August 27 – Finally posting! Way to go, Kat!

Memorial Day weekend! End of May already…the spring flowers have sprung, adding a beautiful array of colors to my yard!  

This winter was incredibly mild…just a few frozen temperatures but quite warm all around, leading to a very early spring.  My coral charm peonies were around four feet tall this year; last year they were almost six feet!  

…fast forward three months and here I am, finalizing this post from the end of May.  

It has been busy! A productive busy…trips to Charlotte, Atlanta, Orlando x 2, Fort Stevenson, and North Shore most recently.  I decided at the beginning of 2026 to take all the opportunities that rolled my way, saying yes with just a bit of hesitation! And I did; very fortunate to have had such an exciting few months.  

Back to my coral charm peonies…I cut and refrigerated several CC peonies at the beginning of May; I suppose I need to check on that! Update on CCP to come. 

It is August 13, Thursday; the eighth month of the year 2026…can’t believe it! Halloween and the holidays are right around the corner (yep, I said it).  

What’s new in the yard…my dahlias had a slow start but are popping now!  Orion, nighty night, CAL, mama’s special, white perf.  I use a fish fertilizer for the dahlias, twice during the season.  I will apply it once more in the next week or two…give the dahlias a bit more nutrients as they start their busy season.  

The roses have had a great year!  Several bare root roses were purchased from a farm in Cali over the past few seasons.  I have learned a lot…and my husband wanted more roses this year! Twist my arm…we were able to add four rose bushes to the oval.  I also have been using a pellet fertilizer for the roses; laid the last round of fert at the beginning of July. 

Four eucalyptus plants are popping; three are thriving and one needs to be relocated to more full sun.  Perhaps I will move the newest eucalyptus too, as I doubted the return of my hibiscus but hot dog it’s back, and they are painfully close. Below is Elliot my eucalyptus and my pineapple lilies!

This year I moved my gladiolus from the fence line to the oval.  They all bloomed and a few are still blooming.  Need to add more soil to these bad boys, as most fell over due to the weight of their blooms.  Dark maroon, pink, peach, yellow, red, purple…they look quite tropical.  I really enjoy these and will be adding more to this little patch in the oval. 

No pears or apples…perhaps the next few years. 

My green beans, snap peas and sugar snap peas went off this year! I also have several ears of corn that are sweet and crunchy.  My potatoes turned out pretty great; I have had two harvests already and still have more to pull up.  My carrots did not do well, as I planted them in a bed with the corn and beans/peas…I will plant more carrots this week, to harvest in the winter.  I think I will throw in some more taters too; can I have enough of those? Garlic! Harvest several heads of garlic and some red onions too.  Onions need some work…maybe better soil and more space.  Cucumbers are popping off right now! So delicious. And next year, I know my asparagus will be ready to eat; currently in two different locations, growing real strong.  Strawberries were ok; they need to be transplanted to a better location. 

Herb wise…started a few from seeds: dill and parsley.  I have chives in a few locations; lavender in several locations; rosemary.  I would like to create a better system with my herbs and lettuces/spinach.  Easier to harvest; better location; morning sun and afternoon shade.  Adjustments to come… 

My strawberry hydrangeas are slowly coming into bloom.  I had experimented this year, and cut these way back…and then my overnight gardner decided to do their own experiment and cut it back even further.  Alas, it has led to random blooming times on all three of these strawberries.  I have one other white puff ball hydrangea, its second year and has again surprised me with its beauty!  My aunt gave me a blue hydrangea – so excited!! And I transplanted two others…one maybe too much in the sun, and the other is just chilling under my maple trees.  The color of these two are still unknown.  

Still to be planted….a crape myrtle! A lilac named Katherine :). The blue hydrangea. Too many dahlia tubers…carrots. Taters. 

Today is August 27, and I am finally posting! From the end of May until August…but here I am! I went to Seattle last weekend for the Mariners game, and I came across this beautiful painting:

An update: the above mentioned crape myrtle has been planted; as well as the blue hydrangea and the Katherine lilac.

My aunt recently gave me two more plants – a strawberry hydrangea anddd another crape myrtle! The thrills.

Wednesday night, my husband and I rolled down to PIR, Portland International Raceway. My aunt drove her car and we tagged along – ’61 Impala! What a fun time.