July is the month when my perennials start to show their beautiful blooms.
The Daylilies are always the first to open up and bathe in the warm, summer sun.
They are so laden with pollen, just flaunting the bees to come and partake.
Maybe they sent this guy ahead to scope things out.
When we first moved into our home in the Northwoods, we knew there was going to be a lot of work ahead of us, remodeling-wise.
After we replaced all the floors in the house, we set about reclaiming the southern half of the property that was overgrown with brush and littered with dead trees. Unfortunately, we also had to remove a bunch of wild black raspberry bushes that lined one side of it. At the time I was OK with this decision because I wasn’t too keen on the possibility of bears getting so close to my house when the berries came into season.
Now that we are more familiar with the critters that we share our property with, I’ve come to regret that decision. Well, not totally. I’m still not a fan of the possibility of and up-close-and-personal-encounter with bears, but maybe we could have transplanted them a little farther away.
Oh well, what’s done is done.
But I still wanted raspberries, and I wasn’t going to pay $5 for an itty bitty container of them at the store. No, I wanted to grow and pick my own! Last summer Nichole and Corey were generous enough to bring up a dozen plants from their home, and I found a great spot for them where I waited for them to take root and produce the amazing fruit of my youth.
Yeah, well, they all died, except 1. I was heartbroken, but I wasn’t deterred. A business associate just happened to have excess plants that I could have, and his wife brought me a dozen plants to try. What the heck… they were free.
So this spring when the snow was all gone and the plants were starting to bud I cautiously went out to see if they survived the rough winter. They did. And so did that 1 plant from Nichole and Corey. Phew!
And so this year, we will have raspberries!
But wait, there’s more!
In the never-ending exploration of our property, I came across a few wild black raspberry bushes!
If I hadn’t been out looking at all the different wildflowers that grow in the area, I think I would have missed them.
Only after these beautiful blossoms have fallen away can you tell that there is something else hidden underneath.
These are going to be so nummy when they mature, and I can’t wait to eat them right from the bush.
As long as I can get there before the bears do.
I may have mentioned before that the soil up here sucks is not very conducive to growing vegetables… mostly sand with rocks thrown in for good measure. And I’ve been having a heck of a time over the last 10 years trying to find just the right spot in my yard where my plants will even enjoy ample sunshine due to all the trees on our property (an no, I will not cut even one down just for a garden… I’m a treehugger. Don’t judge.).
Last year I waged all out war and decided I wasn’t going to let these conditions win. I WAS going to prove that I still had my green thumb, come hell or high water! So I went back to my square-foot-gardening that I love so dearly, and combined it with raised beds, reusing the logs from an old garden that failed me miserably (I also recycle, if you haven’t guessed already).
A new area was chosen next to a flower garden that my MIL Georgia had planted for me. This was phase one: building the plots. The next phase is on-going: building up the soil. Not an easy task when you like to grow organically. Top soil, manure, and organic matter that will biodegrade naturally are my only allies.
Yesterday, I was able to see that my strategy is starting to work.
Success may start small, but it’s there.
I’ve got 6 tomatoes that have made an appearance so far on 8 plants, which have already grown more in the last month than they did all last summer in a different bed.
It sometimes helps to try a different type of plant too, like these “bush” variety cucumbers. I’m so excited about them that next year I will be doubling the amount that I plant.
Lookie lookie… do you see it?
The first cucumber of the season.
This variety is grown specifically for pickling, and I tend to like the little ones, so this is the biggest I want them to get.
I was so happy that I just had to share my bounty with someone!
Rick wasn’t home, but that was OK, I was sure that Calie would be as excited as I was.
Hmm, guess not.
Oh well, guess that just means more pickles for me.
The rock garden is coming to life with beautiful pink blooms from the Lamium that I planted a few years ago.
Not to be outdone, the Vinca have decided to display their purple blossoms.
When I bought these plants, I was warned that they would spread and take over whatever area I planted them in.
Yeah, right, I thought. Our soil is so crappy that I was going to be lucky if these things survived the first summer.
Guess these beauties proved me wrong. They not only survived, they thrived!
Now it’s a constant battle to keep them contained in the garden as they spill over the rocks and dig their heals into the yard.
I guess that’s not such a bad thing.
It is pure coincidence that I am tackling the subject of pesky, biting insects two days in a row.
What can I say? It’s bug season in Wisconsin.
Over the past week, I’ve had quite a few people approach me and ask for a “natural” repellent for mosquitoes.
So, in doing some research this morning (just so I have better facts when people ask), I came upon quite a few websites that have “recipes” for using essential oils that fit the bill quite nicely. I’ve always known that citronella is a great way to keep those nasty buggers away, but there are many other oils that will do the same thing if the smell of citronella is just to harsh for you.
Instead of listing web links, do a little browsing yourself just by entering “natural mosquito spray” or “essential oil mosquito repellent” in the search engine and you’ll be quite amazed at what you’ll find.
When a friend called me this morning and asked what I used since he is having a miserable time trying to work in his garden because of mosquitoes, I told him that I used some products that I used to carry at my store. Unfortunately, I wasn’t sure if these were available from anywhere else in the area, so I did a little digging online to see if the normal Joe could buy them without having to search far and wide.
Lo and behold, I did find them.
My top choice that I adore in Natrapel. This stuff works great when it comes to keeping your sanity living in the mosquito infested Northwoods. DEET free (always a plus) and safe for children, this stuff boasts an 8 hour protection from mosquitoes, ticks, black flies and more.
Since we are getting low on our stash, I went ahead and ordered two of these at $7.99 each and the shipping was only $3.99. There are pump sprays and wipes available also, so check it out here.
Buzz Away is another great product for people that want to stay away from nasty chemicals on their body yet have great protection from biting pests. While this product only proclaims 4 hour protection, that’s more than enough time needed between reapplications.
What’s more, it is available in a whole host of applications as well as in a candle form which can be found here.
As with all types of repellents, make sure that you are upwind when applying any spray type application. The scents are a little heavy on the citronella side, but at least I knew what the main ingredient was and not some flowery smelling chemical that I was putting on myself.
For those of you with your jaws dropping at the price of these products, please do not let that deter you. Yes, it is more expensive than the “normal” brands on the market, but it is well worth the price when you consider other benefits that can go along with it (your health, for one). And if you can’t afford this type of product, I completely understand. It’s a personal choice thing. I’m good with that.
And as my own public service announcement, please read the ingredients of any product that you will be using on your skin and then educate yourself on what those ingredients are.
Knowledge is power!
OK, hoping off my soapbox now.
So there you go Tom, my top two choices for you (and everyone else) to get out of the house and into the garden (or whatever your outdoor activity may be).
I was neither contacted nor compensated by Tender Corporation or Quantum Natural for reviewing or recommending these products. The opinions expressed are purely my own based on my personal experience with these products.