Last year was the first year of bloom for the sweet shrub.

Or Calycanthus floridus if you want to get fancy.

But this spring there were lots of buds.

Quite lovely in bloom.

And it’s really hardy here too.  Such a beauty to look forward to every year.

 

I planted a silverlace vine on the pergola about 4 years ago.

It did really well there.  Maybe too well.

On the next post is a Wisteria, and the silverlace was starting to take over that space too.

I spent some time last fall and this spring cutting a lot of the silverlace back.

And I was thinking, this is going to be a big job every year, keeping this plant under control.

But then this happened.

This spring, there was no growth.

In the mass of branches, I couldn’t find any sign of life.

I dug around at the very bottom of the trunk.

Maybe it was girdled by the rabbits?  I don’t know for sure.

But I did know I now didn’t have to feel bad about ripping it out.

So I got some help.

It was quite a job to cut it all out.  And to dig out the roots.

I planted some morning glory there, and now the wisteria will have lots of room to spread.

 

 

I bought some new bulbs last fall, crown imperials, or fritillaria imperialis.

They both bloomed quite nicely.

Something ate these tulips, something taller than a rabbit.

The Redbud is really beautiful this year.

This is my favourite new garden guest.

This guest is not welcome, nor is the skunk, the groundhogs, or the rabbits.

The lily beetles are back.

I received a box full of dahlia bulbs and canna bulbs.  So I planted some up to give them a head start.

Always lots on the go in the garden!

 

In one of the original beds we started here, I had planted a clump of grass, the very tall miscanthus giganteus.  Through the years, the clump grew very large, with the centre dying out, leaving only a ring of new growth.  I have very few pictures of it, as it is in a bed that’s just not that special.

Well, last year, I decided it was time to dig it out.  This is almost impossible with a shovel.

So I hired Carl to dig it out.

I was left with a gaping hole, and a mess.  And no plan.

Then my dad found this old plough, and fixed it up for me.  It needed a special place.

So Doug cleared out the hole.

Ready for filling.

A bucket or two of stone dust.

And the plough has a lovely place to sit and be appreciated.

I’ll need to tidy that end of that flower bed with some new plantings.  Maybe something interesting needs to sit with the plough?  I’m not sure.  At least, it looks much better than the big hole!

On May 4th, we had very high winds.  Gusts up to 100 km.

I don’t think we’ve ever had that kind of wind here in 20 years.

I watched one of our pine trees bend further than I’d seen before.

Minutes later, I heard creaking, and I went to the window in time to see it come down.

Also, a part of the pear tree came down.

The pine tree was about 50′ tall, and of course came down right in the middle of my magnolia tree.

I could see the blooms starting, underneath the green branches of the pine tree.

Sad.  The tree was full of buds, and I was so looking forward to all the blooms.

Cleanup with the chainsaw and a few helpers…

..in a couple hours, it’s all gone.

The magnolia lost it’s big centre branch, but thank goodness, most of it was spared.

Not much else was damaged.  The side branches of the pine supported the heavy trunk, so it didn’t crush anything.

Here you can see the pine tree standing tall.

The flower bed around it feels very different.  The whole area has lost it’s anchor point. At first, I was almost disoriented, but now I’m getting used to it.  The existing shrubs might get more sunlight now, and provide a better backdrop to the bed.

 

The winter of 2017-2018 seemed to go on forever.

I have long believed that April is the cruelest month.  I can make it through January and February, and then I know March is too early yet.

But come April I am really tired of the snow.

This was April 6th.

This was April 16th.

April 19…

April 25th…

Now, at last, it looks like this!

The agapanthus have been so beautiful this year.

I’m never sure whether they will make it though another winter, so they are always special.

They are blooming a long time too, and look so amazing beside the coneflower.

This little redbud tree was just three twigs that I wrapped in burlap last winter.

With all the rain this summer, it has grown a lot!

Those branches have at least two feet of new growth on them.

And it’s still growing!

It has been a challenge for the lawn mower to manoeuvre around.

Let’s just say there have been incidents.

I’ve trimmed away some of the lower branches, but I don’t want to lose any more bloom for next spring.

Just wondering how I will wrap this thing to protect it from the bunnies during the winter?

 

Summer is flying by, as usual.

The flower boxes are looking good so far.

I’m liking the purple balanced on either side of these.

I went for the fuchsia impatiens this year, rather than the red as I’ve done most years.

These are the boxes on the side of the house, mirrored with each other.

I think the first picture are the ones that get a bit more sun.

The red spike, centre back, has been crowded out.

These are at the front of the house, mostly shade.

This begonia I bought new this spring.

This begonia I overwintered, so it took a while to fill out.

The coleus is growing differently in each of them, and I think they are poorly balanced with the ivy at one end,

and the potato vine at the other.  But it’s a lovely shot of colour on the house.

And here is the brick planter box by the front step.

Only the second year for this box.  Here’s last year’s plants.

Not crazy about either one.  I’ll have to try something different again next year.