Selena, our Goddess of the Sea statue, was put in place last summer. So this summer we needed to do the bed around her. I wanted to try a more formal bed, so this will be a circle, edged in boxwoods, with colourful annuals inside.

There was another bed close by that first had to be cleared of all the plants and bulbs.

A rather large clematis was growing around the wagon wheel, so the plant and wheel had to be removed together, and plunked in a pot until later.

When the circle shape was laid out, and the other bed emptied, we were ready to till.

Then we used a string and stick, and marked out the real planting circle around Selena. The 24 small boxwoods were set in place, and they were planted in.

Around then, I decided that the curly willow tree was now going to be too lonely. The other three corners have bigger shrub beds. So I found a dogwood and a white weigela elsewhere in the garden. They were dug up and moved to keep the willow company.

A small bed was marked out for the shrubs, the soil was smoothed, and grass seed planted.

Inside the circle, I planted 48 dark purple cleome, so I’m hoping that becomes a beautiful mass of colour later this summer.

It all actually turned out really well, and quite lovely. And it was all done on the May long weekend, Friday, Saturday and Monday. I had the vision but Doug did most of the work. Good job Doug!

I’m always looking for new and interesting trees to add to the garden. I had read about the Japanese Stewartia, in Fine Gardening magazine. But the trees they write about are often hard to find. So when I did come across one in a local garden center, I purchased it.

Then they happened to talk about it on the Fine Gardening Plant Podcast. It has summer camelia like blooms, turns to a lovely red fall colour, and has an interesting peeling bark as it ages. Sounds good to me.

I was hoping to get some blooms this first summer, and indeed I found 4 tiny little buds developing.

I’m keeping it watered well, and checking for bugs or caterpillars, and so far, it seems pretty happy.

Finally I can clean the trays and cell packs. Got most of the plants in the ground now. Just a swish in a pail, and drying in the sun.

Drained the pool, cleaned it out, and got it filled with fresh water. Ready for the heat wave next week!

The hummingbird has returned, and has found his favourite perch, high above the garden.

Lots of shrubs blooming right now. Abelia at the front right, bridal wreath spirea behind, then the high bush cranberry, and on the far right is the beautybush.

The dogwood tree’s blooms are getting bigger. Full of blooms, for the first time ever.

Some edging work. Always looks so tidy.

The pergola clematis is starting to bloom.

And of course the lupins. I have never had such a lupin display, and I won’t count on it for next year! So I’m totally enjoying every day of their beauty.

A bit more news from the week. Wednesday night, trying to fall asleep, my left ankle was getting really stiff, swollen and sore. The next day, I tried to not aggravate it more, but by Thursday supper, I could barely walk on it. Near the ankle bone, it was itchy, red, very tender, almost purple. I couldn’t think of anything I had done to injure it so badly. By Friday morning, it was still a bit swollen, but less red, and I could flex the ankle again. I also got a possible answer – it could have been a bite from some bug. On Wednesday I had cleared away a big ant hill full of tiny red ants. So maybe it was one of them, I don’t know. I seem to be having bad itching and redness from a lot of bites this summer, so maybe it’s time for some repellant. (Which I don’t like wearing)

My rhododendron growing history has been pretty dismal. Oh sure, they last for a few years. These are from 2013.

The winter winds seem to dry them out and every year they just looked worse. Both of those have since been removed. At this point, I have three others, scrawny and rather ugly. They are well hidden by other plants, but each has managed to bloom.

Just one purple bloom here.

There’s new growth here and there, so I can only hope for some more blooms next year. But it’s nice to see some colour now, even just this bit.

After last year’s construction we have to clean up the area behind the new garage.

That bed with the blue flowers will get a new edge and we need to put grass in this whole patch. There will be some more tidying as we find new homes for stuff.

This is going to be made into a perennial bed. It needs soil and compost. There is a big white wall that calls for something interesting. I may re-use that old trellis, I don’t know yet. It is rather rickety.

I thought it was going to be very shady, but in the summer the high sun might reach it. I have saved some hostas for this spot, but I’m still thinking about what else will go here. A small statue? Japanese maple? I’ll have to see how I am yet inspired.

The other big summer project is a circular bed around Celena. (We name the figures around the garden – helps to clarify where you are working) The present bed around the willow needs to be cleared, the wheels removed, and then reseeded. I have never been happy with that flower bed. Only half of it was ever seen from the path, and it just seemed oddly placed.

Then we will mark and dig a circular bed around Celena and get it planted.

The White Star Magnolia must have had a good season last year, because it was full of buds, and really looked fantastic this spring.

It was a mass of blooms, and began the show about three to four weeks earlier than usual.

And a few days later..

The view from the upstairs bedroom. You can also see the Pink Star Magnolia, and the Saucer Magnolia if you look closely at the bottom of the white star tree.

I grew this tree from seed, about 22 years ago. I remember the year it first bloomed, it had 9 flowers on it.

The pink Star Magnolia also looked quite beautiful.

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We were able to enjoy the show for several days, but then some cold weather hit, and most of the blooms turned brown.

I was also excited to see the Saucer Magnolia this year. It was full of beautiful potential.

Unfortunately, shortly after this photo was taken, we had a few days and nights of cold, below freezing temperatures, and that spelled the end of these blooms. They have mostly turned brown and mushy and are not going to mature to blooms. When one waits for a year to see these flowers, it’s a little sad. But there’s always next year!

The fish have all died so it was actually a good time to clean out the pond. It had not been done for a long time, maybe 12 years or more. So there was a LOT of gross sludge to clean out.

Only so much could be pumped out, and then Doug scooped it out with a pail or by hand. At least 2 wheelbarrows full. Good stuff for a new garden bed though.

All the lilies were thrown on the tarp. I had divided them a few years back, but they were really overgrown and big again.

I cut off big chunks, and saved only five good pots. I had some fertilizer tabs so I pushed them into the soil too. The rest of the lilies went into the compost.

Doug washed and scrubbed the liner.

And then he proceeded to wash every stone, every single stone, scrubbing each one by hand. And placing them back on the ledge, one by one.

Then cleaning the tarp.

Placing the lilies back, and refilling the pond.

Now I just need to find some hyacinth and water lettuce, and some new fish!

We have had an usually warm and mild streak here in early April. Colour has exploded in the garden, and looking at pictures from previous years, blooms are two to four weeks early.

The forsythias are just coming into their peak.

The bloodroot is out. Several new patches that I transplanted last year have made it through, and are coming up.

This dainty pink corydalis is such a treat. Last year, it was quickly munched by critters so I didn’t even get to see it.

Hopefully if it gets a chance to go to seed, it will spread.

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White and blue, great drifts of colour.

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Such a perfect, beautiful blue.

And of course daffodils. There are hundreds of blooms every spring, and every single one is a welcome, wonderful sight after a long, cold, grey winter.

Some lovely spring weather this March. The snow disappeared quickly, and I could have my first walk about the garden.

The snow drops are out and really spreading. I don’t remember so many clumps before. Crocuses are blooming and spreading across the lawn.

And that’s where the fun ends.

I can’t even post pictures. The rabbits stripped two magnolias, the fragrant viburnum, the burning bushes, and the flowering dogwoods. Many other shrubs have been nibbled and chewed back. Even evergreens have been damaged. I was thinking some of the shrubs were getting big enough to handle some rabbit feasting, but this was too much. They went for shrubs that have never been damaged in 20 years!

Very discouraging to think about those shrubs and trees starting all over again.

I don’t think the ground really froze hard under all the snow we had, so the voles/moles had a great time burrowing in the lawns and flower beds, digging up perennial roots, and generally leaving trails of destruction.

It gets worse.

The pond heater failed. The pond froze nearly solid. All of my beautiful goldfish are dead. Some of them were in there for a dozen years or more. So sad.

And to top it off, these appeared at the back of our property this week.

Picturesque maybe. But these shrub nibbling, hosta chewing, tulip munching creatures are not welcome guests in the garden. I’m watching every dusk to scare them off.

So, I guess things can only get better now, right?

We have a deck on the north side of our house. Most of it is covered, but the part that is not was in bad shape and had already been replaced a few years ago. It was time again to repaint the wood that is under the roof.

So it was decided in 2019 to just redo the whole deck. First step: clear off the deck and then remove railing and posts.

Then all the boards need to come off.

New supports had to be put in between all the old joists.

Then finally the new decking material was laid on.

We replaced the wood railing with clear plexiglass railings.

It is a composite, not wood. Low maintenance. Turned out really nice!

This deck is a shady shelter from the summer sun, and we enjoy eating out here too.