It’s been a pretty glorious week here – half a day of rain on Wednesday but the rest of the week has been nothing but sunshine and unicorns. I was able to get my tomatoes and dahlias planted yesterday and will be sinking gladiola bulbs later today, as well as sowing Zinnia and beet seeds. The kitchen garden will be in! For now it’s time for Six on Saturday – check out Jim’s site to find links to six things in other gardens around the world.
The larger Alliums have started to bloom, including ‘Purple Sensation.’ For me, its only drawback is how the leaves start to yellow and die almost the minute the flower starts to open. It’s unsightly – but only for a few weeks.
Sticking with the colour purple, Prince Edward County (like many other parts of Ontario) is transformed into a fragrant mauve quilt at the end of May as lilacs burst into bloom. They seem to be at their peak this weekend – driving or walking along many county roads is such a feast for the senses. I have a dozen or so, including this variety with overly large, blowsy petals.
Just starting to bloom are lupins. I’m waging a mostly losing battle with aphids on many but this one has, so far at east, escaped their notice.
One of my favourite shrubs is the Pearl Bush – Exochorda. They’re not terribly happy in my garden, too dry in summer, perhaps, but their flower buds really do resemble pearls, both on a string or solitary.
Turning to the kitchen garden, the Egyptian walking onions I planted last spring are living up to the name. The main clump is really large, and the bulbils it produced last year have transformed into several new clumps.
Finally, also in the kitchen garden, one of my raised beds has red onions, shallots (both planted two weeks ago) and garlic (planted last fall), all looking good. Hope everyone has a great weekend!
County Gardening 