Memorial Day Weekend is the official start of summer here at the Jersey Shore. The weather stood up and took notice this weekend too, we had some rain this week but today was a beach day for sure.
I took some pictures on the 28th and then a few more today of the flowers and vegetables in the gardens around the house. The veggies look a little… well, sparse – but the season is just starting and I know they will fill in soon.
I wish I had more sun on them for a longer time during the day – but I’ll get that whopper tree down someday.
*update 1/7/24* it’s been many years since I took these photos and originally posted this on my garden blog but I am so thrilled I have these shots of my beautiful girl from when she was little. My little gardener is 16 years old now and these memories are so precious to me, when we would play outside together in the sunshine.
Magic Carpet Spirea – planted fall 2009 – bees LOVE the flowers! 2nd season, Magic Carpet Spirea – contractors ripped the bush out of the ground in the fall when we had the landscaping stone removed. They left it sitting on top of the dirt, roots exposed. I dug it back in a few hours later and did my best to baby it, mulched it, and it survived!
These were from the front yard foundation garden. The hydrangeas struggled there because it got so much afternoon sun… they like shady spots much better. Once I moved them to the shade garden they were happier there. The Stella D’Oro day lilies love the sun, though.
**Looking back at my 2010 gardens from where I am now in 2024, I shouldn’t have used the shredded wood bark mulch on my veggie beds… that bark takes too much nitrogen to break down. Would have been better to use straw or shredded leaves… it would have kept in moisture, but been lighter and would not have robbed nitrogen the same way wood does. Especially after the season ends and I turned these gardens over, mixing the mulch in with the soil. Live and learn!**
More pictures from the yard that day…
