The color of the forest garden in August is Yellow and purple. The pollinator garden is in all its glory right now.
It is time to harvest some mint.
The jewel weed is attracting a lot of hummingbirds right now.
I am going to try grinding some of the curly dock into flour this fall.
I ate our first apple off of the trees today. They still need a little ripening.
HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW?
Aside from the burning and the fence building and the lawn mowing I am trying to get too, we have three projects which are time sensitive at the Vicarage and at least one of them is going to have to be a group project.
This is a rendering our new chicken run for the flock once the black austrolorps are ready to be out in the world. It stand about 7 feet tall so it is going to take a couple of us to get the roof up.
I am also thinking of repurposing the original chicken house we had for the old chickens the first year and then adding another small box to the mix.
BUT before that I have to plant the carrots in their boxes and get the potato towers built.
DO YOU HAVE A SPRING PROJECT YOU ARE WORKING ON?
It’s mid February. I am just getting ready to make cookies for the Library Valentine’s cookie sale. Winter is still releasing its fury over our part of the world, but we are all mindful that its power is coming to an end. Spring is around the corner.
So it’s time to start planning the Spring garden work.
I usually make great plans, but I am not very good about intentionally carrying them out. This year it will be all about the execution. Things are going to begin to shift here at The Vicarage as we come into the Spring.
ARE YOU IN PLANNING FOR THE SPRING AND SUMMER…OR…MAYBE WHERE YOU ARE YOUR PLANNING FOR THE FALL OR WINTER?
If we were to walk around the Vicarage today you would see that the forest garden is coming into full bloom.
The lilies above are the first of the season and they are coming into bloom at the same time as the Lady’s mantle in the picture below.
I keep a good supply of clover growing throughout the garden. It helps keep the rabbits from eating the lettuces.
The bishop’s weed is springing up everywhere.
While the main fragrance is the Japan’s. This flowers may not be much to look at but they pack a powerful fragrance punch.
Strewn along the garden paths is copious amounts of Maryjane and creeping Jenny interspersed with wild daisies.
The summer squash is starting to blossom.
And I have to start using more Thai basil before it goes to seed.
Finally the sinking garden is starting to fill out nicely. I hope you enjoyed our walk.
In spite of some unseasonably cool weather (at least for recent memory) gardens at the Vicarage are moving on in all their spring time glory.
The dandelions are going to seed and the Maple trees are releasing their seed pods which means the air around the Vicarage has taken on a decidedly sylvan quality.
It’s past Memorial Day. So while the nights are still cool, the danger of frost has mostly passed. I took last weekend to put most of my garden in the ground.
The lilacs are in full bloom. The air is filled with their scent
The garden has several stands of irises.
We have also had much rain and finding time to mow between the raindrops has been something of a challenge. Because of this, the forest garden is filled with creeping Mary Janes, false strawberry and wild asters.
It’s a beautiful time of year.
We are having a wee Nor’Easter today. In spite of it the garden is blooming beautifully.
The Korean lilac is just beginning to release its fragrance, but the main fragrance of the garden is still the lily of the valley.
Each part of the season is connected to its own fragrance. First is the apple blossom and then the lily of the valley, then the lilac, the black locust, and then the rose.
The blueberries and the strawberries are fully flowered
And everything is so green!
Notes From the Vicarage 