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| Honeysuckle |
Thursday seems to be destined for rain, week after week. A heavy rain means slogging through mud to pull the barrels out to the front. Today is an all day rain, so procrastination is not doing anything more than add to the rain from last night. When the mud gets tough, the tough take the barrels through the kitchen and living room.
I have two honeysuckle vines starting to grow, planted last fall. Or - they are identical weeds in two places, each protected with a plastic collar. My confidence is growing with those two plants. Adults and children consider honeysuckle essential to the South - the edible berries and the intoxicating fragrance
My favorite chore is pouring rainwater on plants that need help or promise to be the most bountiful. A crepe myrtle has been given extra rainwater ever since I planted it, and it will be a great bird sanctuary this summer.
Last year's drought made it seem impossible to keep the plants growing. As bad as the winter was, the struggling plants of last autumn became the superstars of 2023. Root systems grew all winter long, prospering from the snow, rain, and sleet.
Rainwater is life-giving, not only for the moisture needed in all of life, but also for the rain's usable nitrogen compounds. One garden author taught me that ideal soil is a combination of constantly moving, living and dying exchanges of nutrition and water. They are the bank from which all others draw interest and pay dividends.
Some gardeners argue for carbon, others for nitrogen, still others for manure and earthworms. The garden is a liturgical spectacle where each element takes its turn, delivers the benefit, and humbly departs for the next round of life.
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| Enchanted Peace |
Many garden sorrows turned into joy this spring. Lilies came up strong. Bee balm spread to serve the butterflies, birds, and hummingbirds. Most roses kept their health and began budding. Joe Pye and Clethra began, shy and late, soon shooting upward from the earlier rain and sun.
The key pollen producers now are the cat mint and the borage. Two bumble bees work those flowers all day long - or maybe switch to a new team every hour. The bee team comes up to the porch and circles around, as if there is another source of pollen. Soon the various mints and Clethra will mix their fragrances together for a butterfly jamboree.
