Here in Massachusetts Spring has been cool, damp and cloudy, much like the English Springs I recall. Plants are lush and floppy. As usual I didn’t get around to staking any of them: result, I have roses, poppies and peonies with muddy faces. Travelling overseas for the first half of June has exacerbated the problem. OK as cut flowers for the house, they are definitely not photo shoot material. On the other hand I tried a few new things this season. With mixed results.
- At last. The very first apples on my Cox’s Orange Pippin. I can’t wait to see whether I got the tree I ordered or an un-identified leftover that lost its tag at the nursery. As an example my so-called Arkansas Black Apple is decidedly lime green and suitable only for making pectin as it is sour and doesn’t store well.
2. Cosmos Xanthos. Those seed catalogs in January should be banned. A pale yellow Cosmos – how wonderful! Not really. Compared to “Purity’ or ‘Psyche white’ that I usually grow to fill odd patches in the sunny borders, Xanthos is underwhelming at best. Flowering early but only a foot or so high it can’t compare to the 6 foot pure white classic beauties I wish for at this time of year. Although they would probably be face down in the mud like everything else…..
3. Disappointing double white Clematis flowering for the first time in its second spring. Looking sadly like a wet paper towel. I can’t even be bothered to look up it’s name for this post.
4. Scrumptious Honeoye strawberries. Newly planted, mulched with straw and properly hydrated (thanks to the weather) these are the best ever.
5. Exciting to find a few cherries on 2 year old Carmine Jewel. Bodes well for a hearty harvest next year. The plant is shrub-like in form, for easy netting, with normal sized cherries.
6. And what’s this? A few of these plants have volunteered in odd places around the garden. This one is in my herb garden. Looks a bit like a prostrate Rosemary but has no fragrance. It’s really pretty but I’m stumped. Anyone out there have any ideas?
Those are my Six for this week. I’m hoping for a break in the clouds so i can get out and start pruning away some of the floppies. I know there are lilies and zinnias somewhere under there……
Thanks once again to the Propagator for hosting. Visit the comments section on his post to see all the other Sixes and have a great week!
http://www.thepropagaterblog.com
1. It begins. Every available surface. This week I started assorted annual flower seeds and peppers. Plus a few herbs and some lettuce….
2 . This little onion propagator was once a catering pack of oatmeal raisin cookies.
3. As if it knew it was destined to be dumped back in the heap tomorrow, a bud finally appeared on last year’s red amaryllis .
4. Speaking of red, geraniums on the porch, with a backdrop of snow.
5. Tete a tete daffodils, also indoors. From a 3 dollar pack of 16 bulbs there are 3 flowers. Not very economical after all.
6. Sunrise, preceding one of 3 snowfalls this week. Just a few inches each time, to remind me that it’s still mid winter here. February can be a ‘tretorus’ month, as they say around here. Actually, so can March!
and this one is David, much taller, approaching 6 feet.
