As I do every year, let’s take a little tour and see what’s happening in my yard in late May. I’ll try to do this again in late June—the rate of growth during that month of very long days is astounding.
Blue false indigo is blooming (Baptisia australis). This is not a native plant but it is beloved by bumblebees, and it is just gorgeous. Pretty tough, too.
Our wild and weird weather patterns have my horseradish blooming a bit early. I’ll cut these off once they’re spent so that this plant doesn’t spread any more than it already has.
My ninebark is blooming. I have the common/native type, Physocarpus opulifolius. I have this in a shadier spot than was recommended for it, so I’m glad it’s thriving. And the shade is keeping its size in check.
But wait what’s this?! Some ants are farming some aphids on my ninebark. I’m letting it be for now but if it starts to look real bad I may give them a spray with some neem oil. It’s right next to my front door after all.
My comfrey is also blooming. Another bee magnet.
My two American Highbush cranberries (Viburnum trilobum) died last year, so I replaced one of them in a slightly different spot. The new one bloomed for the first time this spring.
My wild geraniums (Geranium maculatum) are mostly done blooming now, and look at the seed heads! If they look poised to shoot their seeds into the far distance, that’s because this is precisely what they do, as soon as they’ve dried out. Such a neat plant, and it does pop up in surprising locations all over the yard.
On our way to another bumper gooseberry harvest. Last year, our black lab mix dog Buckles discovered how much he loves gooseberries. He’s not the brightest dog I’ve ever met and yet he remembered them for an entire year; he’s been checking the berries every day the past week to see if they’re ready to eat yet. Only a few more weeks, Buckles!
I added walking onions to my garden last year, and I’m so glad I did! They’ve spread just a bit and I’m carefully weeding around them to cultivate a little patch here that will persist into the future. I’ve been using them more like chives, just cutting off the green stems and slicing them up, as you would any green onion or chive.
Lettuce is at peak, and I need to harvest it all as quickly as I can or it will bolt—we have a weekend heat wave in the forecast.
I harvested most but not quite all of my bok choy before it bolted. I’m leaving these flowers for a few days for pollinators to enjoy while I figure out what I want to plant here next.
The bok choy is in my daughter’s old fairy garden stock tank. The kids lost interest in each having their own little garden, so I emptied these tanks out, moved them, and refilled them last fall. In their new location, they get enough sun in the spring and fall to grow some fast-growing veggies. My son’s tank in the background has radishes (also about to bolt). Here with the bolting bok choy are carrots and some spring onions. I’m happy with how these worked out so far.
There you have it: some highlights and happenings from my garden in late May, 2021. Thanks for walking along!
Stacking Functions Garden 