Garden – Page 5 – M. Sullivan Photography

June 22, 2014 M. Sullivan Photography Animals, Flowers, Garden, Photos, Weather

Flora And Fauna

This young buck was enjoying a salad buffet of various hostas and other greens this morning. He kept a close eye on me while I was taking photos and then bounded off when I was too close for comfort.

We have had plenty of rain so far this year. There are several different plants blooming in the yard including some that I consider weeds.

The irises still have many buds yet to bloom, but have given us a week and a half of blossoms already.

The azalea was beautiful this year. Last year it suffered some damage from the deer. I sprayed deer repellent on it early in the spring and didn’t notice any buds eaten.

We have had way too many days of cool temperatures and fog off of Lake Superior. While the rest of the state is in the 70’s and 80’s, we have been in the 50’s. Not great for the garden. Now that it is officially summer, I am hopeful that warmer weather will be here soon. I think I may have said that same thing when spring arrived, didn’t I?

June 6, 2014 M. Sullivan Photography Flowers, Garden, Photos

Yard & Garden

In just a matter of a couple of weeks, the grass has grown long enough to be mowed twice. The trees, shrubs and perennials have made up for lost time. Everything is green, lush and in BLOOM!

The daffodils are actually done now, but this is one of my favorite that blooms each year.

Another of my favorites, crab apple blossoms.

The bleeding hearts amaze me every year.

This bush cherry came from my brother who originally brought it from my parents’ farm.

The azalea was a gift from our friend and daycare provider when Sophia was born.

Another one from my brother – the spirea.

Irises from my Mom. It won’t be long before they bloom.

The lilacs were here when we moved in 15 years ago.

This pink gerbera daisy was a gift from my wonderful sister-in-law. I wish they were perennials. Maybe they are in another climate, but not in Minnesota.

This is the beginning of our container vegetable garden. It won’t produce enough to can or freeze, but enough so that the kids can see where food comes from. Yes, we really need to paint our deck.

Container Garden | Basil, Tomatoes, Peppers, Beans

Our vegetable garden does not get nearly enough sun, but we still plant lettuce, spinach, peas, beans, cucumbers and zucchini each year. Sophia was feeling overly optimistic and planted watermelon this year. This photo is from last week and everything has come up…except the watermelon. The onions come up year after year, along with the chives and strawberries. The chipmunks eat more of the strawberries than we do.

Here’s Daphne enjoying the lush, green lawn on a sunny day this week.

The trees have begun filling in our lake view, but no so much that we couldn’t see this laker earlier in the week.

Rain is forecast for tomorrow, but sun on SUNDAY!

May 1, 2014 M. Sullivan Photography Animals, Daphne, Garden, Photos, Weather

Searching

The skies have been gray and dreary all week. We have had a mix of snow, rain and wind each day since Sunday. We are all craving sunlight and blue skies. We were somewhat satisfied that there was little to no precipitation today and temperatures were in the mid 40’s. It should be in the mid to upper 50’s this time of year, but we will take what we can get. To celebrate the departure from rain and 30’s, Daphne and I went for a walk after work. When we returned home I spent some time searching, not for blue skies, but for any sign of green in the backyard. When you look at the yard as a whole, it looks brown. Well…except for the patches of white snow. If you look closely, you will see this…

Moss From A Different Angle Is Still Moss

A departure from green…brown.

And then there was this guy. We are accustom to seeing big gray (and sometimes black) squirrels in the city. We never see these cute little red squirrels. We have affectionately named this one “Hammy”. As in “Hammy” from the movie Over the Hedge. He moves around our backyard like he just downed an energy drink. That is why my photos are not as close up or as crisp as I would like. He never stops long enough to get a sharp photo.

During my search for spring foliage, I uncovered this Mother’s Day stepping stone Sebastian made for me with his hand print when he was 3 (with the help of his Aunt Dee Dee). I will have to clean it up and replace the missing “E”. Even with moss growing on it, I still love it.