First Day of Summer

June has been hot and dry. Did I mention dry? Even in the occasional storm, we don't seem to get enough rain. The grass is pretty brown, and the impatiens in the hosta bed have struggled, even with lots of watering.

So glad we planted hostas under Amos instead of impatiens this year!

A Change for Amos the Amur Maple

The year we planted Amos, we also planted red and white impatiens at his feet. They were beautiful and got quite tall but still nice and full. The second year, they nearly didn't make it. Last year, David dug up the bed and added fresh dirt. The impatiens started out with a bang, but then just kind of stopped. We finally got the hint. They don't really like it there after all. Since I don't especially enjoy watering every single day (sometimes twice a day if it is extra hot and dry), we decided this year that we'd go a different direction.So once again David got under the tree and broke up the stubborn spidery roots that have taken up residence under Amos. We planted the two varieties of hostas, added some peat moss.
It has the stamp of approval from our neighbor, and we're hoping that this will be the thing that grows here. If not, I'm planning to grow rocks next year.

Branching out a little...I've only ever planted red or white impatiens. But with the new cushions, I thought red might class. I took a little sample of the cushion fabric with me to the greenhouse and decided that this color ("Sunrise) was the best option. It's much pinker than I would normally choose but very pretty and fun to have something different.The coreopsis (tickweed) came back better than ever this year. Two of the blanket flowers did not fair so well, but the third looks great. I picked up the purple flowers (can't remember the name) at the farmers market to replace another variety of coreopsis that did not return for a repeat performance.
The hosta bed has enjoyed the cool rainy days we've been having and looks lush and healthy.
And the little seedlings are beginning to grow up! That's basil on the left and cilantro on the right.
A lantana for the table ("Miss Huff") and the pots are nearly complete.

Better Late Than Never!

Seems like all my outdoor activities are behind this year. I planted seeds late, then they were attacked by rain and wind. Most of them survived though and are finally becoming real actual plants.
We spent one Saturday mulching the backyard. 6 cubic yards is what it took to refresh the existing mulch. The tiny maple trees seem to LOVE the new mulch, as they are now growing by the hundreds all over. :(
The little snowball bush in the pot on the patio (awaiting a more permanent home) did really well this year and had the prettiest white blooms.

Let There Be Color!

I bought new cushions back in January or February while there was still snow on the ground. Looks a lot different today. They're so bright that I think I'll need fewer flowers this year! ;)

First Day of Spring

On the first day of spring 2011, the afternoon high was around 78 degrees. It was a beautiful sunny day. The pansies I planted last fall came back better than ever.

The hostas are making an appearance.
And the neighbor's forsythia is in full bloom. Gorgeous! Today I cleaned out the mint and blanket flower bed, and trimmed the old blooms from the hydrangea. I also added a layer of peat to the hosta bed. It was supposed to be mixed into the soil, but when I tried doing that, I pulled up a clump of hosta. I ended up just patting it down on the top.

Green is the New Red

Last year, I painted this bench red, but red clashed with the new cushions. Today I used some Laura Ashley Olive paint that the previous owners left here to paint it green. Free project! The old wood drank the paint, so it took three coats. But I love the way it turned out.
Here's one of the new cushions. I really wanted whole new chairs, but finally realized that was wasteful. They're about 7 years old, but still in good shape. The cushions were breaking down though so it was time to replace them. Later this spring, I'll repaint the chairs so that they look bright and new.

I'm really enjoying this spring-like weather! I know we'll go back to winter, but every day brings us closer to spring.