After drenching rains consumed most of May, we’ve finally had a few days of glorious sun. The gardens are very lush after all the rain. The humans relieved to be outside and dry.
Here is what the gardens looked like this morning as we greet a third day of sun.

Here is the center of the Rose garden. You can tell I am experimenting with Alliums this year, seeing if the deer really don’t find them tasty. So far, so good. The deer have eaten my clematis, phlox and asiatic lilies instead. I have been spraying Deer Off liberally around the gardens since the snow melted, but the amount of rain washed it off and of course the deer have taken advantage of that.

This is the same garden looking up towards the house. I’ve temporarily put the tomato cages around some new Roses to keep them from being trompled. None of the Roses are blooming yet, but this garden is awash in Tree Peonies.

This is the oldest Tree Peony in the garden. She is a good thirty years old. I find it impossible to photograph Tree Peonies in a way that even begins to suggest their beauty. In some countries, they put parasols over Tree Peonies while they bloom. This is said to shade them so their blossoms will last longer. They tend to go by fast in bright sun. We have six more days of rain coming after today, so the Tree Peonies should hang on well. Maybe better than the humans who are over this endless rain.



This Lavender Tree Peony has the most outrageous yellow stamens. It is just opening today so they aren’t really visible but the honeybees were already hard at work harvesting pollen.

This is one of many Rose beds, as yet not doing its thing. The yellow is Woad. What an astounding friend this plant is. Until the introduction of Indigo at the end of the Middle Ages, Woad was the source of blue dye. As a Flower Essence it helps cheer us up if we have the blues. It certainly is very cheering as a Flower too.

This shot is looking down one of the perennial beds where Purple Sensation Allium rules the day. Another plant beloved of the Honeybees ( but not the deer).

Here we are in our very strange vegetable garden where nearly everything is covered in frost cloth to protect the vegetables from Reginald Montgomery “Chuckie” Hogbottom (Order of the Woodchuck, Recipient of the medal of honor “Marmota Monax” September 2019, Knighted as Groundhog of the Realm, May 2022, Recipient of the Order of the Garter July 2023) and all his clan.

We have a friend, stonemason, Stephen Overman coming to build a very very very complicated deer and groundhog fence around this garden in July. Our flimsy eight foot fence is not cutting it. Stephen does the most wonderful stonework all over our region, but also built himself a fence for his own garden that I have talked him into replicating at our place. The fence will go down to bedrock so that Chuckie and crew can’t dig under it. Until Stephen arrives, things will have to remain under cloth.

Speaking of stonewalls, this is the wall Ben Sheehan built us that runs along the southern face of the house. The flat space created by his wall is covered in all sorts of Thyme with a patch of Lamb’s Ear too.

Yesterday I planted seedlings in the Venus Garden. The design was modified many times this spring, and unexpected plants were included even as I planted the garden. I look forward to experiencing its energy and beauty this season and sharing this with you in the form of a combination Essence come fall.

Here was me and Sheba early this morning. She is working hard as you can see ( Sheba is the little black bundle sunbathing in the dirt). I edged this garden so that I can plant Zinnias here but also not drive St Jim, the man with the lawnmower, crazy with a difficult to mow edge.
In the grass you see my two favorite tools- my sunhat and my cobra head weeder. I only learned about the cobra head weeder a few years ago from gardener and herbalist Kimberly @RootVineHealing. I can’t imagine my life in the garden without this tool as I can weed, dig, cultivate and plant baby plants using it. I have added a link to Johnny’s Selected Seeds where they sell this wonder tool.
Okay! I’m off to plant the Zinnias! Sending love and blessings from all of us at the farm!
PS Went back out to Lavender Tree Peony after planting the Zinnias.


Isn’t she a stunner? Turning around I saw that the Grande Dame had really opened up and was also showing herself to advantage so here is another shot of her.

Also noticed that the visiting grandpuppy had been busy!

The question is…..if this is mostly ripped up lawn does the lawn care expert have to fill in the hole or does the gardener in charge of the gardens?