April 30, 2016

April End-of-Month Views


Welcome!
I garden in Eastern Washington state, USA, zone 5b.

I have to start with the weather. Our spring has been extra warm--temps in the 70's!, but then it will drop back down to normal spring weather like we've had this week, in the 50's.
As you'll be able to tell by the pictures, we've gotten some rain this week, which always makes me happy AFTER I get my spring veggies planted!

Spring keeps rolling right along, and although the daffodils have pretty much had their day, I do still have some tulips going strong! There also many plants with buds or flowers on them for more good things to come!

This post is linked up with others over at The Patient Gardener
I enjoy this linkup, partly because it gets me outside to see what's happening.

Let's start out front this time.

Behold, the front porch bed.

I was going to get some closeups--I have an oakleaf hydrangea and bleeding heart both looking fabulous right now--but I had a very sad little boy (my youngest) who needed some attention.
So, squint! Or zoom in!

Moving on to the front terraced beds:

Up top, this snowball bush is oh-so-close to being in full bloom.
All these little flowerheads will expand a bit more and turn white, probably in the next few weeks.
The elderberries have buds on them, as well.


Here's the view from the driveway, looking up the hill.

Quick close-up for these delicate English laurel blooms, bottom terrace.

The middle terrace is really where it's at right now:

Lots of green, growing things, with some brilliant pink tulips!

These are more hot pink than I thought they would be when I purchased them, but I've gotten used to the color. They almost seem to glow, especially on a rainy day!
The peony right next to them has several buds on it.

Moving down, the candytuft is about to take over there, with a few tamer tulips and some creeping phlox (the purple).

Going around the corner:

I really love the sorbaria there; however, it continues to spread.
So, I'm thinking about moving a few things further away to give it some room.
There's some space to spare.

Now we're coming up the east side of the house.

Here's where my lilacs are blooming, though you can't see them very well against the mulch in this picture. I just finished planting the far end of this bed (which was my cutting garden last year), so I will do a separate post on that soon.

Now we're in the backyard, checking in on the vegetable garden.

Bottom terrace: onions looking great, oregano also healthy and growing.

My peas are about 6 inches high now.
Just past the pea sticks, beets, carrots, and spinach are coming along rather slowly.

Moving up one terrace to my kids' gardens:

The front stuff is my daughter's, and then about half-way down to the little walkway is my oldest son's. They've both got lettuce growing well, peas, and even some carrots.

This is my youngest son's garden.
Can you see all the feathery little cosmos popping up?
I had cosmos here last summer, and they self-seeded all over the place!
I'm happy, but I also need to weed them out of the rest of the garden!

Finally, up top in the vegetable garden:

strawberry patch overview

Blooming! Hooray!

I get so excited to see flower buds and blooms on fruit and vegetables.
That promise of things to come just thrills me!

Okay, now for the back flowerbed:

Overview.

I still have some tulips back here, but they're getting close to being done.

Rose bud with peony bud in the background.
SOON!

Moving on to the little shed bed:
A couple of the perennials we planted this fall didn't make it through the winter.
I need to turn my attention here soon and fill in a few bare spots.

Last but not least, the fruit on the west-side:

Raspberries are in bud!

Here's the raspberry patch overview.
The half that is very short was just planted last fall.

Plus, cherries!
My friend told me they hang cd's from their cherry tree branches and it has really helped keep the birds away. I guess I'd better round up some cd's in the next month!

Well, if you stuck with me through this entire post, good for you!
(And thank you!)

What's happening in your garden this month?



5 comments:

  1. What an interesting garden, Linnae ! Your season seems much more advanced than ours - my peonies are just coming through, for example. Loving your pink tulips! I have just planted a Sorbaria, so was interested to see how yours is looking. It is a lovely shape, and I love the foliage.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, I love foliage of the Sorbaria as well. I don't mind it spreading, as it lightens up that whole corner!

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  2. How lovely to see your children's borders. I like the bright pink tulips

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  3. Love all your terracing, it makes a very interesting garden. Your children must be delighted to have their own little gardens, hopefully gardening will be an interest for ever!

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