“What is one to say about June, the time of perfect young summer, the fulfillment of the promise of the earlier months, and with as yet no sign to remind one that its fresh young beauty will ever fade.”
– Gertrude Jekyll
6/12/17:
Our landlady has once again hired a landscaping service. Hopefully the communication between her, these guys who will be maintaining the hedges, and myself will go more smoothly than on past occasions. They showed up last Tuesday and trimmed the waxleaf privet, bottlebrush and boxwood. It turned out a bit sloppy in places but at least nothing was butchered, and they left my container garden and rosebushes alone.
A former landscaping crew had cut off all the leaves from two of the bushes that make up the privet hedges years ago, which killed a 5-foot section of it. The dead trunks were uprooted last week by request of the landlady. She wants me to plant something in that space. I suggested starting with a few containers of roses or lilacs, which could be transferred into the ground there if they do well in that amount of sun and shade. She seemed happy with my plan, so I will get to visit local nurseries to pick out 4 or so nice big plants this summer.
The fragrant privet hedge blooms are almost done for the year, but as far as the rest of my yard, there's something freshly in bloom every day! The escallonia, honeysuckle, butterfly bush, orange lilies and dark pink cabbage roses have all started opening. Many of these are strongly scented; the mix of flowering bushes in the front of the house exudes a sweet perfume that I especially notice when we hang out on the lawn. Pollinators are appreciating these as well. On Saturday, a swallowtail butterfly was kind enough to stop fluttering for a moment so I could capture a shot.
A former landscaping crew had cut off all the leaves from two of the bushes that make up the privet hedges years ago, which killed a 5-foot section of it. The dead trunks were uprooted last week by request of the landlady. She wants me to plant something in that space. I suggested starting with a few containers of roses or lilacs, which could be transferred into the ground there if they do well in that amount of sun and shade. She seemed happy with my plan, so I will get to visit local nurseries to pick out 4 or so nice big plants this summer.
The fragrant privet hedge blooms are almost done for the year, but as far as the rest of my yard, there's something freshly in bloom every day! The escallonia, honeysuckle, butterfly bush, orange lilies and dark pink cabbage roses have all started opening. Many of these are strongly scented; the mix of flowering bushes in the front of the house exudes a sweet perfume that I especially notice when we hang out on the lawn. Pollinators are appreciating these as well. On Saturday, a swallowtail butterfly was kind enough to stop fluttering for a moment so I could capture a shot.
Clicking on the small images below will bring up a larger version.
Privet hedge and swallowtail.
Butterfly bush.
Tomato progress.
The tomato plants are growing well (comparison image from a month ago), with flowers starting to show up. Soon I'll put wire cages on the two largest ones. However, the peppers I bought have been eaten by pests, except for one cayenne plant. I do have a few started from seed on the kitchen windowsill, but am reluctant to move any outside until I figure out how to protect them. The cardboard collars haven't worked. Perhaps with the lack of rain lately, my spray repellents will last longer on the leaves, although something other than the coffee/garlic preparation might be more effective.
I've planted the guava and plumeria seeds brought back from Hawaii. The snap peas have still not sprouted, so I'll buy a different packet of seeds to try again with those. I'd also like to re-seed radishes, cilantro and lettuces before too long. The "spring mix" mesclun lettuces in my vegetable patch sprout quickly and grow tall within a few weeks. I have to remember to pick leaves often so that the planter box doesn't get overgrown and crowded.
The begonias from GrowIt! are all surviving. One has a pink bud forming, and 3 others are slowly growing more leaves. I haven't moved two of them from the starter pots yet, needing to free up space in larger containers, but will add this to my list of pleasant garden tasks for June.
I've planted the guava and plumeria seeds brought back from Hawaii. The snap peas have still not sprouted, so I'll buy a different packet of seeds to try again with those. I'd also like to re-seed radishes, cilantro and lettuces before too long. The "spring mix" mesclun lettuces in my vegetable patch sprout quickly and grow tall within a few weeks. I have to remember to pick leaves often so that the planter box doesn't get overgrown and crowded.
The begonias from GrowIt! are all surviving. One has a pink bud forming, and 3 others are slowly growing more leaves. I haven't moved two of them from the starter pots yet, needing to free up space in larger containers, but will add this to my list of pleasant garden tasks for June.