The Backyard update

It rained the whole time I was gone up north...It rained in Nevada. Every day for over 10 days.
This is very unusual.....

Needless to say, my garden was fine. I was very worried about it....worried that the Handy Man would forget to water it.
It all turned out fine.
Everything has sprouted and is growing.

My plants are all potted and hanging baskets are hung (I'm afraid to open my nursery bill.... it came in the mail while I was gone. It 's still sitting there unopened. I have an idea about how much I spent...how much I budgeted for, but I am always a little over. )

Even tho it rained straight for 10 days, the next day it looks dry....

that is the curse of living in a desert.

Here are my squash, cucumbers and zucchini. The Handy-Man will make some supports for them, so they will grow "up". It says you can do this in the square foot gardening book....of course I'm planted a bit different, but it will work. Just wait and see.

Quail on a rock!

From my kitchen window!!

The dreaded "dog path" can be seen from here. And interestingly, the back of the Handy-man. We only see his back..... not on purpose, but apparently he just doesn't want to be seen.

The only trouble I'm having is with my Mountain Ash Tree. Did you know that Mountain Ash's are not part of the Ash family, but part of the Apple Tree Family? Kind of like a crab-apple tree.
See this branch? a lot of them are like that..... I think it is a disease called "Fire Blight".

Fire Blight:
Flower clusters are killed and turn dark brown to black. Dead leaves and aborted flower parts remain on the tree. Long, slightly sunken cankers are seen where the dead wood meets the live. In the spring, slime may ooze from the canker if the weather is warm and wet. No fungal fruiting structures are found in the canker. Flower clusters are killed and turn dark brown to black.


Management:
During dormancy when the weather is dry, prune infected branches, cutting at least 4 inches below the base of the canker. Disinfest pruning tools frequently. During the growing season, make pruning cuts at least 12 inches below the base of the canker. Use fertilization practices that do not promote excessive succulent growth. Remove root suckers and water sprouts while they are small. Remove unwanted plants that are susceptible to the disease from near cultivated plants.


I don't want to cut it back, but I guess I'm going to have to... this weekend maybe.
and I want to buy a few more flowers, for a pot by the hammock and by the "secret garden" (which is two chairs up in the corner of the yard, where I like to sit and read books. )



And here I was trying to get the whole tree...it's hard because it's kind of spindly. It looks really bad compared to what it looked like last year. (there is an apple tree behind it, so it is hard to picture )

The stepping stones you see , go up to the "secret garden".

The Virginia Creeper is hanging down from the patio cover. The Handy Man will be chopping it off soon, but I like it. It makes it look---more green. When you look out of it, it seems very "English Garden-ish" But he is annoyed by it.

Here is a better view of the sickly Mountain Ash Tree. Not looking so good!!

We walked tonight and it rained on us, by the time we got home it was raining hard. Everything looks so green in the rain. Not so dessert like. yay!!
But I want it to stop soon, because our summers aren't very long and I want every warm day I can get.