Prelude to Summer

The rainy overcast weather we've had off and on for weeks seems to be the perfect growing conditions for mushrooms. Every spring for the past couple of years they invade my yard and the yards of others in the neighborhood. Yesterday my sister told me about a neighbor complaining about all the mushrooms. To me, it's a prelude to powdery mildew, perfect conditions. Spring bulbs in my yard are about done. I cut the last few tulips to bring inside today. The flower bed in my yard is filled with mushy moldy tulip foliage. The plan was to pull them and replant in another location till the foliage browns and they'd be put in the cellar till fall, but that didn't happen. They were bagged up for next week's trash. Mushrooms have filled the yard every spring. Would be nice if they were edible but since I'm not a mycoligist they go in the trash although I do love mushrooms. It's time to clean up the flower bed a little and plant some summer shade annuals. Today impatiens and another day the coleus and dusty miller waiting patiently on the front porch.

They're beautiful mushrooms but probably deadly. If squirrels bother other edible in the yard why not the mushrooms? Animals are smart and know they're poisonous.

This is a different variety this year. Normally white button like ones grow.

Clematis bloomed.

My alliums haven't done as well this spring. I had a whole patch near the fence and only a few blooms.

Waiting patiently for my one peony bloom.

The flower bed looks a little better with all the foliage gone.

 

Rose bloom covered in aphids.

The columbine has done well in the container. No leaf miner damage yet.

The best piece of equipment I own. Actually forgot I had a hoe. No bending to get weeds up. The square end gets weeds to the root. My mother told me to get one years ago and she showed me how to use it.

Removed the pak choy broccoli rabe, and lettuce. The lettuce was filled with aphids. They obviously like lettuce more than  the other vegetables because they weren't on the others.

Figuring out where there's space to put the impatiens. Pulled the spent tulips but left foliage from the others including the grape hyacinths.

Broccoli rabe was a big plant with lots of roots but I don't know if I'll grow it next year because it takes up a lot of space and I only have several containers. It takes a lot of plants to have a good meal.

Planted Swiss chard here although this is a small container. I'll see how it does.

Cucumbers

Cayenne pepper again. Squirrels will be in the yard when I leave looking to see what's been planted. I also removed the frost covering today. My broccoli may now be eaten by cabbage moths. I'm going to spray them with insecticidal soap. Planted 2 of 7 tomatoes. Don't know what I'll do with the rest. I'm late planting but I don't think they would have done much with the cold weather we had in April even after the last frost.

What am I supposed to do with that little piece of broccoli? Hopefully it'll continue to grow and not go to seed. If it flowers I'm going to pull it up and plant some seeds for mustard's.

Left some of the lettuce seedlings till it gets too bitter. Maybe I can get a little salad from it if it grows larger and fast enough before the heat arrives.

The kale is pretty. I'll leave it all summer if it does okay.

Hard to believe these were seedlings a few weeks ago. Although they look like the others I had, they're tall in the yard and out front.

I planted a whole bag of allium here but they didn't do well. Can't wait to pull up the foliage when they're done.

Last season's Lily. Moved to a sunnier location until the pot fills out some then it'll go back to it's spot.

To take inside. I've enjoyed cutting tulips to take inside this spring. Wish I could do this year round with other flowers.

My rose bush is doing well in the container and has 3 blooms and no aphids.

I'll get around to planting them next week. I wanted to save the space in back for a tall plant.

I forgot these but going to pull them so they don't harm my heuchera.

Broccoli rabe and pak choy will be sauteed with garlic and olive oil.

Have a beautiful weekend.