In the Garden: Digging and Building

Lately, there's been a lot of digging going on in the garden. Elsa enjoys turning up some dirt with me while her big sister is at school . I finally completed and planted a new flower patch along our border yesterday with a little help from Oona. I've also been digging in the pumpkin patch and main garden in places where I failed to get enough mulch cover on in the Fall. Our yard very quickly becomes a weed disaster. There's also been some building and repair work to do. Our teepee in the center of the garden started to crumble and Jake decided to build a new structure with a bench for garden watching/resting. It's not complete, but will also be used for growing.

During our trip to the garden center on Mother's Day we purchased a beautiful fluffy, dangling weeping willow-like tree (but much smaller) called "Walker Weeping Caragana". That is a perfectly silly name to remember so we just call it "the Wishing Tree". I think on New Years Eve we'll hang strands of red ribbon from it with our wishes, or maybe we'll just casually make a wish as needed. Anyways, I recommend everyone have some sort of "wishing tree". Perhaps you already have one and didn't know it. I found this particular one while searching for a fir tree to decorate for the Solstice. We didn't find one that called to us, and decided we might find a better one in our own woods. But all's well that ends well.

We also bought our first rose bush. After purchasing it, I realized I am clueless about roses, and felt slightly panicked that the upkeep was more that I could bear. But, for now, things are going alright. I do find that they need to be complimented quite often to keep their spirits up, so whenever I walk by I say, "Oh yes, you are beautiful!" and they dance a little in the wind. My friend pointed out to me that the best part about roses is rose hips! Why didn't I think of that? Yes, now I feel better about the purchase. But, I'm still not certain if the variety I bought will bear hips. All I know is that I have to remember to stop pruning come September. Will do!

Other things of excitement... my first elderberry bush (black lace variety) and a St. John's Wort bush that claims to be great for the bees and butterflies. A friend of mine gave me a large bunch of oregano which was great because I lost my large patch a few years back to a harsh winter or perhaps critters digging in the root structure. To be safe, I moved this one to a new location farther from the house, and with room to spread out. A lot of my early outdoor seedling are still just babies, but indoor starts are growing swiftly. I am excited for the rush of planting soon to come and to be done with the excessive amounts of digging that are wearing at my hands. It does make you feel accomplished at the end of the day to spend the day in the dirt.