Sunday 21 May 2017

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!

27 comments:

  1. I grew ruthless about gardening, too. Plants' jobs are to look nice, not to own the world. My current flower garden is a jumble to the world, but a series of contained plots to my eye, and any plant that dares escape its borders is doomed.

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  2. Everything your way is so far ahead of us. My rhubarb is only about six inches high. No blossoms on the apple tree yet. Some of the tulips are full right now, others are still budding!

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  3. I still feel guilty at throwing plants away but sometimes you just have to be ruthless. That apple blossom is beautiful.

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  4. Jenn... your apple tree is positively magnificent! I'm with you on the yard sales. A lot of effort and not worth it. Enjoy your holiday tomorrow!

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  5. I've had strange blue flowers grown in my yard. They weren't there last year

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  6. I love your old apple tree - reminds me of my half hollow ancient pear tree, - the pears bitter and hard, but the horses love them. I hope my old tree lasts a long time to come, although seriously - half hollow.

    I haven't grown rhubarb yet, but I do love strawberry rhubarb jam and pie. I should grow so, huh?

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  7. Your rhubarb is ahead of mine. When will be your first pick? I usually make pies with the early stuff, jam with the second crop and chutneys with the later stalks.
    I am with you on yard sales and have decided to never again bother! My junk can go to Value Village or the dump.

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    1. I'm not sure when I will start picking. I usually make either pie or crisp with it, then I cut it up and freeze it. I have never made jam with it. My mother used to make stewed rhubarb and as a child I hated it!! I find it needs to be mixed with something else, I don't like it on its own (regardless of how much sugar get added).

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  8. Oh, you are so far ahead of us! (But then, who said it's a race?) Your old apple tree is gorgeous . . . this time of year anyway. Why can't a tree like that have yummy, juicy, crisp eating apples?? I'm having some of my quilting pals in tomorrow morning and I wanted to make a rhubarb cake to serve with coffee, but my rhubarb is not quite ready yet. No plain rhubarb in the freezer but a couple of bags of ready-to-go rhubarb pie filling. Maybe I should make a pie to serve that and pretend it's fresh? Nah, I'd only confess the truth. I think I'll make a gingerbread and serve with whipped cream.

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  9. Wish I lived closer...I would have taken your Rudbeckia...great for the cottage.
    My gardens out there are wild! Hahaha!
    Enjoy the holiday Monday...
    Cheers!
    Linda :o)

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    1. Oh, Linda, I would have gleefully given you Rudbekia. I still have tons to rip out of other flower beds. How do you feel about lily of the valley? That's another invasive plant that I never even put there. It was left over from when we bought the house and I'm still fighting it!

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    2. I have Lily of the Valley...spreading...but why does it spread into the lawn? πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚
      Happy Vctoria Day πŸ‡¨πŸ‡¦πŸ‡¨πŸ‡¦πŸ‡¨πŸ‡¦

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  10. I am like you. I don't keep many perennials when I thin. Sometimes I take them to work for the gardens there. It was cold and rainy here all weekend. That rhubarb looks great. Mine has a while yet. Love the old Apple tree. Too bad about the apples.

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    1. Yes, I think I would like the apple tree more if the apples were good. We also don't spray anything on it, so it gets lots of insect invasion, too.

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  11. Jenn your apple tree is beautiful (right now). I am becoming a ruthless gardener over the abundance & invasion of violets, lily of the valley & other stuff I know I didn't plant. Our church is having a bake,book & plant sale this weekend coming so for once I have dug & dug, potted up & taken to church (no backies!) I am hoping my rhubarb will be as lush as yours next year. Happy week ahead. ... Mary-Lou =^..^=

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    1. Oh, I'm with you on lily of the valley!! No matter how much I dig, more of it comes up.

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  12. I totally understand the ruthless gardening, especially with plants that grow like weeds. Your apple tree is so gorgeous but I get the messiness of it. It is one of those love/hate relationships. And your rhubarb plant is amazing! So big and healthy looking.

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  13. I used to do that, too. Try to save every little sprig. No longer. If someone wants a bit of something I grow, I invite them to come over with a pot and shovel and dig it themselves! I think that apple tree is just beautiful - but I can relate to the hundreds of little, fallen apples. Still....

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  14. We had an apple tree when I was a kid and boy, I hated that thing! I had to clean it up and the apples were never the eating kind! But they sure are pretty so I get your love-hate relationship!

    Sounds like the gardening is going so well. I know what you mean about yard sales and saving plants. I don't do that anymore either. If it can't transplant to a place I want it, out it goes unless someone else makes a request. Hard work but well worth it.

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    1. Both of our kids have had the job of picking up bucketfuls of apples and dumping them into the wheelbarrow or gorilla cart (that's the brand of the cart - no actual gorilla involved). A real bonding moment with mom!

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  15. Hi Jenn, I am a first-time visitor to your blog. I'm not sure where I wandered in from as I like searching for "new to me" blog sites. We had a strawberry patch when we lived in VA (now in NH) and weeding was always a problem. We also had fruit trees (peach and apple) and the flowers were lovely, but the dropping fruit was a nuisance as well and had to be picked up. We did eat some of the peaches, but not so much the apples. Our garden never included rhubarb as my husband doesn't like it (but I do). Please do come for a visit around our Frog & Penguinn blog anytime as we do enjoy visits and always appreciate comments. I plan to catch up on some of your earlier posts as well.

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    1. Hello and welcome!! We cannot grow peaches here due to our climate, but I can think of nothing I love better than a fresh, ripe peach in August! I will come over and visit your blog, too.

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  16. This year, I'm eating the weeds that I can eat. Love your tree. Sorry you're in pain.

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  17. The apple orchard is stunning!!!

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