The South Side of the Shed

I got around to planting some flowers and hostas on the south side of my new shed. The gravel we hauled in from Clearview keeps the dust down, and makes a nice place for the bistro table and chairs to rest.

It's fun to go around the back of the structure, where there's a tiny little area that might become a small flower garden one day. My gardening tools rest there now, waiting for me to find a rack to hang them on. The great thing about a garden and a shed is that the projects and new ideas never end. There's always a task waiting to be done, an improvement to be made, and at the end of the day, something has always been accomplished.

The Garden in July

Things are looking good in the garden once July arrived! The warm temperatures and light rains created good conditions for seeds to come up, and my Three Sisters Garden is doing well. The peas are winding their way up the poles I've provided, and the thyme and rosemary have taken over a large part of one raised bed. I planted some Scarlet Runner Beans along the side of the shed, and they should take over the trellis in that area.

In the foreground of this picture, you can see some extra containers I've planted with cucumbers, tomatoes, and mesclun salad mix. I'm hoping it's not too late to get some of these plants to come up and transferred to the bigger raised beds. Keep your fingers crossed that conditions in my favor will prevail.

Rainier Cherries

The cherries are almost ready to eat this weekend, and we sampled them today when we were out in the yard with guests. Their red-yellow fruit was sweet, and the birds evidently have not noticed them yet. I'll try to pick them this week at the height of their flavor. I can't think of anything that evokes the feeling of summer more than fresh, ripe cherries!

Hostas

Many years ago, when I moved into this house, I sent away for a dozen hostas from a nursery in the midwest. I planted them all in the Fall when they arrived, and they all came up the following Spring. Over the last 9 years, they've grown and spread out all over the yard. I've really enjoyed having something so beautiful in the shady areas of my yard.

This is what they look like this year in the back yard, nestled under this beautiful fuschia basket, next to the armillary sphere my aunt brought back from Copenhagen years ago. It's a lovely corner of the yard in which to enjoy a cup of coffee on a busy afternoon.

The Deck--A Summer Escape

I love my deck, and the privacy it affords me on a warm summer day. The clematis has grown over the deck and up the side of the house this year, creating a lovely screen. The hanging baskets and the planters on the deck add to the effect of a private, cozy room. The Adirondack chairs always look welcoming, especially when adorned with pillows made from vintage fabric enbroidered in lovely old thread. I'll take Thoreau's Journal out there one evening this week and learn more about his Walden escape, where he spent so much of his time writing and thinking. We all need a place of our own to relax and listen to our thoughts.

Wind Chimes Made from Silverware

I love the sound of these windchimes when the breeze kicks up on the deck. It's a clever idea, and they look nice hung near my large hanging basket. Its soft sounds lull me on warm summer days as I lounge back in my Adirondack chair, inhaling the lovely scents of all of the shrubs and flowers.

Strawberries and the Bird Condo

A bird family moved into my new large birdhouse made of salvaged barn wood that I bought at the Antique Rose Farm in Snohomish. I hung a basket full of strawberries above the birdhouse, and the strawberries were disappearing for a while. Evidently the birds moved on, and the remainder of the berries are growing and turning ruby-red. I picked one this evening, and it was firm and juicy. Lots more are on the way!