Blooming Now: Stokes Aster

A beautiful native plant.





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Battle of the Blueberries

I decided I couldn't give up without a fight. I bought some netting and deployed it over the largest blueberry bush. I am not optimistic, but I had to try.  Every time I go out there, birds have flown off so they know what is there. I don't think the netting will keep squirrels away, but it may have some minor effect on the birds.

I've eaten maybe a half dozen individual berries that have ripened, so far. Now, I'll have to leave the net in place for a few days and hope they ripen all at once.

Blooming now: Milkweed

I do this for the monarchs, though I haven't seen any yet this year.





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The Wall of Foliage

This is my view out the front window:

This time of year, it's a regular Wall O' Foliage. That's the point. There are different textures and shades of green in this wall, but it hides the view of the street.

I find watching this endlessly fascinating. I watch the leaves pop out and fill in the solid view. I can spend time tracing individual branches, planning what to prune out. I watch the birds moving through them. I watch the squirrels travel without ever touching the ground.

Before I moved in, this was nothing but Norway spruces and English ivy there.

Fruit I Will Never Eat

Because birds, squirrels, deer, and raccoons will get them first.









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The Iron Peony

Peonies are famous for their longevity. I’ve never planted a peony, but I’ve seen them around and had a quite handsome large one at my house in Evanston. I never did anything to it (except tried to keep it from flopping over), and it was always fine.  I did notice, however, the flower buds would be covered with ants and so I never desired to bring them into the house. An old friend of mine thought peonies were only suitable for decorating French whorehouses, because they are so overdone and blowsy. 

I noticed some foliage in the small bed along the front of my house some years ago, and left it alone. I finally identified it in my own mind as a peony, based on the foliage of other peonies around.  It never bloomed, and it didn’t really thrive until last year. But this year, JACKPOT!  I got two blooms on the two stalks, and they are nice in a blowsy overblown sort of way. The palest of pinks, very nearly white.

This is my thirteenth year in the house. I guess it was worth waiting for.

Blooming Now

Coreopsis and Daylilies



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