On Sunday morning I didn’t get up until 5:15AM. I got my post up and then set to work on the seedlings we’d started on Wednesday. Many of them were up and they needed thinning right away. I think the only thing not up from Wednesday was the Howden pumpkins.
The basil is growing like crazy. I have to raise the lights every day or 2. I checked the weather for the next week and the basil can go out to the cold frame.
Herb and flower seedlings in the roundtop
Once I had that done, I got the kitchen cleaned up and made my picnic lunch. My friend would be picking me up at 10:30AM to go to Lilacland for a picnic. Then I got in the shower and was already for 10:30AM.
While I waited for her, I noticed something brilliant red out in the wildflower area. So I went to see what it was. Apparently, 4 years later, some poppies seed from the wildflower mix I spread back then had germinated. There were just the 2 flowers and a seed pod. Hopefully they will all go to seed and there will be more poppies.
New Herb garden, Row 7, lupine flowers
When she arrived, I asked if we could go to a couple nurseries to see if we could find lemon verbena plants. The first one didn’t have any but I got the last ones at the second place. I also found cosmos seeds, but I think it’s too late to start them now.
New Herb garden, Row 1, woad flowers
My friend was using her GPS to try to find her way to Lilacland, and we kept running into detours or being sent around Robinson’s barn to get there. We finally got there about 12:30PM and decided to eat first.
We had each brought a picnic lunch and the place was all but deserted and we were able to use one of the tables to set up on. It was cloudy all day, but that kept it cool and pleasant. We listened to all the birds singing, it was very peaceful.
We noticed the wisteria had come out since last week and covered the side of the barn. It smelled so sweet, like candy when you got near.
I didn’t take many of lilacs as I had gotten some last week. But this one I hadn’t seen, with its outline of white on each flower petal.
Behind all the lilacs along the edge of the woods, I saw this HUGE splash of pink. It had to be about 10” in diameter. It was a giant peony flower, the only one. The leaves seemed to be much larger than peony leaves too.
Over near the rock outcrop, I saw this tiny butterfly on a flower. It had its wings closed and they looked like gossamer silk. But before I could get the camera working, it took flight. And when it landed it kept its wings outspread, a lovely blue color. With wings closed it was no larger than my little fingernail.
There were a lot of these pink asters that had opened since last week. We wandered down the hill and over by the pond, smelling lilacs as we went. As we were heading back to the car, a lot of people arrived, so we’d timed it well.
We took a roundabout way home and got back to my house about 2:30PM. I had been pretty tired, not yet recovered from all I did last week. So I sat and rested all afternoon.
New Herb garden, Row 7, chamomile flowers
This is one of the chamomile plants that survived the winter, something I’ve never had happen before.
On Monday my general helper will be here at 7:30AM and we go down the road with the truck and clean out hay lofts of loose hay for mulch. I’m not sure how many she wants us to do, it might be an all morning thing. I also have errands I need to do and we have to finish by 11:30 AM when my helper has to go.
I may try to get laundry started, if I’m not too wiped out.