Checking in, and some garden pics

It’s been quite a while since I’ve checked in on the blog. I’m still working on the two new scents and will post about them when they are ready for sampling.

I thought I’d share a few pictures from this spring. I’ve been working to improve the garden drip system because our mineral-rich well water clogs drippers with alarming frequency, leaving plants thirsty. I’m making progress on the project.

Above is a beautiful anise swallowtail butterfly that rested on some lavender in my garden long enough to let me take some pics. Gorgeous markings!

We planted a few fun new shade plants, including a climbing hydrangea and an oak leaf hydrangea. The oak leaf hydrangea has unique, large, white arching blooms. The beautiful large leaves turn color in fall. This plant is still small but has already bloomed.

A robin family raised babies in a nest in the cottage eaves in May, and we now have a family of huge crows living here. Below is a picture of two baby robins waiting for Mom to drop off more food.

The tomatoes are just starting to produce, and my zucchini plant has grown huge but is not yet producing anything. I’m getting some yummy strawberries, but it takes a lot of plants to get much of a crop.

I’m growing a new rose this year, David Austin’s Gertrude Jekyll. It has a heavenly old rose scent and a beautiful old-fashioned rosette shape. I’ve read mixed reviews on the bush growth and health, so I hope to have luck with it! The shape and scent remind me a bit of my beloved Fantin Latour that covered a wall many years ago where I lived before moving here, though it was a paler pink color.

This weekend my brother and his family will be visiting, so orders may be a little slower to ship between this Friday (6/30) and Monday (7/3). It will be fun to see them.

Happy summer! 🙂