Garden and the Weather

Geez Louise, the weather is just irritating.  I turn on the back yard drip and the some of the sprayers aren't spraying so I take off the tubing and blow into it because I think "How strange what could have gotten in there?".  Out pops ice!  Yes,  there was ice in the tubing.  It is June third for crying out loud.  Most of the plants seem fine.  The tomatoes are snuggled into their walls of water.  The potatoes were definitely frosted for the second time!

The greenhouse was only 38 degrees!  I couldn't believe it.  Of course, the plants in there were fine but that is pretty darn cold.So, I cleaned a house today and then, since I was already 15 miles towards shopping, I drove into Carson City.  And all the way up to Washoe Lake.  The State nursery has native plants, as well as other plants that do well in our climate.  I purchased 20 Buffalo Berries, 20 Austrian pines, 5 Fern leaf yarrow, 10 Amur maples, all in small pots.  I also purchased 5 - 5 gallon sized honeysuckles.  They are a shrub honeysuckle and they have delicate pink flowers.  The hummers are going to love them.  They actually turn into small trees as they get older.  60 plants for about $170.  You can't beat the price and the price allows you to grow windbreaks and keep soil erosion down.  That is why they have the state nurseries.

I am completing the windbreak around the veggie garden with the buffalo berries.  The Amur maples are going to go in the east windbreak where it has been so difficult to really get things growing.  I need some privacy between us and anybody that buys the empty house next door.  We don't know them and we might not like them.  Of course if we just adore them we can put a gate in for easy access to each others homes!

The honeysuckles are going into the back yard area  or sort of near the house where they will attract the hummers and I can see them.  The Austrian pines are going to get sprinkled around where ever another pine has dies or where an evergreen would be useful.  I bought some last year and they are very happy and growing fast.  The Fernleaf yarrow will need to go in where I am already sprinkling since I think it would like that.  I have a few blank spots on the backyard berm.  The berm has stabilized and is no longer shrinking due to the irises and the other cool stuff I have in there like prairie cone flowers, chocolate flowers, penstemmon, asters, etc.  There are some shrubs but they are still really small.  

What doesn't seem to have come back from over the winter is my hummingbird mints.  I hope they will still manage to come up.  My Butterfly Bush isn't doing anything either.  The Mautain Ash is cute.  Not big but very healthy looking.

Okay, after a very brief survey of a small portion of my fantastically large yard, I see a bit more evidence of frost damage.  Dang it.  I hope the damage was extremely limited.  This is the third year for some of these plants and the third year is when many plants start kicking butt.