Still Sifting At 75

Twenty-five years ago we purchased thirty-six acres of land that could not support modern farming.  Without any consideration about the reality of the land, action was undertaken that would someday place a house on a somewhat level field.  Roaring in with wheelbarrows and hand tools, we discovered that a four tined spade could not be inserted into the ground.  Glacier broken stones were more prevalent in our dirt than topsoil.  The solution was to start screening out the stones where a planting bed was planned.

This picture illustrates my approach to everything.  Any job is never finished because I am always drawn to the next project.  This unfinished stone path stopped short of the crest of the slope.  Sizable weed growth shows just how long this site has been waiting for some attention.  This day's work began with me  taking time to smell the first rose.

Sifting dirt is a simple if uncommon process.  Once the plant growth is removed, patient use of the tools frees dirt so that it can be lifted onto the screen.  Stones are dropped where the path will go while the soil is used to fill a nearby depression that was previously left unfinished.

This may not look like much of a morning's work but wisdom defines limits that will make possible different work this afternoon.  This type of easy manual labor is credited with helping me reach seventy-five years of age.  A careful approach and a little wisdom has kept me injury free.  The remainder of this path will wait for another day.  As has been my habit, the next job calls.

This is not the first iris to open here but it is certainly the grandest.  Shaker's Prayer is its name and the past few years following a move have been difficult.  It appears to have finally recovered so that we can enjoy its brightly detailed markings.

Siberian Iris Bloom Order

Weather continues to raise havoc with both us and our plants.  The nearly complete lack of rain for May has hit the plants particularly hard.  I spend hours carrying water in sprinkling cans but only a few chosen plants receive this aid.  The onions, peas, lettuce and arbutus always receive some water.  The Siberian Iris have been left to survive without help.  These Shaker's Prayer not only are surviving but they were the first to flower here.
 

The complexity of the colors in these blossoms is awesome.  This one shows some smudging of the purple veins on the white background.  This may be a consequence of the dry ground since memory says that the color separation is usually complete.
 

Roaring Jelly is the first variety that we purchased.  Those tiny mail order plants are now huge.  Divisions produced enough new plants to provide us with several plantings of this variety.

Bright sunlight caused the camera to capture an image that distorts the actual color.  Perhaps we will try again under different light conditions.

If we try to complete the record of the order of bloom, the number of posts will be excessive.  We went more than a little nuts and ordered several different varieties for years.  Name tags are missing in some instances so we have to wait for flowers and try to identify named varieties. The flowers are all beautiful. A rose by any other name...

A Passion For Purple

Recent severe weather events had little impact on the plants near the road.  Only the lilies were covered when frost and freezing temperatures threatened.  Most other plants came through the cold unmarked.  Summer sweet is the sad exception.  This shrub is at least one climate zone outside of its comfort zone here.  Given the unending severity of the winter, it is no surprise that it appears almost totally dead.  An occasional leaf suggests some life activity but the future for this plant looks dim.  We may find a small living sucker plant tucked near a stone wall that will enable us to start again with this plant.

Meadow sage appears on the "get rid of this plant" list several times each year.  The foliage reeks of foul body odor whenever we work near this plant.  A coarse unkempt leaf display adds exactly nothing to the appeal of this plant.  It self seeds with considerable success and the deep tap root requires effort to remove.  Pulling a single plant releases a truly foul stench.  But just look at its mass of purple hooded flowers.  When these spent flower stalks are cut away, an unpleasant smelly task, the plant will bloom again.  In the end, this plant will hold several permanent spots in our gardens. Purple flowers are among my favorites.  For the occupants of cars speeding by, this plant is nothing more than a bold splash of color.

A Shaker's prayer Siberian iris flower is complexly colored.  Patches of pure white are cleanly crossed by purple veins.  Yellow near the base of the blossom clearly places this plant at the top of my must have list.   Purple flowers are a personal favorite.  The addition of yellow creates a perfect combination.  This is also the first of our Siberian iris to bloom.  Many more will follow with their own unique beauty but none will surpass Shaker's prayer.

False indigo rounds out our early collection of purple flowers.  More thought should have preceded its placement here.  Deeply rooted, persistent and growing ever larger with each passing season, this plant will expand its claim on this section of garden.  One will be forced to peek around it to see what else grows in this garden.

The distant ground in the first photo reveals our plans for the coming years.  The bare but partly weedy ground is scheduled for planting soon.  A second application of fresh grass clippings just beyond is intended to slow down the retaking of that area by the eventual winner, quack grass.  With any luck we will be able to plant that ground next season.  The dried grass under the sumac trees is supposed to kill the quack grass there.  We would like to place a garden bench in the dappled shade provided by the trees.