Catching Up

I guess I've been busy, and still am, so I'll do a few posts as I have time. Last Saturday, I know, a while ago now, we went to a local open garden and then for a walk at the Des Moines Marina and for a short ways on the Des Moines Creek trail.

Looks like my photos are in reverse order, but, Oh well. Blogger is weird lately.

 

We have to leave soon for an appointment to get our windshield replaced. Another event in the ongoing car saga.

We just got back last night from an overnight in Oregon. More on that later. 

I hope to catch up with your posts soon.

Firsts

 Now that we are back home from the island, we are back in our garden, checking out what's new and what needs to be done.

The first roses are blooming. 

Gertrude Jekyll is just about to put on her June show. 

The first big orange Oriental poppy. We almost lost these, but a survivor is now gaining strength. 

Delphnium and columbine.

Our only peony, but she's a beauty. 

While I was working by the roses, the first Western Swallowtail Butterfly flitted by. This is an online photos. Flitting butterflies are hard to capture. 

And the first bee sting. Actually not a bee, but a big black hornet like this. I was pulling binder weed out of the salal hedge when I felt a sudden intense firey pain. I glancingly saw the hornet and maybe a second one. I didn't stick around for more. 

I have always reacted very strongly to any kind of sting or bug bite, so I expected my hand to swell way up, but right away I took a antihistamine and iced my hand and a day later it's not bad at all. 

I'm hoping this sting is not only the first, but the last of the season.

I will be happy to welcome more butterfiles and roses.

Time to Rest

 Yesterday, Thursday, we completed the last big job on the spring garden list.

We trimmed and weeded the plants on the driveway wall. I ran the hedge trimmer, clipping off the spent blooms on the perennial candy tuft, and doing some of the weeding. Tom weeded and cleaned up. It took us two and  half hours, and wore us out. After lunch Tom took the blower to the driveway and cleaned up all of the fir tree debris. Now it is looking spiffy, and we have gone on vacation.

After breakfast this Friday morning we left for Whidbey Island. While the traffic and the overloaded ferries slowed us down, we made it in time for a very late lunch.  Now we have been to dinner at a local brew pub and in a bit we'll go for a little sun down stroll. 

It's sunny and warm and we are happy to be carefree for a few days.

The garden is looking good so there won't be much work to do. Poppies are blooming and recent rain has kept everything green and growing so far.

Down the beach road the vacant lot is full of blooming Thrift. The sky is blue and the living is easy.

June Exuberance

 

We have been dealing with issues with our car dealership, but the car itself is fine, and we choose to forget about it when we work in our garden. 

We have spent hours each day trimming and mowing and edging and removing and replanting and tying up and staking and even planting some seeds, hoping the little sun we have now, due to clouds and very tall trees, will at least produce a few things in our garden boxes. 

Today the rain has returned, and that's OK because we need the rain and we need a rest. 

Yesterday in the late afternoon I took time to just walk around and enjoy the exuberance of June in our Pacific Northwest Garden, and take some photos to share with you. 

When we finally sat long enough to notice, we discovered that Chickadees have returned to nest and raise young in this birdhouse. They are flying back and forth bringing bugs to their babies. 

The tulips have all been lifted and the holes left behind are being covered with other growth, like these hostas. 

We finally got the last of the glass art out into the garden.

Fairy Bells -  Disporum longistylum 'Night Heron'

Columbine plant themselves everywhere. 

June is busting out all over. It is the best garden month.