Salvias are just beginning to bloom

Geranium x cantabrigiense 'Biokovo' looking splendid in the pond garden

Millet is growing under the bird feeders, thanks I presume, to the sparrows chucking it all over the place in the winter

Two of three dahlia Bishop of Llandaff have popped up

Buttercup squash sowed last week has germinated

Fireflies in the woods

A lonely pale pinky orange foxglove has begun flowering in the minefield

The tiny Culvers Root seedlings have a new guardian

Don't eat them Mr Toad, I've been nurturing these for 6 months

Jobs for this week

Begin new page on blog June 8.  Wow look at that, 2 species and only on day 2 of this week

Do all the things I didn't do last week:

• Plant up pots on the deck June 9-12.  Decided on where to put all the pots.  Emptied the large blue ones and repotted.  Here's what's in them:
• Big blue pot 1 - Dahlia Pink and White, lots of cilantro seeds
• Big blue pot 2 - The Orange Dahlia (in its third year now) with nasturtium seeds
• Rectangular grey pot 1 - Runner beans, asparagus fern, thunbergia, nasturtiums
• Rectangular grey pot 2 - Runner beans, wire vines, morning glory, nasturtiums
• Very big blue pot - Jacob's millets, Bishop of Llandaff, nasturtiums
• Sort out tulip pot June 9.
• Weed herb bed and sow some seeds in it.

Tidy up the edges and pull out the golden rod growing in cracks in the driveway.

Order water butts

Extra bits and bobs

June 9.  Finally figured out how to place the old cantilevered umbrella so that it fits next to the lovely hammock chair and shades it in the morning.  Planted pansies and a chrysanthemum (I think) that I rescued from last years pot by the front steps.

June 12.  Weeded the back of the berry patch, planted 4 tithonia.  Then looked at the weather and discovered that it will go down to 5 degrees this week so I'm not planting the rest yet.