May & June are my favorite months to enjoy our flowerbeds. This May has not disappointed. The foliage is filling in and the blooms are lovely.

BIRD VILLAGE

There is a lot (almost too much) going on in the bird village. After many years, this area is finally starting to feel like a complete project. If only I could keep the weeds out…

Snowmound Spirea

Lupine
This has been a great year for the lupine.

Lincoln Star Clematis

Allium

And more beautiful blooms

Near the Bird Village is a native rose that’s looking great.
And, there are a couple iris’ in our little meadow.

SHADE GARDEN

Top Left: I’m not a huge rhododendron fan, but I love the light purple blooms on this one.
Right: Variegated Weigela. Love it and all its pretty pink flowers.

FRONT YARD & POND

The lithodora is looking fabulous this month.

Top Left: Variegated Vinca Major
Top Right: Cotoneaster
Bottom Left: Thyme
Bottom Right: Hardy Geranium

Top Right: Columbine ‘Aguilena’
Bottom: Easter Egger hen searching for bugs in the creeping thyme

To enjoy more Bloom Day posts check out May Dreams Garden

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• The birds are still busy singing

• There are tadpoles in the runoff area of our pond for the first time ever. Maybe it’s silly, but I’m so excited to see them there.

• I’m not as excited when I see the garter snake that has made the pond and surrounding areas its home.

• The snakes have been out like crazy. The lower right photo is Farm Girl holding a small one. She likes searching under boards and pieces of wood for them.

• Year after year the swallows make a nest in a bird house in the bird village. I’ve never seen babies, though. Curiosity got the best of me one day and I grabbed a ladder to take a peek. Nothin’. I couldn’t see anything except the nest. I’m not sure if they actually have eggs in there or just like to build a nest.

• Purple is the color of the month. The majority of blooms in the flower beds are purple. I’m not complaining.

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This week’s update isn’t an update on the week, but an update on our to do list. I like lists. Well, it’s not so much the list itself I like, but the crossing things off the list. So gratifying.

Since the photo template I use for our weekly updates has nine spaces, I’ll list only nine things that need done. There are, of course, about a hundred more items that could be added. But, we’ll start with nine.

1. BUILD BRIDGE
   When we added a pond to our bird village the overflow goes right through the walking path. The intention was to build a bridge over this area. We need to do that.
2. CLEAN UP PATIO EDGE
   This fall we poured a stamped concrete patio. I love it. However, surrounding the patio doesn’t look too good. We gotta fix that.
3. FIND USE FOR WINE BARRELS *In process
   We have 3 wine barrels that I love. But, I’ve never found a good home for them. It’s time to figure that out.
4. CLEAN SIGNS
   I have made a number of signs. Most of them have been around a couple years and could use a good cleaning – like the one in our bird village that has many bird droppings on it.
5. TACKLE THE BACK YARD
   Making anything of our backyard was on the back burner for a few years because the first major step was putting in a patio – and, that kept not getting done. So, I didn’t spend much time on it. We now have a patio. Woop! Woop! It’s time to get the back yard lookin’ good – without spending a fortune.
6. FINISH CEMENT PATH  DONE! To see it check out this post.
   One of the first things I did when we moved here was put in a cement path using a walk maker form. Farm Girl was just a baby and all summer during her nap I would mix cement and pour two mold’s each day. Eventually I got the path done – well, as done as it could be at the time. Now that the patio is in, I can finish the path.
7. CLEAN UP MEADOW  DONE!
   Last year’s perennials need trimmed in our little meadow. Also, the meadow has never looked the way I was hoping it would. I need to look into ways to remedy this.
8. BUILD PATH IN FRONT OF COOPS  *In process
   We had extra concrete when we had our patio poured. So, we quickly through together a form and poured the extra in front of one of the chicken huts. It doesn’t look fabulous, but I love that it’s not muddy in front of the coop. I’d like to add a mosaic of concrete in front of the other chicken hut and chicken tractors.
9. ADD FILTER & PUMP TO POND
   When we put in the pond in our front yard it was a last minute thing, quickly thrown together. We had a pump, filter and water wheel – but, no electricity. We now have electricity near the pond, so we need to get all those things moving.

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Well, I’m just gonna say it, I’m ready for the changing of seasons. This summer was too hot and way too dry. I didn’t spend near enough time in my flowerbeds deadheading, weeding and watering. And, it shows. I’m ready to move on and try again next year.

FRONT YARD

One. Literally one, flower is blooming in our front yard.

AROUND THE FRONT POND

The thyme still has some flowers. The bees are loving them.

The marigolds took awhile to get going, but they eventually flowered and are still putting on a good show.

A couple nasturtiums are continuing to bloom. However, most gave up a long time ago

SHADE GARDEN

A few weathered impatiens and violas are hanging on.

BACK YARD

The lone bit of color in the back yard.

BIRD VILLAGE

Left: A few flowers are doing their thing in our itty bitty meadow. But, most interest comes from the seed heads.
Right: The barberry is a fabulous crimson color. I wish I would have planted more.

Renegades – these rogue flowers opted to bloom in our gravel driveway near the Bird Village. They’re pretty, but out of place.

In the Bird Village Pond:
Left: Last September I transplanted a few geraniums to our greenhouse with the hopes of overwintering them. In the spring I moved them back outside. They’re still blooming along the pond’s edge.
Right: Pretty purple pickerel weed bloom

Many blooms died off long ago.

GARDEN

The self sowing calendula continues to bloom. Just a few years ago I introduced it to the garden. I’m so glad I did. I love it.

It’s not much, but at least there are a few bits of color to brighten the flower beds this month.

Sharing this post at May Dreams Gardens.

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Here it is already. August’s Bloom Day. Our flowerbeds are not impressed with this crazy, hot, dry summer we’re having. I’m not impressed with it either.

The flowerbeds in general look quite crummy. But there are a few, very few, plants that have powered through the weather and are blooming.

FRONT YARD

These two photos are literally of the only plants blooming in the front yard. It’s lookin’ pretty dead out there.

The pond area still has a few things in bloom, though. In fact, the marigolds just recently started taking off.

SHADE GARDEN

Not long after I planted the impatiens and violas some of our chickens scratched and pecked the area, digging at bird seed that had fallen. It has taken all summer, but those plants have finally came back and are blooming.

BIRD VILLAGE

The bird village is not in good shape. It has received very little water over the summer and it shows. However, there are a few random blooms spread about.

There is a lot of tan and brown going on right now.

There is not a lot going on around the pond, either. There are a few pickerel weeds & geraniums holding on, but that’s about it. The cardinal meadowlark doesn’t seem to mind the lack of flowers.

The meadow still has some blooms trying to make it through the season.

GARDEN

Left: Inside the garden fence I planted an area with hundreds of sunflowers. This is the one that made it. It’s pretty, but quite underwhelming. I think right after I planted the seeds birds devoured them before they even had a chance to germinate. Boo!
Right: Calendula that I planted last year reseeded and looks fabulous this year.

Well, this summer was kind of a bust in the flowerbed department. I’m glad we get to try again next year.

Sharing this post at May Dreams Gardens.

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The middle of July is already upon us, which means it’s Bloom Day. We had an unusually hot, dry June, which put the flowerbeds ahead of their usual schedule. We’ve been watering enough to keep the plants alive, but maybe not enough to keep them happy and producing their best. We’re already at the point where the majority of blooms are past their prime, which generally doesn’t happen until August. However, we have had some blooms over the last couple weeks to show off.

FRONT YARD

The pond in the front yard is in full bloom.
Top: Pickerel weed, creeping jenny & 5 cutie patootie ducklings.
Bottom Left: Cardinal Meadowhawk on a mint blossom
Bottom Right: Itty bitty marigold. I planted marigolds in front of the pond like I did last year. This time, though, they are scrawny.

More blooms around the pond. I love this section. The butterfly bush, lavender, daisies, day lily, yarrow and an unknown plant or two all bloom at the same time creating a beautiful little scene.

BACK YARD

The back yard is still in need of an update. I haven’t put the time into this area like it deserves. I’m thinking this fall and spring may be its time.
Top: I can always count on these three: marrow, day lilies, and shasta daisies.
Bottom Right: Wild red elderberry

BIRD VILLAGE

The bird village is always my favorite. However, it goes a little crazy this time of year.

The pond has a few plants along its edges in bloom, like pickerel weed & geraniums I over wintered in our aquaponics system.

The meadow strip. Every year I plant new seed hoping for a little variety. And, every year the daisies and blanket flowers take over.

While they are not officially blooms, they are new flowers in our garden. They are hand blown glass flowers created by me, Farm Kid1 & Farm Kid2. We took a workshop at Live Laugh Love Glass in Tigard. The flowers are beautiful, but I don’t love their place in the landscape.

OTHER

A few other blooms around.
Left: A hardy gladiola in a side bed that I really don’t spend any time on. I don’t think it’s been watered once this summer.
Right: Nasturtiums. They’re flowering, but aren’t trailing like I’d hoped.

Left: Calendula in the garden, reseeded itself from last year.
Right: Okra in the greenhouse. I surely didn’t know okra had such a splendid flower.

I’m sharing this post at May Dreams Gardens.

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June is definitely one of my favorite months in the flowerbeds. Here’s some of what’s blooming now & why I love this time of year:

SHADE GARDEN

Our shade garden is pretty in pink right now. I like all these plants, but I’m most excited about the bleeding heart. I had been wanting one for a long time. Last year I finally planted a couple and this year I get to enjoy their beautiful flowers.

FRONT YARD

Top Left: Black Lace Elderberry
Bottom Left: ‘Pride of Donnard’ Escallonia

FRONT YARD POND

Nothing is blooming in the pond, but there are pretty flowers around it.

Top: Cranesbill ‘Biokovo’

BACK YARD

There is not much blooming yet in the back yard. It’s primarily green & more green, with spots of color scattered about.

Top Right: Snowmound Spirea
Bottom Right: California Lilac

BIRD VILLAGE

Top Left: Potentilla ‘Goldfinger’
Top Right: Lincoln Star Clematis

To see what others have blooming in their yards, check out May Dreams Garden.

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Here’s what’s blooming in our gardens on the 15th of May:

SHADE GARDEN

FRONT YARD

FRONT YARD POND

BACK YARD

BIRD VILLAGE

To see what others have blooming check out May Dreams Gardens.

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Day 3 includes yet another house in the Portland area. The house is listed in the National Registry of Historic Places, but that’s not why most people visit the house. The house is now a museum, the rooms turned into galleries.

If you enjoy natural science then you will adore this museum. If that’s not your thing, then you’ll be really bored here. It really is a museum of pretty much only rocks & minerals.

Technically, it’s called the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks & Minerals. But, who’s going to say all that? We just call it the Rice Rock Museum or even the Rock Museum.

The home turned museum was built in 1952 by rockhounds, Richard & Helen Rice.

Right out front is a large quartz piece found in Arkansas.

Main Building

The Rainbow Gallery is one of our favorites.
Top: In normal light the minerals aren’t all that wowing…
Bottom: … But, wait a few seconds and the lights go out. Then, they cycle through both shortwave & longwave florescent lights. The minerals react differently to the varying wavelengths. They seem to glow.

Top: A visual representation of the hardness scale of minerals.
Bottom: The kids can even test the hardness scale themselves.

Also on display are examples of how minerals are used in our everyday lives.

Synthetic Bismuth from Germany
To be honest, I have know idea what that means, but I thought it was super cool.

The lady on the left is carved from jade. The piece on the right is agate & from Beijing.

Mt. Hood Aurora Borealis carved from contra luz opal by Thomas Harth Ames.

Dennis & Mary Murphy Petrified Wood Gallery

Carved Lewis and Clark

Bottom Left: The green stuff is Pyromorphite. Found in France.
Bottom Right: Wulfenite. Found in Arizona.

Recently a letterbox was hidden at the museum. Of course, we had to find it.

The rare, beautiful & famous ‘Alma Rose’ rhodochrosite. From Colorado.

Cut gems

Northwest Mineral Gallery

As you enter this building you are greeted by this huge opal filled thunderegg found in Oregon. The thunderegg is Oregon’s state rock.

Mesolite. Found in Washington

Another good sized Thunderegg. These rocks are dull on the outside, but beautiful inside.

These thundereggs are about fist size, a more typical size.

Oregon’s state gem, sunstone.

I loved these 3 paintings showing the process of a petrified forest.
Top: “Before Petrification: A forest, including fallen logs is depicted. Volcanoes are erupting in the distance. A lake separates the forest from the volcanoes, and the lakes water cools the lava.”
Middle: “During Petrification: Logs are buried under lava (basalt) and a top layer of soil has developed, implying a long passage of time since burial. The overlying basalt and soil create anaerobic environment preventing the wood from decomposing. Silica rich water seeps down through the soil and basalt to the wood and precipitates microcrystalline quartz (agate/chert/jasper) and/or opal. Other minerals/elements in the water (eg iron) cause the coloration.”
Bottom: “After Petrification: A new landscape exists and erosion has now exposed the now petrified wood to the surface.”

Outside

Left: There is a huge rock pile outside. The kids each got to pick one to take home.
Right: Farm Girl was sweet and gave me her rock to put around our pond. It’s sitting next to a love rock.

My kids love this Rock Museum. We’ve visited it a few times and I’m sure we’ll visit it again.
To see what others are sharing for the month of October check out write31days.com

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This spring we began installing a pond in an area of the Bird Village that has always been problematic. I worked on it in the cool mornings of summer & it’s finally complete.

DIGGING

The basic shape was dug out by Farmer John using a backhoe. It made a mess of my bird village rather quickly.

MAIN POND

Top Left: I carved the finished design using a regular ol’ shovel. The main pool has ledges all the way around to hold the large rocks.
Top Right: We had a dump truck load of rock delivered. It probably ended up being twice as many rocks as we needed for the pond. But, I’m ok with that. I’m always wanting rocks for various projects. Now, I have them.
Middle: I slowly brought rocks over to edge the pond. I just stacked them in so they fit nicely and didn’t wobble.
Bottom Left: I used a combination of large flattish rocks & pebbles for the bottom of the main pond.

RUN OFF COLLECTION POOL

All the rain water from our gutters drain right about where the left back edge of the main pond begins. In the beginning days of the bird village, we tried turning the area into a bog garden. We didn’t do it correctly & so it wasn’t very boggy most of the year. What we did learn from that experience, though, is that excess water drains right out over the path, making a mess of it. So, we built a drainage area for this pond and then added a smaller pool to collect the water. The drainage area does go right through our walking path, though. Eventually, Farmer John is going to build a cutesy little bridge to go over that area.

Top: Somehow, the pond area was bigger than I was envisioning and I spent a small fortune buying a good pond liner. It’s always recommended to put down an underlayment between the ground and the liner. I didn’t. I don’t have a good reason, I just didn’t. We don’t have rocks in our clay dirt, so I’m not too worried about one coming up from the ground poking a hole in the liner. Also, I was just being cheap & lazy.
Middle Left: Laying out the liner.
Middle Right: I worked on the pond as often as I could, but I knew it was going to take awhile to complete. So after laying out the liner, I scooped dirt on top of it. I was hoping the dirt would protect the liner from the sun & also from wondering critters & children. It seems to have worked. Right before adding pebbles to the bottom of the pool, I threw out some of the dirt. I didn’t bother getting it all out. I’m going for a naturalistic pond. Pond’s have dirt.
Bottom: The smaller pool got pebbles to cover the bottom.

DRAINAGE

Last year, I made cement leaves. They’ve been laying around since then as I’ve been searching for a good spot for them. I ended up laying them across the drainage area connecting the main pond to the smaller pool. I don’t know if this will be there permanent home. But, it works for now.

2014

2015

DUCKS

Our ducks have, of course, found the pond & love swimming in it.

CRITTERS

You may or may not have noticed that this pond does not have a pump or filter. Nope it doesn’t. It would be nice to set that up one day. But for now, we don’t have electricity in the Bird Village. No electricity means no pump or filter.

I’m not too concerned, though. Our other pond that we put in years ago has never had a pump or filter and does just fine. That pond had the same problem. No electricity. There is now electricity near that pond, but we still haven’t hooked up the pump or filter… However, now I think its because Farmer John repurposed those items for the aquaponics system. Ah well, one day.

Water features have to be my all time favorite addition to garden areas.

Check out our other Flower Garden Areas:
Back Yard
Bird Village
Front Yard & Pond
Shade Garden

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