Pulling out of some activities. Life is just too busy to enjoy. After retirement, I get back into community events. Here are a few pics of a few blooms in my gardens. Other than an updated patio, not much got done this year.

Glad the garden tour was reorganized and private properties deleted this year. I would have spent a lot of money trying to keep the garden in decent shape. This has been one of the worse years. Warm spell early, then a severe frost. Then a hot dry summer. Fruit and vegetables were terrible. Blooms struggling. I'm sure the bees and other pollinators are having a hard time.

Activities this spring: Redo the pond edging; build a swing; add a arbor; let the frog that was inside all winter experience life!!

Over $500 in new native plants in the last 30 days. And to think, my wife said I didn't have any more room!

Redoing all the pond edging to give a more realistic look. Learning as I go.

Toad eggs galore

Must be 25 strings of toad eggs in my pond. I didn't even see any toads. Must of been the stork!

It doesn't seem that long ago that I posted but it has been and I apologize. Currently in the process of getting items together for the garden show in March and after that I need to concentrate on my gardens since I found out I will be on the MAEscapes garden tour again in 2016. I put in a nice pond last year with a 2000 gph waterfall and a small bog, now I'd like to see if 2015 will be the year and can start to get a garden railroad established (maybe a short run to begin). Also found some really great looking (and very heavy) concrete benches.

September has arrived and like every other year, summer has flown by at the speed of light, so fast that I've neglected posting. We did manage to put up a temporary arbor that is holding six serviceberry trees, three on each side. After they climb to meet each other at the top, the arbor will be removed so the natural arch has the ideal look. We just came back from a visit to Longwood Gardens and with the weather we had this year the gardens are gorgeous. A plant that I have taken notice to in the last few weeks is Eupatorium perfoliatum. It can spread quite rapidly but, WOW, what a pollinator magnet. Another observation I had was the low numbers of certain pests this year. Flies, mosquitoes, Asian lady beetles, Japanese beetles, and others all seem to be in very low numbers here. I checked with a few experts and didn't find a answer but glad never less.

Homemade path

The front yard was beginning to look a little overgrown and the path hard to distinguish. After considering various path materials I decided to use some concrete forms I purchased two years ago and make my own stepping stone path. I have put in 16 so far and still need to make about 10 more to finish. I think it was a good choice.

Picnics at home.

There is no better place for a picnic then at home. Pick fresh flowers for the table and share the experience with the pollinators.

Summertime

Here is a shot of the cheap, but very easy and effective, raised bed. The solid block under the top standard concrete block permits planting of herbs without the need for much soil. A exterior stain adds a better appeal. Added all the leaves from my trees, then some finished compost and about a inch of bagged fertilized soil. All is doing well, even the peppers being over-shadowed by the tomatoes. All the block is dry laid. The leaves on the bottom help to retain moisture but still allow drainage.

Wow. sorry for not posting in a while. I missed commenting on my trip to the IMGC in West Virginia back in October. It was truly a very nice experience and met many new friends. I'm hoping my wife and I can afford the 2013 conference, which will consist of a cruise to Alaska, wow, wow. March was a record warm month here and everyone was jumping the gun thinking spring had arrived. We'll, April is here now and we are back to normal with nights down in the 28 -34 degree area many times. I decided to purchase a pop-up greenhouse in early March, about 7' x 9' by 7' high and put it on the patio where our table normally resides. I told my wife that with the March weather we might not even need it but put it up anyway. I put in two 3' wide by 5' tall plastic shelves and my wife has it so full she has to set things outside the door to water. It was a very good investment as long as it holds up for several years. I wanted to post a pic but can't get the image to post for some reason. I also made a small cold frame for the Penn State extension Master Gardener display at the local flower show and now that too is being used for more of my wifes early veggie trials. One of our veggie beds from last year which was 3' x 20' is being built up to a raised bed as I write this post and my wife loves it. We have our first nesting pair of bluebirds this year, but strangely enough they choose a regular birdhouse over the bluebird boxes???? I joined the local garden railway society this year and maybe down the road a year or two I will design a garden railroad. Hope you all enjoyed your Easter/holiday.

Winter has finally come to life today 1/21. Weather very moody so far this winter, with little snow.

     In October 2010 I decided to try my hand at straw bale gardening. I purchased a couple dozen bales and arranged them so I had one large area and two rows with stakes that I could run wire between. I also added a soaker hose. Although I had read several articles I am here now to report my successes and failures in my 2011 growing season.
     The soaker hose was a waste of money!! The water ran out of the bales as fast as it was supplied and was removed. I planted strawberries, peppers, tomatoes (standard and cherry), zucchini, gourds, watermelons, onions and cabbage in early spring. Because the water ran out so fast in the previous fall I thought adding weed cloth over the bales may help with evaporation. This was my biggest mistake. The newly planted veggies cooked under the cloth and most of the poor season can be attributed to this error. I did remove the cloth but too late for most of the plants. Also we had a very unusual year with more than average rainfall. The tomatoes all split, the birds ate the strawberries, the watermelons looked nice but didn't have much flavor. The zucchini was the only success. From one plant that survived we got a good wheelbarrow load of zucchini..
     The bales (I hope) should be good for one more season and I hope will net better results. This will not be a ongoing project but just a experiment upon which I will pass on information to my fellow master gardeners. Once the bales have reached the point of no return they will be added as compost to our regular vegetable garden.

April buds popping

Ninebark

 Elderberry (Eva - Black Lace)

Black Chokeberry

Early Spring Fever

A couple of warmer than normal days got me into spring fever early this year. Ordered mulch and began yard cleanup a few weeks earlier than usual. Hope I'm not interfering with wildlife habitat. Below freezing temperatures still in the long range forecast so the heated birdbath stays out and the regular birdbaths stay empty.

Summer has arrived and the warmer weather is kicking in.

Managed to get some mulching done in between weeding. Finished a fountain the wife wanted and now wants to show it off. Have a family of foxes down behind our property and I had a yellow-bellied sapsucker woodpecker walking around my front yard but couldn't get the camera in time.