A Garden Full of Friends
First strawberries of the year
Living in Zone 5, things are really getting revved up in the garden now. The weather is still very pleasant, and so working outside is a real pleasure, and as I was out doing a number of things, I noticed so many of my “friends.” I couldn’t resist taking a few pictures to share with you. I picked our first strawberries of the year. Oh, my, they are good.
3 years ago I planted a row of basket willows. Each year we prune them down and they put up new growth. Yes, they are for making baskets!
Basket Willows putting up new growth
Another sweet friend, a Columbine. They re-seed and come up every year.
Nesting barn swallow
For the last 10 years, we’ve had a nest of barn swallows above one of the bedroom windows. A little messy, but I don’t care about that. They are so sweet and I look forward to their arrival in April. They always raise two families every spring.
Yucca with flower stalk
I was particularly happy when I saw this! I planted a Yucca plant last year and it is getting ready to bloom for the first time. I like to use fibers from the leaves in weaving baskets as well.
Keeping a garden can be an awful lot of work, but the rewards are more than worth it. There are so many welcome friends that appear in a happy progression each year. I feel so blessed.
Would love to see some pictures of those baskets I am a basket maker, at least I learned how. I used reeds and white oak. But willow baskets are really nice!
Comment by margaret_terwilliger — July 6, 2012 @ 12:45 am
I emailed some pictures to you! Please let me know if they don’t come through.
Comment by yolanda_breidenbaugh — July 19, 2012 @ 5:22 pm