Other garden news ...

I was much inspired when visiting a garden in Rumney (next town north of here) this summer. Absolutely stunning. It really got my juices flowing, so I've been out removing turf from areas that will become new flower beds next year. Need I mention that 2 days ago I sprained some muscle in my lumbar region while digging a new bed? And it wasn't even from the act of shoveling. Yes, I had been shoveling quite heartily, but then got down on my knees to have a tug at some stubborn bit of turf when it happened. That sudden, sinking feeling that a muscle somewhere wasn't supported quite well enough. Ugh. I know from experience that these achy things take a lot longer than one would think reasonable to heal over! I'm still able to dig, so that's good. The movements that are not so graceful as a result of this physical altercation with reality are dressing and undressing the lower regions and getting into and out of furniture: chairs and beds especially. This one wasn't a bad stretch. It's only been 2 days and already quite a bit better.

Over the summer I have removed turf from the edge of the deck in front of the house and, for now, put some annuals in: Impatiens. It will eventually become a perennial bed. Already, I have planted a Delphinium (purchased on a whim at a hardware store!), a cranesbill, and a couple of foliage plants whose names elude me at the moment, and it's too dark to go out and check. I want to get at least 2 more Delphinium's to keep the one company. (I also put lattice on the bottom part of the deck this summer. Just today, I purchased a paint sprayer and hope to have it painted by end of week. Wish me luck.)

The long-term plans are to have the front lawn surrounded by perennial beds, a woodland area down back, and a large, round garden up behind the house. Sounds daunting at the moment. A bit at a time, one step in the front of the other, and it will get done.

The summer has been good for flowers and berries. Not so good for the vegetable garden. A neighborhood cat decided that one of my raised beds was a giant kitty litter box and scratched up all my carrot seedlings. I harvested 3 carrots last week and that is the end of it! Since the incident, I bought and applied some cat deterrent spray. I had many, many strawberries, and the raspberry bush has been exceedingly bountiful. My tomatoes have fruit, but I'm not sure we're going to be warm enough to ripen them before it's too late. Time will tell.

Some miscellaneous pictures of some flowers about the place this summer: