The viburnum has started blooming:
Not sure if this is the "final look" of the bloom or if more of the interior buds will eventually open up, too. Even if this is it, I think we're happy with it. We like the texture of the leaves, and as they are, the blooms remind me of very small lacecap hydrangeas.
This spring, the two clematis vines on our fence have been the best I've seen them in the two or three years since planting. If we re-do part of our fence, they'll have to be removed from the old fence. I wonder how they'll handle that...
The azaleas are blooming:
Some of the things we planted in the past few weeks are growing, such as the Creeping Jenny:
I know marigolds are supposed to be extremely easy, but I'm still impressed with how well the seeds I gathered last year are doing! I can't wait to see them bloom!
Here are a couple (one in the front/right and another in the background to the left) of "new" hydrangeas recently added to the yard. Months ago, I layered a couple of low branches of our existing hydrangea, and these are two resultant new plants. I hope they'll survive! I didn't realize I should've staked the branches to help them grow upright until it was too late, but I'm sure that if they live, they'll sort that out on their own... eventually.
Our old raised vegetable bed:
Broccoli in the background. Donald has since planted peas along the fenced portion and put in a couple of hills for the crook-neck squash and zucchini seeds.
Our new raised vegetable bed:
(We built this bed using materials already on hand-- cinder blocks that had been all but forgotten in their stack out in the woods. They're not the most beautiful material, but if they work, we'll be satisfied. They have a sort of utilitarian appeal, I guess. (g))
Tomatoes in the front, then some bell peppers. Since this photo was taken, Donald planted okra seeds in the empty section in the foreground and lettuce, radish, and Swiss chard seed in the back. Oh, and there are things planted in some of the holes of the blocks, too, as you can see. Onions, bunching onions, chives, and dill, so far. (The love affair with chives continues. Some of these are survivors from last year, but we also bought another little pot that we divided into four more bunches.)
And finally, here's the trellis we built for the passionflower vine. It still needs a final coat of paint before we can plant the vine, but that won't take long. We're planning to use the pavers from the path to the main gate to make a little mini-patio between this trellis and the back porch. (The paver path will be gravel, instead, if all goes according to plan.)
That concludes this official garden update. ;o)
