Pictures of the Garden
Memorial Day 2021
2021/05/31
The garden is burgeoning with flowers galore—but it isn’t just in the garden… a morning glory seed got sprouted in my avocado’s pot, so I have a lovely morning glory that’s already flowering long before the outdoor morning glories have even sprouted!
-M.
dandelion and golden currant
dandelion
budding grape vines
paper white columbine
purple columbines (with a paper white in the background)
pink morning glory blossoms in the avocado pot
twilight purple morning glory blooming in an avocado pot
Spring 2021!
2021/04/10
It’s April, and the garden is coming to life! I’ve mostly just been watching the perennials wake, though I did start some tomatoes inside.
It is this golden currant that prompted me to take pictures. The leaves are so lush, and there are so many blossoms! Last year, there were blossoms—but only on one stalk. This year, the entire bush is thick with ‘em!
-M.
golden currant with blossoms.
tulips obscured by dormant russian sage.
close-up of tulips.
sprouting columbines.
baby garlic.
Tomatoes Before the Frost
2020/10/20
It’s getting late in the year, and the frosts are beginning, so I trimmed the tomatoes of their last fruits. These are mostly San Marzano and Speckled Roman—but also Coure di Bue, White Tomasol, Green Zebra, and Gold Medal.
We’ll see how many of them ripen (which may take as long as a month!).
-M.
loose tomatoes
tomatoes in a basket
Morning, Glory
2020/10/17
This beautiful morning glory grew among my tomatoes. I watered the tomatoes daily all summer long, so this monster got plenty of love!
-M.
The Black House on the Corner
2020/04/20
The neighbors were taking down a tree. I asked them for their mulch.
Most tree trimmers don’t want their mulch. They’re business is trimming trees. Mulch is just something they have to remove. Often, the mulch is given to materials companies—but they’ll just as gladly give it to you—especially if you’re closer.
I wanted the mulch because the front and side partitions were nothing but weeds and dirt. One of the previous residents put down plastic and rocks in the front partitions—which slowly evolved into a weed patches of mostly sticky grass. I pulled up the plastic, left the rocks, and dropped about an inch of mulch on top. I left a thicker carpet on the side partition and cottonwood corner.
As I toiled, I thought the internet might care to see—so I took some pictures with my shitty camera. Unfortunately, I didn’t think to share my efforts with the world until after I’d cleared most of the mulch away.
A short overview:
I inherited this garden two years ago—though I did nothing with it for a full year. Last year, I threw down a thick layer of unscreened mulch and had good results, so I figured more mulch can only help! I inherited several plants that were looking rather scraggly and weak. Last year, the plants thrived, I managed to establish a few new colonies, and I gained several volunteers. Indeed, the grapevines liked the mulch so much, they gave me grapes!
The pictures are a bit washed out. I took them late in the day with crap lighting and a mediocre camera—but I feel they’re worth a gander.
-M.
the side partition (mulched over.)
smooth ground under the plastic. lots of roots and worm trails.
the front partition in a state of disarray, and the battle wagon.
the garden is beginning to show signs of life. the gooseberry in the fish pond is flowering, which I’ve never seen before.
volunteer tulip hiding among the russian sage.
lavender, garlic, and lamb’s ear
the remainders of the mulch pile (reserved for the front partitions)
parts of the front partitions—a cottonwood, a street lamp, and a maple. the plastic had to come up before the mulch could go down. the plastic was a bit of a back-breaker.
a close-up of spindly roots weaving among worm trails
old mulch next to the new mulch. the new mulch will fade and gray by the end of the year.
poppy mallow emerging.
lamb’s ear
dormant grapevines, with russian sage, lavender, and lamb’s ear