Thursday morning was a gloomy day. I had hoped for a rest day. But my husband’s cousins were coming, so I was up early and buzzing around cleaning up some of the mess accumulated after 3 days out in the gardens.
I had been meaning to get a photo of the rhododendron at the barn and kept forgetting the camera. This bush is nearly 30 years old.
We were given 2 of them as wedding presents but this little one has struggled to hang on always. Another instance of micro climate, as it is the west one by 12’.
I managed to get the kitchen cleaned up, and the bathroom, and myself, and had started working on the seedlings. I’d finished the ones in the office when they arrived at 11:15AM.
They had brought 2 friends, the younger one very interested in what I was doing out here. So we did an extensive garden tour and mini workshop on growing things.
The first stop was the New Herb garden. There I talked about keeping the soil covered at all times. That green cover crops are best, but brown ones are better than nothing. And why green are better than brown.
Then we went over to the Big garden and I explained how I do the hay mulching. It was while we were here that it dawned on me that I could have moved this quince out of the Big garden and over to the Little Trees II row last year when I was laying them out. Oh, well…
We went over to look at the Little Trees II to see how they were doing. The peach at the far end has buds, but they are a long way from opening. Just maybe I’ll have some peaches…
New East – daffodils, lungwort, catnip
Then we wandered around the house looking at flowerbeds.
When we got close to the East Shed garden, a robin flew out of the nest in the 7 Sisters rose.
I didn’t want to get a ladder out to see if there was an egg yet. So the cousin held up his phone to try for a photo.
And he got this one!
We made it back to the front of the house where I explained micro climates using the 2 flowering almonds for examples. They left after checking out all the seedlings inside.
East lilacs – just budding
I had a small rest period and then my brother got home. We made supper and we’d just finished when my old carpenter called. He wanted to measure up the shower in the bathroom that he had installed as he had a client who wanted a shower instead of tub.
He had brought his wife who is an avid gardener and so we did another garden tour.
Crabapple – tiny buds
I’d done far too much standing and once my evening stuff was done I went to bed exhausted.
I’d loved talking gardens with everyone but the standing kills me.
On Friday I did go to exercise class, made it through the whole thing and came home with a new book to read and a new plant (like I need more house plants!). I have no idea where I will put it as space is very short these days. I think I have identified it as Tradescantia blossfieldiana, a type of wandering jew. That gives me 4 different types.
When I got home I sat in my chair to read my book. I had hoped to finish the seedlings and maybe clean the kitchen. But within ½ hour I was falling asleep so I went to bed and slept for 3 hours.
So Friday was shot. My brother came home and we made the garlic rosemary chicken again with big salads. Because 1. I had a good book, and 2. I’d slept half the day, I didn’t get to bed until late.
On Saturdays my friend is picking me up at 8AM to go to an estate sale a good distance from me. I hope it’s a good one for all the traveling we’ll do. It’s to be a rainy day, so I don’t know if we will see any tag sales on the way.
When I get home I have to start the beef stock, the last batch until November when it’s cold enough at night to cool it down. And the seedlings need attention and the kitchen is a disaster…