Nel giardino

Today's gardening extravaganza includes comparisons with last year.

Right now I an writing through a haze of alcohol and aches. This weekend I went to the gym twice. I worked in the yard doing significant planting Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon, and Sunday afternoon. I have done lots of stretching and resistance training at home. My body is ready for some rest. It being the Fiftieth Day of Easter and the Great Feast of Pentecost, I have also broken out of my virtuous eating habits of late to consume some of the small See's milk chocolate Easter eggs still on the dining room table and to have a stiff drink after the yard work.

We also had a good time at San Gabriel this morning. There is a lovely new sign with an icon of San Gabriel on the outside of the building and it was blessed before the service began. We were a riot of red but that was nothing to the riot at the reading of the Gospel. It was in English, Spanish, Italian, French, Mandarin, Norwegian, Koine Greek, and Old English. I was reading in Italian and could hardly hear myself in that cacophony which is a pity. I would love to have heard it read in each language singly. But a great morning. I loaned my "red dress" to Mother Rhonda so she could flash in colors of fire. She also had on some outrageous red glasses given her years ago (so she says; I think she "borrowed" them from Dame Edna).

And now our pictorial yard report.

Here is the Methley plum with the new plantings of the last week that surround it now: four pink penstemon, periwinkle, pink butterfly gaura, English lavender, salvia, and white petunias.


Now, a retrospective look at the northwest corner from last year. There were peaches on the two trees on the right. The right near peach tree, the Red Haven, did not make it through the winter and has been replaced with a cottonwood. I hope to have shade as it grows to hugeness.


Although from a different angle (shot from the south end of the yard), this is a view of the north end this afternoon. Just a few months ago this was nothing but brown. Hooray for spring and summer! The cottonwood is mere slip of a thing visible just to the left of the series of three windows on the neighboring house.


Here are some John F. Kennedy roses.


This is a bit of a panorama of the yard from near the dining room door. You can see more hardscaping as I have added more retaining blocks to define the garden from the sandbox near the house.

I don't know their name but these have blossomed on a rosebush planted before the Italian trip that I thought might not make it.


America roses from a bush that made it through the winter.


I don't know the name of these either but they make my heart smile.


The Warsaw Nike clematis was planted two years ago. Prior to this year it never got more than about eight inches tall but it has survived two winters and finally grown up and blossomed.


Here is a view of the southwest corner from last May. The Lady Banks rose was flowering against the wall. This year it has only grown near the base with no flowers. The cherry tree in the left foreground did not survive and has been replaced with a nectarine. I have also planted an apricot and a Babcock peach this year. Many of the roses pictured here perished with our harsh winter.



Here is a view from the north end looking to the south end this afternoon.


There were more grapes on the vine last year but these are most promising.


Here is one of two areas planted yesterday.


One of the day lilies planted today.


And here is a shot of the north border planted rather intensively this afternoon.


And that is today's garden tour. I hope you enjoyed it. I enjoy planting and watching things grow.

May rain come.

Pray for the firefighters and those in danger of wildfires. I work for Smoky and I have friends out there.

--the BB

Les fleurs du printemps

I just watered the yard. Here are some photos I took before watering. It is, indeed, the month of May in ABQ.







--the BB

For Sister Ellie

We have a garden tour and all of you are invited, of course. But there is something special for Sister Ellie at the end.

I have planted three new fruit trees, two of them this afternoon. Not easy to discern at this point but you have the nicely leafy Rosie, my Santa Rosa plum, on the left. She was planted in 2007.

In the foreground is Panagia, the Panamint nectarine, planted today. She replaces the black Tartarian cherry that just did not make it through the winter (and had a very rough summer last year). In the background, just to the left of Panagia is Katy, the apricot (Katy variety). And the new tree with a stake tied to it is Babs, a Babcock peach. So these are the girls in the south forty.



In the north forty are some tulips. Here are some brazen parrot tulips. Love the splash of scarlet they add.


And the lilac that blooms by my back door. The three lilacs in front of the house are blooming too.

Some purple tulips that have bloomed in the past several days.

And finally an evening shot from earlier this week of Ellie, one of my two Elberta peach trees (the other is named Bert - yeah, I'm far more silly than original). Every since I started thinking of Sister Ellie whenever I am near or chatting with Ellie the peach tree I though we needed a post card, from Ellie to Ellie.

And here are some cream colored tulips.

That concludes our garden tour. I was lazy today so although I planted two fruit trees and a jasmine vine, the rest will have to wait. Time to bake a pie and get ready for our monthly potluck group.

I am alive and well, just have not been blogging a lot.
--the BB

A garden update

Yes, it has been forever since I have talked about the garden. Well, in winter there is nothing to talk about. It is all brown and bare.

I did, however, plant about 700 bulbs last fall and hope to see some results. We have an early report.

Today I did some overdue pulling of dead stuff and I severely trimmed the French lavender and cooking sage bushes. Pretty much back to the ground. They did not weather the freezes of this winter as well as prior years and I confess to not keeping them as watered as I had in the past. They are hardy though. I filled two bags with detritus and then watered the yard.

Here are some tulips sticking out their little noses.


And here are the first daffodils of spring, in time for St Dewi's Day on March 1. They are small but bright and joyful.


And that's the news from Desert Farne.

--the BB

The bulbs are in

I worked in the yard last Sunday, bought more materials on Thursday, and worked off an on most of yesterday. I have planted something in the neighborhood (I lost count) of 600-700 bulbs, about 20 bearded iris, eight small mums, and over fifty pansies and violas. Four bags of detritus has been sent to the trash, filled with dead annuals, tree and rose prunings, and empty bulb bags. Numerous bags of compost, planting soil, and mulch have been added to the yard.

I still have lots of yanking and pruning to do but it is a goodly start.



There is a honeysuckle on the left. The green plants are snapdragons that has perdured until now. You can see bearded iris plantings sticking their little noses up. This is the south border.


You have seen the low retaining wall on the north half of the yard. All kinds of bulbs are planted beneath the pansies and chrysanthemums.


There is now a second retaining wall on the south side. Here are pansies planted over more bulbs, all in the neighborhood of the Methley plum tree (which put out a few blooms the week before last; go figure). The mulched area between the plum tree and the French lavender is planted with daffodils and freesias.


The north border has some new bearded iris and white and pink daffodils. Also ranunculus. The area circling the rose bush has pastel tulips.

And that's the excitement on the gardening front.

I treated myself to a massage on Thursday. I could have used it more yesterday or today but I'm still glad I did it. It relaxed me so much I went to bed that night at 8 and slept until 6 the next morning.

--the BB

Peach harvest 2010 - round two

I picked all the peaches on the Red Haven peach tree Friday morning while the refrigerator repair man was here. Last night I finally blanched and peeled them all. Tonight I made the cobbler above for work tomorrow and a smaller one for myself (and dessert on Friday with friends).

The third peach tree, a younger Elberta peach than the one that ripened first, has about half a dozen peaches that look almost ripe so the final harvest may be all fresh eating and no baking.

It has been a gratifying year for my fruit trees.

Wopila, Ina Maka, Ate Wi.

--the BB

Peaches blanched

They still have not made their way into a pie or cobbler (or both) but they are now all peeled and sliced.

--the BB

Do you see any weeds?

I thought not. (Unless you count the "ornamental grass" on the left, which propagates with a vengeance through small hair-like devices that cling to everything. I call it "pendejo grass" because, well, the filaments resemble pubic hairs. The clump you see in the photo is not destined long for this life. Why people plant this vile thing I have no idea.)

Yours truly was on his knees under the mid-morning sun yesterday pulling weeds between the curb and the sidewalk. Yesterday evening I tackled much of the south side of the house. This morning I did the back yard and more along the side of the house. This evening I finished the south side and returned to the main front yard. Tumbleweeds have sprung up with an especial vengeance this year. Most of them were only half an inch to an inch high but they were uprooted one by one, ripped from the earth with my own hands.

The temperatures were hovering about 100 Fahrenheit and I do not want those who fear for my dehydration to fret. I, who normally never let water pass my lips, have consumed about four liters of it this weekend in addition to my usual wet chemical poison.

There are few muscles in my body who have not had something to say about all this.

But I have photos and the homeowners' association cannot say I did not clean up my weeds.

This weekend also involved visiting with friends on both days, preaching this morning, and catching a performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream this afternoon. I am plum tuckered out.

--the BB

Yesterday in the yard

The last two photos are of Santa Rosa plums and Elberta peaches. We trust the changing colors are what they appear to be: signs of ripening.

Today I have refrained from all labor. No accomplishments. I have rested, ruthlessly.

May you all have a blessed week.

--the BB

Yard update

The grapes continue to ripen.


I found this beauty hiding in the back as I was watering this evening.


The peaches have gained some blush.


The retaining project viewed this morning.


And completed this evening. I will probably do some more sections elsewhere in the yard as I am pleased with the result here.

I noted on Facebook last Friday evening my hope for an enjoyable and productive weekend. My hope was not disappointed. I had the manual labor of digging and lugging, a nice hike, worship (twice) at the mother church, St Michael's, and visited with several friends. Tired and happy I prepare to do my Italian homework and retire in anticipation of a very busy day at work tomorrow.

--the BB