Inspiration Turquoise

We're having the best summer weather

The best in decades. Sun, not too much fog, and not too much wind. Downright warm. You can go outside on a sunny day without wearing a ski-suit!

We've got tons of goldfinches, lots of hummingbirds, some cedar waxwings nesting in the back tangle (saw the baby begging the mama to feed him). The Chilean Jasmine is blooming right now, roses are going strong.

Except for my long-neglected disaster, everything is good, and we're working on remedying that.

The deck now has two full coats of stain, it's drying as we speak. It's taken some weeks to scrub, dry and then stain it, but it's done, and water beads up.

The futon frame is almost all painted, and will make a nice summer daybed out there. We generally have our best time of year in Indian Summer, which is ahead of us yet.

It's encouraging. I love this time of year anyway, and this is the best year in memory.

Today, July 22, is the FULL BUCK MOON!

◼ The Old Farmer's Almanac - Bucks begin to grow new antlers at this time. This full Moon was also known as the Thunder Moon, because thunderstorms are so frequent during this month.

Australian Bluebell Creeper: Sollya heterophylla

Put in a couple years ago, LOVE it, beautiful color, and it turned out to climb up adjacent plants, peeking out here and there. Highly recommend it, planning to put in a couple more.

◼ Wildflowers of Western Australia - Australian Bluebell Creeper, spreading evergreen shrub, gets 2'-3' tall, and climbs vine-like to 8' tall w/support, blue, bell-shaped summer flowers, can grow under Eucalyptus trees, needs good drainage, drought tolerant.

That, and the white parahebe, which looks like a cute little alpine plant when you first bring it home - resist the temptation to plant it close to the edge of the path, tucked into the stones, move it back a few feet and you'll be rewarded with a spectacular shrub, tons of white flowers.

Refinishing the deck

Scrubbing, powerwashing, hoping the weather holds, the warm (and dry) days are rare here. One quarter of the deck is restained, another quarter prepped and ready, the whole thing should be ready by the weekend, and we'll stain the rest then.

Keeping the dogs off it is almost impossible, they have (and need) free-rein in the backyard. They're liking the new space, and we're finding lots of their little hidewaways.

The disaster

Ripping things out. Blackberries had overtaken everything, and choked it out, trees were growing almost prostrate, trying to reach out for the light. What isn't being ripped out is being pruned back drastically. What survives, survives.

It's starting over, albeit with some mature plantings that didn't exist before.

It's about restoring some of the charm and details, the little barrel pond under the Coral Bark Japanese Maple (the water seeped out just enough to keep the maple well watered), the pathways... everything is gone, obscured or disintegrated.

Some years of neglect have that effect. Now it's about the ruthless breaking of eggs to make the omelet. And that brush pile marks the beginning.

Update: A few years later, we finally got rid of that pile. Should have done it as we went, but didn't, and once the pile got so big and so entangled it became a massive undertaking to disassemble it. So many truckloads of greenwaste later (couldn't burn it, because there's been no rain and thus no permissive burn days), it is clear, and a nice lawn is in its rightful place. Yes, the pile did affect our ability to enjoy the space, but we were busy and working, and putting it off 'til later' just became a long time.

Inspiration Boards: White ideas

Zebra Hydrangea

Going in the back, against the house, in the 'Japanese garden' - very shady area, gets light but no direct sun, is under the eaves.

It's a white mophead, with contrasting black stems, very excited to see it grow. Pics to follow, this one is off the internet.

◼ Comcept Plants: Image source

Broken umbrella?

The umbrella canvas makes a great outdoor tablecloth for round tables. Especially ones with the hole in the center for the umbrella pole. Stencilling makes it even better.

Succulent project

Class at Miller Farms. Mitered picture-frame box, a little wire mesh, with a small backed box on the back, filled with a bit of soil, tuck the stems through the mesh and into the soil, let set for a week before watering, a few more weeks to really dig the roots in before you hang it. Next step is a bigger one.

Clearing

It's deceptive. You can see some of the 'clearing in progress' tools in the background.

Summer Sangria

Orange and lemon slices, nectarines, raspberries, strawberries and blackberries, limoncello, pink lemonade concentrate, two big bottles of Pinot Grigio. Great!

And while we're on the topic of alcohol :) ◼ The Drunken Botanist,by Amy Stewart, is a fun read, and a great collection of plants.

And more boards, blending inside and out...

More boards

That bottom board, btw includes pics of ◼ Little & Lewis pieces/gardens, Check 'em out, it's a cool and inspirational site. And here they are ◼ on Pinterest

This Sunday, June 23 is the Full Strawberry Moon.

June's Full Strawberry Moon got its name because the Algonquin tribes knew it as a signal to gather ripening fruit. It was often known as the Full Rose Moon in Europe (where strawberries aren't native). ◼ The Old Farmers Almanac

The summer solstice heralds the beginning of summer.