the view from the demo garden: bees

Showing posts with label bees. Show all posts

Sunday, March 10, 2013

signs of spring in the garden

as the days get longer and the temperatures climb up and away from freezing, there is a sense of urgency in the garden. a little voice whispers, or maybe it bellows. definitely bellows and it doesn't take much to hear the message: "GET TO WORK AND CLEAN ME UP!!!"

every where you look, weeds, and wreckage!

fallen leaves and dead branches

over grown plants in need of a trim

a need for repairs and replacements

things to be removed and stored

in general, a depressing view of an abandoned garden

trash or treasure? depends on who you ask, either way, an eyesore filled with weeds this morning

even the compost area needs some tlc

and while it is a little overwhelming to do this alone-and yes i was alone since no one came out to work with me (or eat cake with me), there are beautiful sights to be seen if you take the time to look.

tri color thyme

bloody dock

honey bees sipping nectar from rosemary blooms

daffodils

speedwell blossoms; the tiny native ones are considered a weed but the larger ones, a cultivated variety, can be purchased in pots at garden centers

clematis awakening and showing new growth

a winter show of color from hellebores

late last spring, we planted some poppies in the shade garden. i forgot about them and this little one popped up in a walkway to remind me of their presence

look carefully among the leaves, lungwort (pulmonaria) is blooming

and as always, when i go out to work in the garden, i go with a cake in hand to thank my volunteers. sadly today, i returned home with the cake uncut. not one volunteer came out to join me. to all of my fellow gardeners, we need to fix this garden and i cannot do it alone. please come on out and join me!
the garden cannot clean itself up, we need to do it and fast, there are only two months to go til the big show!

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

sunday, august 5th

darry and i headed over to the garden about 8:30. we managed to accomplish a few things. thankfully, darry dug out all of the old logs in the wall around the herb garden and replaced them with the new logs. weeding is what is needed most-if you head out, bring your knee pads and a weed pick!

honeybee in greek oregano

rosemary in bloom

tabasco peppers

thai chilis

rose hips in the herb garden

beauty berry in the rain garden

mexican petunia

zinnias in the satellite dish garden

ailanthus webworm moth

milkweed bug

tatume squash in the square foot garden

tomatoes in the square foot garden

and as always, freshly baked goodies for all who dare to join us. today, we feasted on currant scones.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

sunday, july 29

alone in the garden...it was very quiet and peaceful but i would not have minded the noise of a companion-gardening alone isn't much fun!

very large tatume squash in the square foot garden

eggplants have such pretty flowers

one lonely purple basil plant in a sea of green varieties

honeybees like chive nectar-who's a thunk it? i would imagine it tastes like chives, but they don't seem to mind

fig upside-down cake-i needed help eating this one-too much for just myself, come on out and prevent me from eating too much cake!! and if you would like to bake one for yourself, the recipe can be found here

Monday, July 9, 2012

alone in the garden, july 8

the intense heat of the last two weeks has prevented most of us from coming out to the garden for any length of time. this week, i was flying solo since darry heard the call of duty from the university. this is what i saw out there, be sure to check the tomato plant trial for the latest updates!