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Hydrangeas in Containers

June 13th, 2018

Around here, the deer mow down the hydrangeas to nubs every winter. Which means they have to come up from the roots and often don’t bloom. If they do, they only have one or two blossoms. Last fall, I dug up two of my ‘Endless Summer’ hydrangeas to see how well they would do in containers. After overwintering them in the basement, I moved them out and BAM – they’re blooming already.

Since this worked so well, I have four or five other hydrangeas that I plan on digging up and keeping in containers. I’ll most likely place them on pavers in the perennial borders during the summer and fall.

They’re a little leggy and I’ve been considering planting something underneath them to fill out the container, but they’re most likely that way from being weak last year before I transplanted them. I’m thinking that this fall I’ll cut them back hard and let them grow up from the roots next year. They’ll be shorter, but should have larger blooms. This is all a grand experiment and I already am enjoying more blooms on them than I have seen in the past 5 years.

What measures have you taken in the past to ensure blooms from favorite plants?

Cheep, Cheep, Cheep

June 12th, 2018

Ever since we moved here, we have a pair of phoebes that build a nest or two each summer in the alcove above the door to the garage. They keep building up on the previous nest, when that one got too close to the roof, they started a new one. The other day I heard the little birdies in the nest chirping when I walked by.

Phoebes are great birds to have around, I see them swooping around to catch flies and mosquitoes all the time. Yesterday, while I was working in the office, I could see one catching cabbage butterflies in the potager!

I’m happy these lovely birds come back year after year. Any bird that eats mosquitoes and garden pests is always encouraged. We didn’t have phoebes in Ohio, so they were a new bird for us when we moved here. They’re much like the wrens that we loved in Ohio as far as pest control.

What birds are you enjoying watching at the moment?

Quote of the Day: Annejet van der Zijl

June 8th, 2018

“Perhaps this was Allene’s greatest achievement, above her wealth, her titles, her many houses, and her impressive guest book: that despite everything she’d experienced and endured, she always clung to her ability to enjoy life and be grateful for it.”

Annejet van der Zijl in An American Princess

In the summer, I don’t get much reading in, but I try to get my free Kindle First Book (you get to choose a free kindle book each month from a selection if you have an Amazon Prime membership“>) every month and get through it. I chose this book a few months ago and have enjoyed it. Since I don’t have large chunks of time to read in the summer, I need books that don’t require too much time at each sitting.

I’ve always been a tactile person, so I thought a Kindle wouldn’t be my thing. Then Mr Chiots got me one for Christmas three years ago and I LOVE IT!!! It’s so convenient to have lots of book on hand (I have 150 books on mine currently). I got one for my mom when she was sick and had a hard time holding heavier books and she really enjoyed it as well. She was able to read a lot of book in her last months of life because of the Kindle.

What books are you reading right now? Any great books to recommend?

Strawberry Bed Refresh

June 7th, 2018

Our strawberry patch is 6 years old now and in need of a refresh. With the redesign of the main garden, they need to be moved to make way for a walkway. Instead of digging up the plants we have to transplant, I decided to purchase new plants.

Since ‘Sparkle’ are our favorite berries, I ordered 50 crowns from Nourse Farms. They are my go-to source for asparagus, strawberries, blueberries, and other soft fruits.

Since the area of the garden where I want to put all the soft fruit is new and the soil hasn’t been amended, we decided to try some of the strawberries in raised beds. I got this cedar from the local mill, I was able to trade eggs for it. These new plants won’t produce berries this year, but we still have the old patch for that. We’re looking forward to lots of berries in years to come.

What’s your favorite soft fruit?

Look at THIS!!!

June 6th, 2018

The ‘Pizza my Heart’ pepper from Renee’s Garden that I grew in a pot last summer and overwintered in the house is producing peppers like mad. I’ve been harvesting a few peppers each month, yesterday I harvested a big handful to put on pizzas.

I’m going to pop this plant out of the pot, prune it a bit, then plant it in the garden. No doubt, it will respond with delicious peppers in 6-8 weeks. This fall I may dig up a few other peppers and overwinter them in the basement to see how this works on a slightly larger scale. Peppers are a staple in our household, if I can harvest fresh ones for 6-8 months of the year I’ll be one happy cook!

What are you harvesting from the garden today?

About

This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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