The Perennial Path at Dusk

This is the entrance to the path just before sunset. We added lighting to the path last year.

Early Bloomers

Our spring weather has been so beautiful this year that we have early bloomers in the garden.  The apple tree, given to me by my dad as a sappling 35 years ago, is full of blossoms. The little grape vine area next to the shed has been trimmed and is budding.

 

Apple tree in full bloom

This is the second year for the strawberry plants in the trug behind the shed.  

Strawberry plants

The lilac tree in the perennial path smells wonderful as we walk by!

Lilac

We've found that the secret to a large crop of rhubarb is adding plenty of composted manure in the spring!  This planting has been in the garden for many years.

Rhubarb

Forget Me Nots seed down each year, so we always have mounds of blue and pink flowers scattered throughout the garden in early spring.

Forget Me Nots

The red azalea adds bold color to the garden and is surrounded with blue forget me nots and white azaleas behind it.  Red, white and blue!  Our patriotic area!

Azalea

The rhododendrun is in full bloom at the front entrance.

Rhody

We installed two oriole feeders on April 28th and received our first visitor May 2nd.

Baltimore Oriole

Spring Things

We're finally confident that Spring is here.  After early April temperatures in the 80s, then 6" of snow a week later, today is a comfortable 66 degrees and we can get on with the garden work.

Last summer we purchased a small fig tree.  I've never actually eaten a fresh fig, only Fig Newtons : )  The variety is Brown Turkey and although it's a good variety for our northern climate, it can't take the weather if it gets too cold.  We left it planted in the large pot and moved it from the patio into the garage for the winter.  This is what it looks like today --

Brown Turkey Fig Tree

If the weather is expected to drop below freezing, we'll move it back to the garage overnight and bring it out when the weather warms up.  

The below photo shows our asclepias incarnata "Cinderella" milkweed emerging from the pot it was planted in last year.  We bought it from a local nursery and it wintered over on our patio.

Milkweed

Each year the orioles return to our area the beginning of May.  I put out the feeder a couple days ahead of their arrival so they'll see it when they fly over.  The feeder is filled with nectar, grape jelly and oranges.  Cardinals and grey catbirds also enjoy it.

Fall Colors

 

Monarch Release

This is the first of the monarchs that eclosed and was released from the ones I'm raising. He's a beauty!  

"The corn is as high as an elephant's eye ...

Marketmore Cucumbers

Roma Tomatoes

Tomatoes -- Roma and Early Girl

Lady Bell Green Peppers 

                         


...and it looks like it's climbing clear up to the sky."

Update on the Path

I've added a few updated photos of the Perennial Path.  This has been a good year.  The path was widened in a few areas, making it a little more interesting.

Climbing Honeysuckle winding around the birdhouse

Butterfly Bush

Daylily

Daylily

Daylily

Coneflowers

Blackeyed Susan

Perennial Path Lighting

We've added path lighting to the Perennial Path this year.  Five lights illuminate the walkway.  Chunky mulch has also been added.  This photo shows the entrance to the path and different areas within it.

Parsley Sage Rosemary Thyme .....

The herb garden on the patio near the kitchen door is happy in the rolling planter.

Herbs include parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, basil, and oregano, with spearmint growing along the foundation at the left.  There's big pot of rosemary that I've brought into the house to winter over for the last few years.  The bay laurel was cut back and has little sprouts.  They're at the front of the planter in the photo.  One of the pots on the chair is a selection of leaf lettuce plants that's still producing.  Lantana is in the other pot on the chair and hanging from the butterfly shepherd's hook.

The Orioles Have Arrived!

The oriole feeder was hung just in time -- 2 days ago -- and we saw two, a male and female, at the feeder today.

First sighting of male oriole 5/3/20