Oh deer

I was afraid this weekend that a fawn had taken up residence in our yard, after it stayed there overnight. Would it be "our" deer now? Were we to adopt it? Luckily, I needed not answer that question because it finally left in the morning.

Evening

Evening

Evening

Morning (deer in center of picture)

The most wonderful thing has happened in the front: a mystery snapdragon has appeared. The only time I have ever planted a snapdragon (and it was possibly only one) was in 2015! See https://aylwardgarden.blogspot.com/2015/05/spring-planting-front-yard.html

Could that four-years-ago snapdragon be the ancestor of today's snapdragon? Is it silly to get excited about one tiny, possibly immaculately conceived plant? I don't care, I'm thrilled! Wouldn't it be cool if it self-sowed and there were more next year? In the photo below, it is the pinkish-red blossoms at the bottom.

Several weeks ago, I was alarmed about things dying in the garden, but things have turned around. I even think some of my long-ago-sown pepper seeds might be coming up in front of the peony. I wonder if it was just simply too wet through mid-June. It's been a lot drier over the past 1-2 weeks.

Clockwise from crepe myrtle below: sage, rosemary, basil, cilantro.

Below: another couple blooms on my California Poppy 'Alba'! It's described as an annual but a self-sower....let's hope so! Also the self-sown purple Larkspur (being crowded out by the Shasta daisies).

Below, the sweet pea is climbing cooperatively up my netting on the lamp post.

Discoveries of various sorts

We were gone for several days last week and when we returned, it was to find that something had been eating my parsley. I'm guessing a rabbit, since I don't think the deer would be over by the steps, and I don't think parsley would be their first choice anyway. But I guess it could be any number of accursed animals. Much of the sage and thyme is also gone, but that may be because they were dry for a couple days. Unlike the parsley, there are no telltale half-eaten stems.

Check out the smaller allium in the back (the big one is almost done blooming). Could these be belatedly about to bloom after all?! I am so confused.

I could not be more delighted that the foxglove planted just a few weeks ago has started to bloom! This is the only of the three plants with blooms, but the other two look healthy anyway.

I found this little oak seedling growing in the back plot, so I stuck it in a pot and will see what happens. [Update: ONE DAY LATER those *%#ing squirrels uprooted and destroyed it. GRRRRRRRR]

This past weekend we visited the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, which is lovely and offered some ideas for things to plant in my own garden.

Roses have always scared me away (bugs! disease!) but isn't this dreamy, growing along a chain (visible on the right).

This is the same climing rose as the photo above.

This purple poppy wasn't blooming yet, which was part of what made it interesting - it could bloom a little later than your standard poppy.

Garden happenings

Cute chipmunks. I don't see them as a problem at all - they do make a few holes in the lawn but they don't dig up the garden (or yard) the way those wretched squirrels do.

This a photo of a chipmunk (bottom left) but note the allium on the right, not yet opened on May 17, in contrast to the photo below from today.

The begonias are filling out nicely and have not been attacked by deer. Yet.

Now to the front - the basil has caught its breath after swooning when first planted, and now it's looking robust. Portulaca behind it starting to bloom.

Brachyscome

Barry from Birch Hill Landscaping informed me that the one plant that didn't return last year was an anenome and he'd replace it. That was 15 days ago. Still waiting. Thanks a bunch Barry.

Fine-looking property, isn't it!

Hens and chicks seem to be doing great, and expanding.

I think this is a Siberian iris. It looks great.

Left to right: lavender, artemesia, brachyscome

Peony on the verge of blooming

Only one of the poppies (foreground) has a bud on it. I'm hoping the others might bloom next year. They do have some yellow leaves toward their base so I guess I should look into it. The baptisia, in the background, looks great.

The rhododendrons are in full bloom and gorgeous.

Rosemary and oregano, leftish, are doing fine. Begonia to right.

The sage (left) and parsley (right) seedlings are still wee, but making progress.

Verbena

Sowing the seeds of love

Yesterday was an uncharacteristically lovely February day, in the low sixties. I trimmed the bushes in the front and did some cleanup of dead greenery on perennials, and Emma and I cleaned up a great many sticks that had fallen in some high winds and heavy rain and snow over the past few weeks. And then we started our mini-greenhouses. We only had six yogurt containers on hand so that is how many we started. It might be a little early for this sort of shenanigans anyway, but since seeds are cheap, we've nothing to lose!

The photo shows them today, after their water has condensed.

We planted parsley (still have some of those seeds remaining - there were a lot!), sage, portulaca, poppy, mini bell peppers, and strawflower.