White Petals

Yard work continues, anti-inflammatories are taken.  We had some lovely rain last night and the flower bed that I weeded and rid of Rudbekia looks very nice with its dark, wet soil. I dug out an insipid shrub (don't even know that it actually was) that always grew spindly and boring. I told myself I would go to the garden centre and find something beautiful and plant it there, instead. So I bought a hydrangea that will be luscious and lovely with white blooms that turn pink.

I find that I can be much more ruthless with my gardening now. I used to save things that I dug out. I would create rows of perennials in my vegetable garden that I called "nursery beds" where little slips grew, divided irises flourished, and small clusters of daylilies became larger clusters. I realize I am NOT going to create new flower beds (I can barely keep ahead of the ones I have now), and most people do not want extra plants (I work with mostly younger people now and they are consumed with childcare, not gardening). So now, they get tossed into the cart to be dumped on the "half acre" of scrub land that borders us. Yesterday I tipped out Rudbedkia and creeping phlox without a backward glance.

Years ago when I was still foolish enough to have yard sales, one of my best selling items was irises which I had dug out and divided and stuck into plastic shopping bags. Now I don't bother with having yard sales (the money I make is not even close to the hassle it is to drag items out of the house, price them, then put them back when nobody buys them at the end of the day), nor do I bag up irises. The only plants I have given away recently were strawberry plants to a coworker who was expressing the desire to have more strawberry plants, and I, of course, have more than I need, so I potted up 8 or 9 and happily gave them to her.

This is the Victoria Day long weekend here in Canada. It is traditionally the weekend to either go to garden centres, or go camping. People often book months in advance for camping sites. It almost always rains at some point over the long weekend and this one is no exception. Tomorrow (Monday) is a holiday, so people don't have to rush to get home on Sunday night so they can get to work the next day. We are most definitely not campers. I am happy to garden and husband spent a lot of time yesterday doing pool chores to get it ready for the season.

These are some pictures I took a couple of days ago. White petals are prominent right now.

These are promises of strawberries to come!

My love/hate relationship with our ancient old apple tree continues. It is covered with white blossoms and is beautiful right now. I saw an oriole feeding in it yesterday which fills me with joy because I love orioles so much. However, these blossoms will become little green apples that are no good for eating and no good for baking and end up falling on the ground for weeks and weeks. Guess who cleans them up?

Currently, I do love it. In the wind and the rain of last night and this morning, petals have fluttered down, which still look pretty on the ground.

Lastly, no white petals here, but much promise of rhubarb custard pie and strawberry / rhubarb crisp. My rhubarb is lush and full this year. I still have many frozen bags of rhubarb, so some stalks may be taken to work, in case co-workers want to do some baking.


Have a great weekend, everyone!