Morning Glories in the August Heat

This year my morning glories first bloomed on August 1st.  Seems so late in the season, to just begin flowering, but they're opening lots of blossoms every day. This year I planted a mix of "Heavenly Blue," with a couple of variegated types, so every morning it's a pleasant surprise to see what's open today.

NOW I'm in trouble!

Oh no!  I'm out of grape jelly, and the orioles are really ticked.  They keep flying in, looking into the empty dish, and then giving me that beady-eyed glare of disapproval.  If I know what's good for me, I'd better not forget to pick up a new jar of jelly at the store today.

A Less Aggressive Wisteria

Amethyst Falls wisteria

A couple of years ago, after doing some research, I finally chose a variety of wisteria to plant in my garden.  I've always loved wisteria, but know that it can be quite aggressive in the garden, requiring constant trimming to keep under control.  However, the native American wisteria is less vigorous than those from Japan or China, and fits more easily into the garden with less work.  The Amethyst Falls cultivar I chose is an improved American variety.

End of the Greenhouse

Tear in greenhouse plastic

Over the last couple of years, I've really enjoyed having a pop-up greenhouse. Though not as protective as a "real" greenhouse, it did offer some shelter over the winter to marginally-hardy plants, extending the harvest later into the fall/winter, and helped in hardening off seedlings.

Preliminary Results on New Weed-Prevention Schedule

Last year I learned more about the timing I needed to follow on applying corn gluten to my lawn to prevent weeds.  So last fall I spread the gluten earlier, in August rather than in October/November; then this spring put it out earlier, in March.  In previous years, my back yard in particular had lots of chickweed and henbit.  This year, there was practically no chickweed, and much less henbit.  It was good to see such positive results from simply tweaking the time at  which I applied the corn gluten.

May Day Peony

On May Day I especially enjoy making the rounds of my garden, savoring all of the flowers in bloom at this lovely time of year.  Today my tree peony celebrated by opening its first blossom of the year.  Also starring right now are lilacs, columbine, and the snowball bush.

Lilacs in Bloom

The last several days the lilacs around here have begun to bloom.  Every time I step out into my back yard the aroma is incredible.  As I walk my dog there are several places in the neighborhood with lots of lilacs too, that smell wonderful as I walk by.