Yard
- In the bottom left corner (south), removed the flowering currant (that had been moved from closer to the house) and planted a witch hazel (Hamamelis intermedia 'Ruby Glow').
Pots
- Put a new lemon thyme into a pot and discovered that the one I thought had died in the summer heat was growing back. Now we'll have two.
South Forty
- Planted Dottie today, Cornus florida rubra, and marked where Papa Clark should go.
- The flowering currant from the yard went along the bottom edge of the South Forty, in with the bird hedge. One day there might be a dense hedge, not too tall, along the edge, back a bit more from the road than the pittosporum that was planted down there before (and remains, but cut back on the road side).
Yard
- Grass starting to recover after we've had some rain. Terrace of gravel has been added. Area for foundation of new "woodshed" is prepared, waiting for help in laying foundation. Then we can build the pre-fab shed we bought and fill it with cut wood and sacks of pellets. On the back of the shed, I'm hoping for a work area, bench, shelves for storing pots and "stuff", space for contains for dirt, etc. underneath. All this means the space around the umbrella tree, including the salad garden, has to be recombobbled, but that won't hurt. One of these days...
- Before the terrace as laid, Ed moved the buddleia in the corner of the house to the South Forty, along the western edge, highish.
Pots
Salad garden
- Only some cherry tomatoes here, volunteer from last year. Had some lettuce around the rosemary, but that's all gone.
South Forty
- A properly legal treatment area for the fosse septique has been added on the western side below the raspberries.
- Starting to green up after rain.
- In the spring, along the bottom edge, we added some bird shrubs, two sets of these mail-ordered.
They're planted in random order, four each of six species. All but one of the plants are doing well, and the odd one is growing from the base. The six plants are:
- Virburnum opulus, Guelder rose (Fr: viornes obier). White flowers, red berries.
- Symphoricarpos albus, snowberry (Fr: symphorine). This the the white-berried thing that I don't like very much and have never particularly noticed as attractive to birds.
- Prunus spinosa, blackthorn or sloe (Fr: prunellier). Blue berries. Maybe we can make some gin?
- Euonymus europaeus, spindle (Fr:f usains d'Europe). Orange fruit capsule opening with fuschia berries inside. Also have never noticed birds around these.
- Cornus mas, Cornelian cherry or European cornel (Fr:cornus mas)
. Dogwood family, red berries.
- Amelanchier
, serviceberry (Fr:amélanchier). White flowers, red berries. It has other names depending on species, but is known around here as the "rare tree". We found the name as a bird-friendly shrub/tree that fit where we need a small tree; ordered one to plant our Amstelveen yard; then discovered it was extremely common, used in masses in city planting. But it's lovely and the birds like the berries. We have one in the top part of the yard too.
- Ben and Martha both survived the winter cold and the summer heat and are doing well.
Potager
- Some tomatoes remaining. Zucchinis not doing much. One aubergine and three little beets to be picked on of these days. Some tomatoes and cherry tomatoes.
Entry
- Cleaned up a bit, the fioul tank is gone, but nothing has taken its place yet.
