Garden Friday

 Welcome back to Garden Friday!

Here in our Zone 7b garden,

the flowers are starting to burst into color

and a big project has begun.

Queenie and Wilma have seemingly bonded recently,

and can often be seen beak-to-beak in the chicken run.

The irises are not only lovely in full flower,

but the buds are beautiful in every form.

 

These geraniums that a friend gifted me

are starting to spread out and love their sunny spot

near the front door.

 

We have become overrun with yarrow!

Much of it has been dug out of our front flower beds

as a reboot has taken place.

Some of this was relocated to a sunny spot

in the back of the house.

We recently had those trees trimmed,

allowing more space to grow things that need sunlight.

 

This 3X8 bed is being deconstructed.

The wood on the side was starting to fall apart,

so the decision was made to remove it and keep

it as an above-ground bed.

Straw has since been added to the area

and the plan is to grow corn here via the Ruth Stout method.

 

The beans and peas were planted underneath the bamboo trellis.

These are bush beans and snap peas and a few modifications

keep them safe from curious chooks.

 

I used lengths of flexible twine with scrap pieces

of welded wire inserted between to keep them out.

They love scratching anywhere there might be a tasty treat!

This week we did a massive spring cleaning to the coops.

The girls seemed to be wondering what happened to their homes.

The top was removed so that we could really get in there and tidy up.

 

The power washer made quick work of it.

 

The project referred to earlier was the removal 

of most of the plants in the front flower beds.

The majority of them were relocated to other spots.

The edging was also redone to define the space.

 

The garlic border stayed in place,

but many new things will be added to this bed.

I'm going for a cottage vibe.

 

Before the removal took place,

the yarrow can be seen in this shot, 

 taking over almost half of the bed.

 

This is the after shot, making a clean slate in which to build the new garden.

That yarrow kicked my butt!

One thing I realized,

is that it's much easier to remove it if it has been cut back.

So, I pruned like mad and then started digging.

Yarrow grows like a weed, 

so there will be no problem in it flushing back before too long.

 

These strawberries grow wild

all over our lawn.

I don't find them too tasty,

but the chooks love 'em!

I spend some time almost daily

tossing them into their free range area

and they gobble them up like nobody's business!

 

Here's a bluebird update.

Just look at those sweet things all snug and cozy.

We have counted four babies in this particular box.

This amazing display of crimson clover is planted

in a field at one of my jobs.

The picture really doesn't do it justice, 

but if you click on the photo, it will increase in size.

What a glorious sight it is to behold!

What discoveries have you made in your garden this week?