And just like that – summer was almost over.

Legit. This summer has been wet and rainy. We have had one week of hot sunny days, and that’s about it. That means we have been mowing the lawn, trimming back gardens, and trying to keep things from taking over. It also means that a lot of things that happened, came and went. My rhodendrum bloomed for a week in June before the rain took the flowers.

My beans never came in. My peas took over and my potatoes got blight. My raspberries are delightful and I have more rhubarb than I know what to do with. Here’s a few updated garden photos. Here is the previous garden update of 2020

Back Garden

The backgarden bed was quickly overgrown this summer – partly because we had a bird seed explode in the back part. I spent a fair amount of time fixing up the back bed and wondering what to do next with. The lilac tree had one dead branch which I sawed out, but I would like to remove two more branches and slowly take it back. The lilac is currently spreading a ton of shooters everywhere all the time and it’s exhausting.

There is a peony back there that has not yet bloomed and is taking its time. The hasps I transplanted are doing okay but I don’t think the one likes the spot. AS you can also tell the barberry in the right corner is thriving after being pruned back last year.

There is also this big overgrown hedge style bush. I did some google research and while I don’t know what it is – blooms and smells like a lilac – I opted to remove the lower third of the old growth from the bush and will continue to remove sections over the next 3-4 years until it is re-established. This is the same attitude I was going to take with the lilac to help shrink it down and bring in some new growth.

The Middle Garden

My rhodendrums bloomed early June for a week before the rain took them away.

My peony is white! and it bloomed at the end of July. I love peonies, but this white one got mea ll like, meh.

The garden looked green for most of July, before the white hydrangeas came in early August.

 

The Shed

I removed one pink plant from the shed garden and will be pruning back the rose. There is still one grassy plant in there that I would desperately like to move but I’m torn on whether I want to move it. I would like to plant all strawberries in that bed as it gets the most delightful sunshine.  When I got back from my trip this week, my clematis had taken over the shed and was just massive. Don’t mind our overgrown grass. It’s been too wet to mow the lawn most days and I’ve barely caught up with things.

 

Clematis on the Bench – just for kicks

Front side garden by house.

I cut this tree back 1/3 last year and this spring and will be taking the rest of the older wood out this fall/winter to let it regrow and try to tame it smaller than it was. This bed is a weed disaster.  I tried planning some beets not knowing there was this flower in there and I’m all torn on it. It’s kinda yucky feeling soil and I can’t keep the weeds down.

 

And that is all I have photographs. My virgina creeper on the front of the house is growing like a weed. I have trimmed it back several times now to just keep it where it is and I feel it’s a never ending battle. The hydrangea has bloomed along with much of the other parts of the garden. It is such a lush garden when in bloom.