Just checking in, finally!

Half a month since I've updated here, mainly because I haven't had the ability to get out in the garden much. We've all been sick and it's that end of summer kind of time, when the garden mostly settles down for autumn anyway. Here's some highlight notes from what I can remember.

We had a couple storms go through and drop 3 - 4" of rain within a day or two and really soak everything. Weeds abound :) I have started mowing the lawn myself since Pete didn't have time to do it frequently enough and I've set the blade really high. The combination of all this means the lawn has VASTLY improved. There are still some brown patches by the fir in back but overall it looks and feels great with a lot more grass and a lot fewer weeds. We still need to aerate and seed it, but when we have money that will come.

I can't remember if I posted it before but I pruned the birch trees back to my head height around the bottom and they very much appreciate the attention! They look great. Also the lillies underneath are so excited to get a little sun that they've been blooming ever since!

The raspberries are producing well right now, not that we'd ever know it. I haven't tasted a single ripe one. Every day after school there's about 5 kids all clustered on OUR side of the berries, of course, devouring them. They pulled and ate every one of my carrots too. Hmm.

I purchased a large assortment of early spring bulbs to throw some color into my late winter landscape. Most of what I have is crocus, but I believe I also purchased some daffodils and hyacinth. Could be wrong, I'll have to check! I want to put some around the edges of the pathway garden in front, the corners of the hosta garden, around the lillies in back, and maybe a few inside the fenced yard. I'm not 100% sure yet. I plan on mixing them up, you know planting them on top of each other. We'll see how it works!

The roses are doing really well also. The Little Mischief has come back with some tender attention and pruning and is looking fantastic. Of course now the Nearly Wild is once again beset by black spot, and I'm not sure how to control it. I remove any infected leaves as soon as I see evidence of damage, and I've given it a heavy dose of systemic anti-fungal... ??? All else failing I may have to replace that rose next spring. The others are putting out lots of new growth even now and a few blooms and look very healthy!

The new snowberries on the North side are also well established now and growing just great. I am anxious to see how they'll manage the winter, but they look very hardy and very happy in their spot.

Next to the snowberries, where I have an empty patch near where the fence meets the house, I want to plant this: Japanese painted ferns against the grass, bluebells behind that, and yellow foxglove behind those. Should be gorgeous!

In a perfect world next year I want Hollyhock around my garage side door too, but I know they are very tempting to bugs. We will see.

I think that's it for now... I'll update again as we get to feeling better and I can get into prepping everything for the snow!