HOORAY FOR SPRING, PEAS, AND FAVA BEANS!

11 Tuesday May 2010

Posted by backyardnotes in Iris, May flowers, Spring, Transplanting, Vegetable garden

Tags

cabbage, clematis, fava beans, iris, pears, peas, Spring, tomatoes, transplanting

PICKING THE FIRST PEAS AND FAVA BEANS OF SPRING IS SHEER JOY! The favas may need another four to five days, but we’ll see. I planted two varieties, Negreta (3ft tall) and Aqua Dulce (5ft tall). The Negreta are about a week or more ahead of the Aqua Dulce for harvesting.

And, the some of peas that were a real mixed bag of age, varieties, and viability and planted in December are nearly ready to harvest. Can I exercise a little restraint and keep myself from picking a pod or two as I admire them?

They have really taken off!

The Arrowhead cabbage that I planted last fall are nearly ready to harvest too, it’s surprising since the other cabbages have long since bolted. One Savoy is still forming a head.

On Friday and Saturday I transplanted all of the tomatoes and some of peppers, most into one gallon pots, then into the coldframe they went. They were twenty-eight days since seeding. Tomatoes grow like weeds; happily for us they certainly taste better! Just about the time they are ready to outgrow the coldframe, the fava beans should be nearly done and can come out to make room for tomatoes.

I’m excited to see that we will indeed have pears. There quite a few of each type. We’ll wait another week or so before thinning them. These are the Bartlett’s. This is a great time of year!

In the flower garden, the iris ‘Saturday Night Fever is in full swing. Very large flower and tall stalks. I purchased this one at the Seattle flower and Garden Show about ten years ago and it has multiplied nicely. Time to divide this year after blooming has finished.

Another lovely, delicate bearded iris is ‘Lenora Pearl‘ from White Flower Farm. It is a reblooming iris, blooming again in the fall. This has proved quite vigorous and in also ready for division after ten or elven years.

We have several clematis trellised up against the house and this one, ‘Crystal Fountain’, is quite showy. Deb and I each bought one from here in 2005. I kept mine in a pot on the deck until last fall when it went into the ground (much happier and growing like crazy), against the house and behind the miniature climbing rose, The ‘Rocketeer’. This clematis is a rebloomer throughout the summer.

Time now to attend to matters outdoors and take advantage of more fabulous weather–predicted to last the rest of the week!

More Peonies

20 Wednesday May 2009

Posted by backyardnotes in Uncategorized

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amemones, iris, tulips

Another peony began blooming at the same time as the tree peony. It is very lovely and more refined looking than the crepe paper one. I originally ordered a peony called Flame Heart, brilliant red with a yellow flame center eight to ten years ago. However when it bloomed the following year after planting it was the palest pink turning to white. What a disappointment. At least the company that I ordered it from offered a credit. It has become very robust and is the first of my limited peonies to bloom, and the flowers are quite long lasting. I have perhaps 4 more peonies that were all given to me; three from a neighbor who most likely planted hers some 40 years ago, and a lovely white one from a good friend. These all bloom a little later in May and early June.

fauxflame2

fauxflamepeony

Also blooming the last few weeks is another little beauty that I scrounged from my grandmother’s garden, the Anemone nemerosa, a tuberous type of anemone; it is a double white. I was able to find it after the foliage had died back for the summer and my grandmother was happy that I had found it as she thought it had died out. I found maybe a half dozen tubers and now have a thriving colony after ten years. These truly make me happy when the start blooming. Very dainty flowers at only about three-quarters of an inch across, they elegant and carefree. There are plenty to share with Renee when she is ready for them.

anemonemerosa

One last note is the fading tulips and Iris tectorum, also known as Japanese roof iris or wall iris. Last fall I ordered some new red and yellow tulips to add to the dozen Yellow Oxford tulips I had planted ten or so years ago and now it is a pretty showy display. These tulips topped out somewhere between 24″ to 30″. They are so cheerful to look at from my office window.

mixedtulips

The iris also came from Grandma T’s garden and there are only a few blooms remaining for the season. These iris have beautiful little color details and look so delicate.

roofiris