A Yard Tour

Often... perhaps too often... I rant and rave here at Teapot Musings.  And as it happens, I have a rant nearly ready to post.  But you can't rant and rave all the time, or you become a ranting raver... or a raving ranter... or something.  And that's not really who I am.

So I thought I'd change things up a bit, today, and give you a tour of my yard.  After all, spring has sprung, summer is nearly here, and it's nice to be outdoors.

Those of you who follow Teapot Musings, know that I've had trouble in the past with deer eating my garden.  Last year, with the help of hubby, we put up a system of metal fence posts and bird netting, and it seemed to do the trick.  We saved the pieces, and put it up again this year... and here is my garden...












... and it's a good thing we put up the fencing.. because right outside the fence, I found some fresh deer droppings!

At the edge of the woods behind the garden, I have some bearded irises that we planted many years ago.  Yes, irises grow from bulbs or rhyzomes.  No, I don't dig up my bulbs each year to protect them over the winter.  Yes, I've heard that plants growing from bulbs will get smaller and less colorful each year.  No, I can't explain why these 10 year old irises look like this...      but I'm not going to complain.

Moving along behind the house, we come to my two cherry trees.  Here is the Black Tatarian.. I call him Blackie.

  and his foliage looks wonderful this year.

He and the other tree - Stella (I call her Stella, of course)....  seem to be quite compatible.  Last year was their first year with me... but they blossomed even then.. and this year they blossomed even more than last year.  While Stella and Blackie blossom at the same time, they don't get cherries at the same time... Stella gets cherries much earlier.

Here are some of Stella's cherries.. let's hope that we get them, before the birds do!

We also have an apple tree.  What's its name, you ask?  Don't be silly, why would I name an apple tree?  Last year it blossomed, but without setting fruit... this year it looks like we'll get some fruit.

Moving around to the front of the house...  we've got several varieties of hostas, as well as a bunch of other flowers, up on the stone wall.  And part way up the hill is a kwanzan cherry tree.  Non-fruit-bearing, but pretty, nonetheless.

At the top of the hill is a ... well, that's a problem.  We don't know what it is.. and we'd like to get another.  So if anyone knows, feel free to share the info.

And then I have my miniature rose bushes.  Nice number of buds already; they'll bloom all summer long, once they get going.

And while I like planting things in the ground.. I can't see any of that from the kitchen.  But that's ok, because hubby likes putting together hanging baskets.. so this is the view that I have, courtesy his efforts.

And that's it.  

Oh, wait.. I nearly forgot... I have a bit of an experiment going.  I read that you can start more celery, from the stump of a stalk of celery.  I didn't believe it.. and decided to disprove it.  So I dug the stump of the celery stalk out of the trash, and put it in a dish of water, as directed.  Here is is, after less than a week.  

I guess I'm growing celery!!  Not quite sure what to do with it, next.. but that's what google is for.

Whew... a bit exhausting.. all of this planting, and nurturing, and experimenting.  But at least there was no ranting or raving today.  Still ...  I need a cup of tea.