The Garden Without Weddings

The voles were busy over the winter.

The ate a patch of liatris and a bunch of gladiola. A lot of echinacea disappeared.

The gardens were spared from both the Dogwood and Blackberry winters which was most appreciated.

Just a barely noticeable nip.

Then the spring building maintenance crew arrived. I have to say they are getting better about how they go about stomping through the garden. An accommodating rhythm and flow has developed over the years.

The groundhog enjoyed a nice patch of Louisiana iris down by the pond when little else was awake.

The voles were busy in the Almighty Falls too. A fat clump of yellow iris and a variegated sedge were significantly thinned. The snake that was eating my fish was dispatched right after it woke up. I was told it was relocated. I have my doubts. I was armed and hunting myself before someone else got to it first.

The deer are quite fond of the fresh greens of Hydrangea arborescens 'Wee White', a cultivar of the native species which they know quite well as food. The store bought deer repel was so so. I switched to cayenne pepper. Damn Varmints! They'll learn.

This is the Wedding Cake Garden's first spring after planting. I got a 95% take. Not bad. Now I just have to keep it from getting eaten.

This is spring three for the slope on the other side of the Almighty Falls. The Staghorn Sumac has been much slower to grow than hoped and the fall color has been less than stellar so far. I still have hopes for the picture perfect. At least the first runners on the sumac are popping up. This slope has reached the filling in stage.

It's show time.

But there will be no weddings in the garden for a spell.