Bee Sting

We have a history with bees here.  Early in our time on this land, a former student asked if he could place bee hives here.  Our quick yes was followed by the delivery of five hives.  Soon the young man left his children, his wife and his hives.  Taking care of the bees became our responsibility.  A bee suit and smoker were purchased.  I found that working in a cloud of bees caused me no alarm.  One afternoon Becky stood a some distance away to take pictures as I harvested some honey.  Apparently she had positioned herself on the line the bees were flying as they gathered food.  After taking several stings, she ran from the area with the bees following in hot pursuit.  I was never stung while working with the bees.  My feeling was the inner calm that carried me through 34 years of teaching eighth graders also quieted the bees.  Things went differently today.

We were working on the garden by the road this morning.  That patch of pasture grass at the end of the planting needed to be removed in preparation for expanding the garden area.  Dressed in my sun protecting clothing, only facial skin was exposed.  Suddenly something flew inside of the hood and entered my right ear.  An instant flashback to Star Trek had me ripping off the hat and hood and waving my arms wildly about.  A medium sized bumble bee left my ear and began flying about my head.  My sense of inner calm had been shattered and I was dancing about swatting at the bee. I've never moved like that before.  It first stung my cheek.  Then it landed dangerously close to my eye and stung again.  Trapped between my finger and thumb, life quickly left the bee.  My luck continues to hold as my eye is fine.  Becky couldn't believe that I didn't swell up at all.

Our plan is to continue the Autumn Joy sedum and Siberian Iris line to the sumac trees.  If the ground is prepared this year, we will have a chance to see if all of the quackgrass rhizomes have been removed before we plant.  If even a small piece is missed, it will quickly work to reclaim its ground.  Existing sedums will be levered out and cut in half with a huge knife.  One piece will return to its former spot and the other planted in an open spot up the line.  Our gardens will similarly supply Siberian Iris for replanting here.

These Black Dragon lilies are one of the few Orientals to have decent flowers here this year.  Their scent is best when it is unexpectedly encountered on the wind.  Placing one's nose near the flower does capture the fragrance and some pollen stains but it is nothing like walking into a sweet smelling cloud.  Bees gathering pollen are usually quite calm and uninterested in combat.  We frequently share flowers with no problems.

Winter Ready Lilies

If we are to have any chance of Oriental Lilies in flower next summer, they require attention now.   Our Black Dragons have decided to make one bulb two.  This came as no surprise since each sent up two flowering stalks this year.  The four big bulbs were placed into three pots along with several smaller daughter bulbs.  The pots contents were marked and planted rim deep in the central location. Black Dragon opens its flowers pointed straight up.  I think that they look rather silly but the scent is delightful and the white color is pure.  Besides, they seem happy here and have increased in number.
 

This is how I choose to spend much of my time.  It looks prayerful and does wonders for this soul. Here is the location of the sod walls that shelter many pots of lilies.  In the Spring two black plastic ribs will be placed to support the tarp that shelters from frost.  Now twenty-nine pots of lily bulbs fill the area.

Weeds and weather caused havoc this past year.  More pots were crammed in here making weed removal impossible.  Our wet Spring kept the leaves wet and many were lost to brown rot.  Fewer pots were placed here this fall.  We hope that the extra space between the pots will improve air circulation and allow access to weed.  Bark mulch has two intended purposes.  First, by filling the top of the  pots with mulch a removable layer is created that can be shaken out when the lilies are set out in the garden.  The sheer weight of three gallons of soil is exceeding my ability to deftly transfer the plant from the pot to the garden.  The bark mulch is taking up volume that would otherwise be filled with soil.  Second is weed control.  We will find out if these modifications make transplanting any easier.

This bare wall is cause for celebration.  Pots of plants have filled both sides of the wall since early Spring.  Most of the plants did find a home in the garden but some did spend the entire season trapped here.  Becky's kitchen garden is planned for the area now filled with weeds.  Maybe next year.