May has not been kind to Artgarden. Cool temperatures, constant rainfall, and the absence of the chief gardener and her boss (rumoured to be having a glorious time in the sunny Mediterranean) have all taken their toll. While the men of the house did a fabulous job looking after everything - it would appear that the garden itself has become quite overgrown. Vegetation is everywhere, all over the place, taking over, and in danger of overwhelming anything in its path. Indeed, the woodland garden feels very crowded and disorderly - spoiling the usually peaceful relaxing atmosphere.
Things do not get any better indoors. Rows of veggies are lined up on window sills like soldiers - growing leggy as we wait impatiently for warmer temperatures so they can be planted outdoors.
Things have become even more desperate in the kitchen where entire windows have been obscured by ripening tomatoes and butternut squash!
In an attempt to "manage" my kitchen jungle with less than hospitable outdoor temperatures - we have had to resort to some unusual measures - including the ghastly (though effective) kosy coats pictured below. The red colour is supposed to aid in the growth and ripening of tomatoes and other heat-loving plants. We also invested in "tomato craters" which are bright red, and operate on a similar principle. While, plastic gimmicks such as these do little for the aesthetics of the garden - we are running out of time (and space!) indoors - and I'm willing to try almost anything until we can afford a proper greenhouse.
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| UGH! |
Our raised bed however, is a huge succcess - filled with five varieties of radish, carrots, spring onions, etc. The marigolds are supposed to be good companion plantings. The raised bed is my answer to easy cultivation for anyone with bad knees and hips - which includes me and my Mum.
To say that we have had our share of rain, is something of an understatement. Unfortunately, this soggy situation has contributed to the death (and subsequent removal) of a mature yew, as well as the dreadful demise of this fully-grown pieris (pictured below). All the plants in this border are suffering - and sadly, there is not too much we can do about it (circumstances beyond our control due to new development in the building lot next to ours which has substantially altered the grade of the land). I am having to completely re-think our options in this shady bog land that is now taking over this part of the garden. Ah, the never-ending challenges of gardening in Canada!
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| One minute this pieris was in bloom - now this. |
There are some bright spots too - including this beautiful rhododendron in bloom...
pretty little blue flowers add their delicate presence - myosotis are everywhere.
This ocean of hypericum is not what I had in mind for the woodland garden! Lots of digging to do here, as we replace it with something that fits in a little better...still trying to decide what that will be.
This view of the woodland border surrounding the pond is showing promise, as the plantings slowly recover from the construction that took place last year. Thanks to Jesse James for his EOMV debut!
This view of the woodland border surrounding the pond is showing promise, as the plantings slowly recover from the construction that took place last year. Thanks to Jesse James for his EOMV debut!