grateful for the gifts of nature
What can you say about a rose? I’ll let one of the greats speak to it.
“And the quiet, singing voice of the rose. The song that promised all might be well, all might be well, that all manner of things might be well.”
Stephen King Wolves of the Calla
This is my favorite shrub in the yard. Abelia is very low maintenance. I prune it once per year in early spring. A member of the honeysuckle family, it has the most delightful sweet smell that lingers in the air of the early evenings. This pink variety is over 8 ft. tall. Abelia blooms here from May til first frost and is a magnet for bees of all types. This one is so tall you can walk up and stand with your face in the midst of all the tiny pink flowers. Lovely.
This “Earth Machine” compost container, made by Norseman Plastics, is really more than a “bin”.
I bought this a few weeks ago at my county’s Recycling Center sale. When I picked it up, there were Master Gardeners there to teach me about the basics and answer questions. I also got a free small kitchen bucket, with a tight seal, for holding the food scraps until I’m ready to take them out.
You can’t put meat, oil, fat, or bones in, but all other kitchen food waste is great. You mix 1/3 food scraps (greens) to 2/3 dead leaves (browns) and keep it slightly damp. I hope to make a fantastic soil amendment for my garden. With our plastic and paper recycling and now the composting, we have cut our trash output by 80%!
Hostas I planted late last summer have returned gloriously. They have made the shady bed under the Crabapple tree bright with green, white, & yellow. I also planted Dianthus aka “Pinks” here last year. These “Pinks” are now brimming with blooms of many different lovely colors.
Deer love to eat Hostas, so I am thankful these three beauties have been spared this year.
I’m late posting these Azalea pics. The lovely hot pink & white blooms faded a couple weeks ago. I am always amazed by the showy profusion of blooms produced on such an otherwise simple looking plant.
