Daffodils. This was the first of the year, but there will be more. Already, bright yellow patches are starting to appear by the sides of the road as they peek up from underground. Every year, I resolve to plant more daffodils, and I always space it. This year, there will be more daffodils in the fall. There must be.
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➞ this ain't livin': In the Garden: Flowers!
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➞ this ain't livin': In the Garden: Oh, Winter
So, this winter is bananas, ya’ll. Talk about significant changes in climate patterns, most of December and January were extremely cold and dry. Which is actually kind of a problem, because we need snowpack to supply water needs later in the year, and of course skiers are up in arms about the significant lack of skiing substrate. They’re forced to engage in mundane activities like rock climbing, which is just tragic.
So things in the garden got cold. But some exciting stuff happened,because I have a non-native garden and that means some things bloom when any native plant worth its salt is in hiding.
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➞ this ain't livin': In the Garden: What A Difference A Little Rain Makes
The boronia almost made it without being touched by deer, but one morning I came out to find them trampled. Not eaten. Just trampled. Like the deer were expressing contempt for the inedibility. Fortunately, they appear to be on track to recover, although they are looking a little woeful right now.
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➞ this ain't livin': In the Garden: Last Blooms
I’ve been in this house a year today, which is rather exciting. It feels like I haven’t made much progress in the garden but when I look back over older images I can definitely see the changes, and it’s been a good learning year. I have a better idea of how light falls and when and where, what is likely to be decimated by local wildlife and what is not, and I have schemes for spring, particularly for the front flowerbed, which is a bit of a hodgepodge, and not in an artful way.
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➞ this ain't livin': In the Garden: Things That Are Not Deer Resistant
And…well, I could go on, but suffice it to say that I am taking notes on what the deer tend to gravitate toward and what they mostly leave alone. For example, all the Australian natives I’ve planted are doing just fine, which just goes to show you: Don’t fuck with Australians. Mate.
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➞ this ain't livin': In the Garden: Eating My Way Through the Vegetables, Continued Patio Adventures
Your eyes do not deceive you! The corn is, in fact, developing ears, and the tallest stalks are to my shoulders. This is less of an accomplishment than it sounds when you know how tall I am. There were just enough foggy days in August that I was doubting the corn’s ability to get it together, and was quite impressed when ears appeared. We shall see if they actually develop, or if they give up the ghost before they get there.
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➞ this ain't livin': In the Garden: Consider This Home Improved
The gophers have won. Next year, I will be doing all wine barrel planters in the veggie garden. For this year, I added just a few to get a second crop of vegetables in before the end of the summer. Incidentally, it is possible to fit two half wine barrels into a Volkswagen Beetle, if anyone was curious.
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Sorry I have been so terrible at updating this thing! I just spent about two hours weeding, preparing beds, and planting. My front bed is about to be off the hook. No fooling. And now I am running to pick up some planters because the gophers have won, and I want some damn produce. So. Raised beds. So to speak.
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➞ this ain't livin': In the Garden: Knee High By the Fourth of July
After all the mesclun mix bolted, I was left with a bed and needed something to do, and I thought ‘why not grow corn?’ But then I thought ‘it is too late to get corn going’ and dismissed the idea, until I was picking up herbs and noticed a flat of corn seedlings. So. Corn:
Hopefully it takes off and does well. Corn is a bit of a water hog, so I feel sort of guilty for growing it, but then again, this number of plants is unlikely to cause the well to explode.
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![[Image description: A large, roughly square hole in the ground, that will turn into a patio. Soon. I hope.]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lnd6bet7cy1qgdj32o1_400.jpg)
[Image description: A large, roughly square hole in the ground, that will turn into a patio. Soon. I hope.]
