Jim and I just came in from taking a short stroll around the garden. The evening sun is setting and the 80+ degree day has cooled to 72 degrees, so it's perfect for meandering and quietly talking.
Jim has been working on the chicken house for weeks now and today he built nests for our little hens. He's going to cut a very small door on the outside, so we can open it, and gather eggs, not having to enter the chicken house at all. The chickens are growing fast and they should be giving us eggs in a few months.
From the chicken pen we strolled over to the bing cherry tree where we picked cherries, and then on to the few raspberries that are ripe. The apricots are doing well, too. Our friendly neighborhood squirrels are taking their share, but I think we'll have enough to make us happy.
My hollyhocks are about five feet tall and look like they'll have flowers in a week or so. I'm looking so forward to their colorful presence in the garden this summer.
The dahlia plants are just a little over a foot tall, so I expect to have large flowers by late summer on those.
There's one thing that I have a question about and that is "where are the hummingbirds?" We've only seen them four or five times this spring. We have four big fuchsias hanging around the porch, but no hummers in sight. Have you had many this year? Especially if you live in the Northwest. My friend who lives in East Tennessee says she hasn't seen many either.
Oh, and I forgot to mention that Jim received one of those hanging tomato planters (like you see on TV) for Father's Day. He has an Early Girl planted in it, so we're going to experiment and find out if it works. So far, it looks good.
6 comments:
I just planted my first hollyhock this spring, so I'm longing to see 5 ft tall versions. They're such lovely, old-fashioned plants.
Sounds like a stroll through the Garden of Eden! Nothing like fresh flowers, herbs and veggies from your own backyard.
I don't see hummers here but up at the lake house in northern Wisc - of all places huh? - I put the feeders out for them over Memorial Day since they were there buzzin' the porch waiting. I'm going up there again this wkend - imagine the feeders empty. You have no rabbits or bears or anything eating your garden? Lucky lady!
We had a lot of hummingbirds around here this Spring, but less now. One poor hummingbird died in our garage about three weeks ago. I tried to save it, but I was too late. I don't know why they came here because we don't have a lot planted yet.
Oh my! I yearn for some of your cool weather. My thermometer on our shady porch is registering 105 degrees. This heat wave is monstrous this early in the summer--or any time in the summer!
How has that hanging tomato planter worked for you? We recently bought one, but it broke right away. I don't know if the soil was too heavy or what...
Let me know if you have any tips!!
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