Rainy Evening

We got some rain at last, this evening. It came dramatically, though, as it sometimes does in Kansas. I drove home from work through a heavy downpour, with a bit of hail. When it started pounding on the windshield of my car, I did wonder how big they'd have to be, and how hard they'd have to hit, to break the glass. Then the tornado sirens went off.

But at least we did get over an inch of rain. It came so quickly it probably didn't soak in as well as a nice slow shower, but I'm still grateful for the moisture. This should help the garden keep going.

Compost

I'm just back in from adding my rabbit's daily contributions to the compost bin for today. Earlier this summer I replaced my disintegrating compost bin made from wooden pallets with a new closed plastic one. This is in addition to the rotating composter. The rotating bin produces compost much faster than a static bin, but you can't keep adding new material throughout the process. So I put the new stuff daily into the static bin, and then as each batch in the rotating composter is finished and removed, I move a new batch from the static bin into the rotating one.

August Heat

We finally got a little rain; in fact, twice in the last two weeks. It's been such a relief. I've had to water every day, and even then some of the things I planted this spring don't look like they'll make it. The two hydrangeas are completely withered, and look quite dead. I don't know whether to hope they'll come back out of it or not. I'd like to think they went into an early dormancy, but that may be hopelessly optimistic.

On the other hand, the veggie garden is still going along fairly well. It hasn't been my best year for tomatoes, since the raised bed they were rotated to this year is the one nearest the neighbors' trees, and is the shadiest of the six beds. But the peppers and cantaloupe are doing great, and the cucumbers were as well. Now the cukes are struggling a bit with fungus. I've sprayed them and hope they'll keep going. I sure love the fresh veggies!

Update: Two days after posting this, one of the dead-looking hydrangeas has put out a few new leaves at its base. What a relief! I'll keep hoping for some of the other plants.

Enjoying Spring

Spring is really here, though some days still have a chilly bite, and some nights still get down into the 30s, and I have to bring some of the seedlings back into the house. Every year I feel that my garden is better than ever before, as plants become better established, and I have had another year to adjust and change things.

So many of my spring bulbs seemed to do well this year, such as the dwarf iris to the left. They don't bloom long, but they're one of the first flowers of the year. I love to see their tiny flowers spreading slowly from year to year. I've enjoyed bringing some of the less common plants into the garden.

Winter Weather

It's been quite a winter so far this year. We had three snow storms even before the new year. The snow that fell on the Saturday before Christmas has not yet completely melted. Usually, snow melts off within a few days.

My dog has really enjoyed the snow. It seems to send his energy level sky-high. It was such fun watching him bounce through the snowdrifts, and shove his face in up to his ears.

Spring Frost Damage

Mid-April we had several days of very cold weather, with temperatures at night below 20 degrees. Many of the plants in my garden had already leafed out, and others were blooming. I tried to cover plants that I thought might be most fragile.

After four days, as the weather began to warm back up, I uncovered everything, and began to survey the damage. The hostas looked the worst, with leaves that looked like they'd been boiled. My fruit trees had all bloomed already. More damage showed up after a few days, with leaves turning brown, and flower stalks crumpling. My garden looked like a disaster zone, and I wondered how much I'd have to replace.

Spring Arrives

I'm back home after a week out of state. When I left, only snowdrops, the first daffodils, hyacinths, pansies and a few violets were blooming. Now there are flowers everywhere in my yard--more daffodils, hyacinths, violets, grape hyacinths, lungwort, Siberian squill and all the fruit trees. This is the first year the Bradford pear has actually flowered, without being stopped by a late frost. The peach tree is most spectacular, with its pink flowers.