Friday, May 24, 2013

the garden...the good, the bad and the ugly!

Let's start with the good! 


There are strawberries ready for the pickin'...
in the garden.

I ate the first few.
Then we had some for breakfast yesterday.
There is nothing like berries fresh from the garden!


The clematis are still lookin' good.


The Miss Kim lilac is smelling mighty fine.



The white heather WAS looking great this spring.
Not any more!


I took my new hedge trimmers to it...
and it now looks very bad sad.
Will it come back?
That remains to be seen!

After 8 years of growing...
everything in the raised planter was overgrown.
We pulled out shrubs...
and cut back what was there.
It needed to be done.


The good part?
That the trusty John Deere loader tractor hauled everything away.
I think everyone needs one...
a John Deere tractor with a loader!

As for the ugly?
We seem to have tent caterpillar infestation here this year.


For the third time in as many weeks...
all the caterpillar nests have been 'purged' from the willow trees...
the oak tree...
and the apple tree.

Will they come back?
I hope not.

They are destroying the trees...
one leaf at a time!
Let me end on a better note...


...and share a red rose from the garden.

One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. 
We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon...
 instead of enjoying the roses blooming outside our windows today.
Dale Carnegie

I say...
get out and smell the roses!

16 comments:

  1. You are well ahead of us here. Your clematis is beautiful, and roses..! Only in bud here.

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  2. Judy - your gardens are stunning!I hope your heather comes back - it's so beautiful. After awhile everything needs trimming back. Mine was the overgrown Iris bed that just wasn't blooming anymore! Hope you can keep those caterpillars under control. Have a great weekend.

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  3. It is good for a plant to prune and even to purge once in a while. The strawberries look delicious and the clematis is gorgeous. I don't like those tent caterpillars at all. We had an infestation here years ago for several summers in a row. They are so gross!! Especially when you see them on the move across the highway. Slippery!! More rain here today. So dreary. Enjoy the weekend.

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  4. I know two guys who'd love a piece of machinery like that! Hope those caterpillars are gone for good. I updated my post to include the bridge collapse. I didn't realize my post title would be a little prophetic for me...
    I'll be minding that gap on June 6th!!

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  5. (But it's pouring! Has been for nearly a week; will until Wednesday of next week. Is it okay if I look at my one little bloom through the window? I haven't even smelled the lilacs. Ackkk...)

    Yes, everyone does need a tractor like that. I am sure that I could put it to really good use. So THAT's how to take care of those nasty infestations! We could take some tips.

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  6. It's nice to see what you've been up to when you talk about working in the yard. It's lots of work. Those caterpillars are going nuts on our trees at the shop too. This must be the year. Hoping for no lasting damage.

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  7. You care for your gardens so well. Having just been through Minter Gardens we see that beauty takes work, and yours does not just happen either.
    Martha

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  8. Wow! I saw you out there yesterday on my way to town... We spent a great part of our Victoria Day out in our berry fields.... it appears that the caterpillars are happily munching away there too.... We are concerned as there is nothing to kill them with except fire and the trees along the highway are full of nests. We also don't want to scare the bees away....
    I love your gardens and admire them often. My kids love looking for all the hidden treasures in your yard :) My three year old is always on the lookout for the "nukshuk" :) Have a great weekend! -Krista

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  9. You have strawberries already? Mine have just finished blooming. How do you keep the birds and slugs away from them?
    My Clematis is also in full bloom but we too need to get out there and do some serious trimming. It's lovely to live in this green valley but with all the rain everything grows so fast!

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  10. Oh...and I thought my strawberries were doing well. I have to run out now and see if any are turning color yet.
    Yikes..caterpillars? Oh that is sad. Once they get a mind to enjoying fresh leaves it is hard to persuade them otherwise.

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  11. Your strawberries are way ahead of mine. But our lilacs are finished, and the rhodos, too. Cutting back and pruning seems to take a lot of time in gardening, and all that after we plant these little things and encourage them to grow. I hope the heather recovers.

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  12. No strawberries here yet, but I am going to look tomorrow. I cut some of my lilacs this afternoon, and trimmed the box. I am going out to get myself a little trimmer like yours tomorrow!

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  13. Except for the yuck caterpillars I didn't see anything ugly or bad in your garden ... you have a very lovely yard... and yes I was wishing for a 'John Deere' of my own yesterday ! sure would have come in handy! smile...
    I'm waiting for my first patio strawberry to be ripe enough to eat .. maybe tomorrow!
    Your photos are beautiful...and thank you for the rose!

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  15. Sorry about the caterpillars. Hope they go away!! Roses are lovely! I will coming your way in Aug. Hubby and I just booked a trip to Alaska. We will meet our ship in Vancouver!

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  16. Your garden looks gorgeous! The lilac and roses must smell so wonderful, Judy. I do hope you can eradicate those tent caterpillars before they do more damage, however.


    Thank you for your kind words on the loss of our cat, Bo. He was the best kitty and we miss him so much. He will always live on in our hearts!

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'The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it.'
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson