Tag Archives: May garden

A Sunday Afternoon in the May Garden

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May Garden 2 5 18, 2014

foxglove May 2014

Faerie glade 2014

Dragonfly garden 5-18-14

May afternoon in the garden

The garden has a mind of its own this year – the columbine are a jungle of colorful blooms and lush green foliage – some have grown almost waist high!

The small dogwood trees are doing a great job of filling out and shading all the other plants. After losing our big saw tooth oak tree a couple of years ago, shade has been sorely missed and the garden suffered a bit because of it.

But now all is shady and cool and filled with chipmunk trails and faerie glades. Not too much rabbit damage this year. The hungry vixen has taken down that population to feed her kits. She and I came face to face this weekend. I was filling the hummingbird feeders early Saturday morning, when she popped over the rock ledge. Startled us both, but it was wonderful to see her and her foxy beauty – lean, with a gorgeous red coat. She trotted to the edge of the yard and went back to her den. Hope that she and her family will make this their permanent residence for a while.

The foxglove are blooming and the astilbe are beginning to fill out. The hosta look happy for the shade of the little trees. I will let the columbine seed pods dry and then harvest the seeds to share with friends and family.

I love sitting in the garden – watching the birds and the insects – the bumble bees are as busy as ever. The sound of the waterfall, rustling of leaves, dappled sun bouncing over the flowers – a soothing and relaxing space – filling my heart with spring.

I hope you have a quiet green space to visit and enjoy – and your heart is filled with spring too!

The Garden in May

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May Garden 2 2013May Garden 3 2013May Garden 2013

I have a certain affinity for the wild and overgrown garden. Its greenness and variety of form and texture are a source of constant fascination and wonder. Now my dear husband, creator and maker of gorgeous landscapes, sometimes takes issue with my free form gardening. He likes a nice symetrical space with everyone in its place and acting all orderly and nice. Not splayed about, leaning across, mixed up and just running amok. Nope, but thats the way my garden grows.

The columbines have started to bloom out and set seed. For the next few weeks, the garden will be raggedy with ripening and drying seed pods. Not the most attractive time of year for the visitor, but worth it for the future plants. When the seedheads dry, I will cut back the stalks and shake out all the tiny seeds. These tiny seeds will be our spring blooms in three years. And we will again delight in the remarkable forms and colors they will produce.

Bob’s iris have about bloomed out. They were gorgeous this spring and he is making plans to add more colors to the garden. I will cut those stalks back too. The remaining iris plants are not without admiration from me – I love the thick pointed leaves, standing boldly in the garden. A beautiful light green verticality for the rest of the year.

My pinks are in bloom and the volunteer hollyhock has 3 stalks this year. I have no idea where it came from, but always happy to see its old fashioned frilly flowers. The rabbits took care of our clematis this year. We will need to remember to screen it next spring. The hostas will bloom soon and the day lilies too.

Another year in the garden – in the course of our seasons!

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insistence of green-

color not understood until that first May morning –

when green cannot be ignored

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