asparagus crowns

i'm working toward getting more perennials into the gardens up here.  the fedex man just brought me a box of beautiful asparagus crowns...

asparagus takes a while to get established (sometimes a couple years) and growing well enough to produce big edible spears but once they're happy they'll produce for a good 10-15 years.

my family in the foothills (for leanne)

warm and sunny in the garden this morning
something in the air takes me away
something in the mingling scents
of oaks
and pines
and the dust of the iron-reddened soil
my brother and i in the car
my mother driving us along little roads
that seem to wind on forever
out of the valley and into the hills
an adventure into a different world
and just when i begin to grow tired from the drive
we are there
and she is there to greet us
smiling that loving, friendly smile
and speaking with that wonderful teasing tone
the one always accompanied by a twinkle in her eyes
and the kids are there
our far-away friends we've been missing
and sometimes we see the suttons
and sometimes her sweet father
and her mother, who always seems a little worried
and all of them so welcoming and so much like
family
and though it's been years since i've seen them
that is always how i think of them
my family in the foothills

rainy greenhouse tour

here's a short video shot from inside the greenhouse with rain coming down outside.

bird shirt!

they have the best shirts for a buck at the spca thrift.  my latest find is the bird shirt!...

blueberries and other perennials

i got the blueberries in the ground early this week and have been working on getting them and the rest of the perennials in the orchard garden fed and mulched.

blueberry  blossoms

i made baskets out of aviary wire for each plant to keep the gophers out of the roots.

and they all got a nice thick mulch of compost and pine needles (a neighbor happened to have a huge pile of pine needles she was just going to burn and let me have some).

the new trees (west orchard) got some compost and straw mulch.

the yearling trees got their hugelnests (if this wasn't a thing before it is now---at least in my garden) refreshed as needed---some weeding, feeding (with compost), and topped off with some straw.

peach tree and mizuna mustard happy for some compost

yearling trees---east orchard---fed and mulched

i also took care of the other perennials in the orchard garden while i was at it.

perennial kales and tree collards

artichokes

luckily i had some help.

comfy spot

hoping for some rain tomorrow.

offering

all day
the sky wept softly
over the mountains
offering comfort and condolence
to the parched soil
and the long-suffering pines.
that night,
the rain came in torrents
the wind, in wild gusts
like the storm i feel within.
my love for you
so full of terrifying beauty
that cannot be denied
or contained.
and how brave you are, love,
to offer yourself
daily
to its fierce rapture.

trellises

got the rest of the trellises up and all the espaliers pruned and tied up...