What's blooming now in June ?

Allium and painted daisy are blooming in the front island bed.

Saxifrage is in rock garden, it will spread eventually.

Painted daisy is in full bloom , I planted it three years ago when it was still small seedling, and it is in the victory now as first time blooming.

Jacob ladder is in the back shade garden, it get morning sun only. It look good together with delphinium and silver lamium in the bottom.

Aster alpinus ( pinky ) is blooming under amur maackii tree together with nepeta "dropmore " , finished blooming tulip and daylily.

Salvia are blooming in the front island bed, I forget the variety but I think it is kinda salvia maynight, I planted from seed last year.

Shasta daisy 'alaska' with nepeta x faasenii walker low are blooming in the front corner house, I think it is beautiful combination, they always look fresh for whole day.

Yankee doodle lilac and Mdme. Lemoine lilac are still blooming nicely in the south sunny side of the house.

Viburnum roseum snowball is in the shady front yard, it is first time blooming since I planted last fall. I wish it is fragrant.

Vegetable Garden 2011

Vegetable garden in early June, everything I plant are starting to grow. Early June is the month with cold and rainy spring here in zone 3, which is good for the lawn so I don't have to water it often, and of course I can keep rain water on the home made rain barrel, cheap and effective, that is garbage can. It is not so attactive looking but it work. I cover tomato planter and corn with blanket frost ,potato in the planter by compost bin, beet with garlic and carrot covered by tulle netting, I have it a lot in the basement from my wedding decoration. The idea was to keep the pest away, and it seem work too. I just cut the tulle as the size of the planter and nail the wooden stake in every corner of the planter , but don't push the nail all the way through, tight the tulle by roll it and hold it on the nail.

Lettuce grand rapid, raddish and spring onion. I planted zucchini in every corner of this planter.

This is the never ending supply of spinach .

Potato and onion growing under tulle screen. It work really good to keep potato bug away.

Beet and garlic as companion plant. I read somewhere that garlic can improve the taste of beet.

Carrot scarlet nantes and white onion growing under tulle screen too.

Golden bantam corn and super sweet corn growing together on the long planter. The rule is to grow sweet corn should be spaced around 7 meters between varieties to ensure the good crop. But I didn't follow it. So we'll see.

Herb planter include echinacea and strawberry. The clump in the corner are lavender from seed last year and ready to blooming . It is better plant if I compare it to the one in the middle, that one was store bought last year, it doesn't looking good in the second year.

Peas , head lettuce , swiss chard. Bean and corn( not germinate yet ) was planted between peas, this is for experiment to compare corn between direct seed and transplanted .

Tomato plant from cutting . They are starting to flower and some of them has little tomato already, way earlier than tomato plant from seed.

There are so many thing to learn in the garden to get better crop. Learn from people who expert with this stuff also learn from our experience in the previous year.

May and June blooming

Allysum saxatile .
Tulip under the amur maackii tree.
Tulips in the south side of the house.
Tulip by the basement window.
Amur maackii tree blooming in the front yard. Double flowering plum, love this plant.
I just realize this rock garden is heart shape, I didn't make it that way , but I guess my mini rock garden love me , lol.

Propagating Lemon Grass

Lemon grass is well known for Asian cuisine ingredient as well as mosquito reppelent. Back home I planted this herb along my fish pond, it grew so well and form big clump overhang to the water. It was so easy to plant, I just stick them in to the dirt , no need special requirement for planting this herb. It is consider low maintenance perennial plant too. Although it is tropical herb , it doesn't mean we can't grow this here in the four season country. We can plant it in the container or in the yard during summer , just remember we have to repot it back and bring it indoor during winter. For easy starter plant , just go to nursery that carry tropical herb as transplanting item or mature size one is perfect too. But I prefer to make new plant by propagating my self. It is so easy.

First, when you go grocery shopping, get a bunch of lemon grass stalks, it usually no more than 2 bucks for 3 pcs stalk. Pick the good looking stalk for good result .Cut the stalk about 4 inch from the base, put in to glass with 1 inch water or just enough to cover the base, keep it in warm and bright place such as window sill or just in the countertop is fine too. Use the remaining stalk for cooking.

Change the water every day , and after around 5 days we can see root start forming from the base. It is time to transplant it in to the container with good potting mix .

After one week transplanted , it start grow leaf which is good, and just fertilize it with fish emulsion . Keep it indoor during winter , when spring coming , gradually hardening off for 1 to 2 weeks periode, put the plant outside where it get partially sun and bring it indoor when frost is expected. Because it is perennial , so you will have this herb for years if you keep it in warm place during winter.