It's been awhile. It's not that I haven't been thinking of you and the empty blog screen calling me but it's been a crazy, busy, interesting, frustrating season in the gardens.
I had my first experience with my beehive swarming. Not once, but twice, although there is question as to the original source of second swarm (they may not have come from my hive). Luckily for me they landed just outside the bee yard just 22 feet up a spruce tree. Luckily for me my husband was home and has a really tall ladder. Luckily for me I was working in the garden when the swarm began. I was not only able to experience the sights and sound of a beehive swarm but also able to watch where they landed. That meant I had a chance to recover them.
Let's just say that while I began the spring season with one hive, I now have four! More on that another day. Instead of blogging (and other things) I was rushing to build bee boxes, frames and wire foundation to support my new hives.
The early summer garden produced lovely peonies, lupins, knautia, astilbe, grasses and the first flower bunches headed to market.
With the hot and humid temps we were experiencing, these beautiful buds burst forth into full bloom.
I just wish the peony season lasted all summer.
Like much of the country, we have experienced vast amounts of rain followed by heat and humidity causing the temps to rise to 38 degrees celcius. The original downpour that
caused severe flooding in our area, soaked the cutting field and put me at least a week behind in planting and seeding. Beets and peas had to be resown. The Nigella sputtered in germination. I've sown more.
But, the cutting gardens have begun to flourish and while I would normally rejoice at the rain and heat combination, I have had several visitors, including the deer kind. Groundhogs are appearing everywhere and have already caused many of the new seedlings to disappear, tops of bedding out plants sheered of their tops. That is if they made it past the cutworm and army worms lurking in the soil, emerging in the cool of the night!
The peas have been eaten off completely. I'll try replanting those in the late summer to see if I reap an early, cool fall crop. Sunflowers have been sown again.
Those of you who garden, especially in the country, know that with the heat and the humidity come huge weeds, a never ending chore at the best of times.
This week I hope to find some time to put down more mulch, stake and tie the rows of Salvia Claryssa, some varieties of Rudbekia and the tomatoes.
In between, I have been working on the online shop. Seriously. If all goes according to plan, you will be able to start shopping by Monday. Yay! Thanks for being sooooo patient.
How is your summer going? Your gardens growing? Anything special happening in your patch? I'd love to hear.
Have a gooder and stay cool.
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