THE EARTH IS IN TUNE IN JUNE

And what is so rare as a day in June?

Then, if ever, come perfect days;

Then Heaven tries earth if it be in tune,

And over it softly her warm ear lays;

Whether we look, or whether we listen,

We hear life murmur, or see it glisten.

                                               

    -James Russell Lowell

Duke the digger will be 10 months old this month.  He has matured a lot but still has the habit of digging holes and pulling up plants.  He has become a very alert watch dog, checking out any suspicious noises outside his territory which is fenced in. He's very affectionate and has a good personality.


May was a very rainy month, even more so than April it seems so it was frequently too wet to garden but I did manage to pulll a lot of weeds in between showers.  I also managed to divide and transplant many of the spreading perennials in the roadside garden. 

The roadside wildflower garden is flourishing and most plants returned from last year.

I have been looking for this fabulous cultivar , brunnera 'alexander's great ' which is twice as big as most in the species.  I planted it in the shade garden and just for extra insurance against deer, pinned netting around it and sprayed with deer deterrent.

The huge mound of topsoil and compost I ordered ( 4 c.y. ) is slowly getting smaller and smaller as I wheelbarrow it around the beds and dig it in the existing soil.  If I added up all the yards of topsoil I've had delivered so far it would probably be around 50 cubic yards.  I've already noticed an improvement in the drainage after a heavy rain but it may take 5 or more years before I see a significant difference.

The nectarine I planted two years ago bore a lot of delicious fruit and I managed to save them from the squirrels and birds by using netting and mylar tape.  I think my two Asian pears were nipped in the bud just as they were blooming during the late April freeze we had , although I see a few pears made it.  The blueberries have begun to ripen and I've also netted them to prevent the birds from scooping them up.  I think I could use a scarecrow with some motion action in the veggie garden to scare away the birds who like to swoop down and scoop up the strawberries.

With June comes summer and, I hope, the end of countless rainy days.