Sunday, June 12, 2011

Back to Normal

Life has finally slowed down to a less stressful state for me.  After a week of catching up on some rest and completing some postponed chores, I am back into a semi-normal routine at last.  Time for chauffering Younger Granddaughter back and forth to sports camps, time for a long-overdue sleepover for Middle Grandson, and time, of course, for gardening.



Thanks to all who offered words of encouragement on my last two posts when I was feeling under pressure, to say the least.  Daughter's wedding reception/party went very well, despite the threat of storms late in the evening and the heat--who knew when she set the date for this party back in January that June 4 would be the hottest day of the year?!!  By the time the first guests arrived, my make-up was streaming down my face and my carefully fluffed hair was plastered to my head.  But no matter; a good time was had by all, and that was all that was important.  Unfortunately, I was too busy the first few hours attending to some last-minute details and greeting guests to take any photos of the setting.  Thanks to my Dad for this photo early in the evening of  the tent with Daughter's tropical theme.


All my worry about the garden was probably for naught, as the heat and a chance to visit with the bride and groom kept most people from venturing too far from the tent.  But I'm sure if I hadn't bothered to weed and edge the flowerbeds, that would have been when everyone wanted to see the garden!  Even Daughter, who was super-busy the whole short weekend she was here, noticed one plant--the clematis, which was still in full bloom last weekend.  She noticed this immediately as we drove up the lane at 1 AM, its blooms shining in the moonlight.


I'm glad she got to see it while it was still in its full glory, because after a few rainshowers and some wind, all the blooms now look like this. 



After a week of neglecting the garden while I attended to other details, the weeds had grown by leaps and bounds and I also had missed a few things. I barely noticed this Allium roseum while it was in bloom, and now it has already turned to seed.


My garden seems to be on a different time schedule this year.  I had hoped this Asiatic lily would be in bloom last weekend, since Daughter loves lilies.  Last year it was blooming the first week in June, but so far all I see are fat buds (and the camera-shy Marmalade who has taken to following me throughout the garden this year).



The Stellas are late, too.  Normally, I have masses of blooms by this time, but they are just now beginning to open up.




On the other hand, the daylily 'Moonlight Masquerade' is way ahead of schedule and surprised me when I found it in bloom this week. Maybe the weather has had something to do with the different timing of blooms this year.  Like much of the country, we have had oppressive heat for the past week and a half.  Temperatures in the 90's with the typical Illinois humidity have made working in the garden unbearable for most of the day.  I'm not a morning person, but I've forced myself to get out of bed as early as possible this week to head out to the garden before the sun drives me back inside to the cool air-conditioning.  I've hoed weeds and spread mulch, often still in my PJ's and minus contacts, still clutching the first cup of coffee.


June is my favorite month of the year, but it isn't supposed to be this hot! Today (Sunday) is the first pleasant day in a long time; I'm hoping the cooler temperatures will stay with us for awhile. The heat, though, may have jumpstarted this first coneflower, which normally doesn't bloom until weeks later.  Late lilies and early coneflowers . . . I'm beginning to wonder what July will bring.


Good old faithful yarrow, though, is right on schedule; I guess the garden timetable isn't completely topsy-turvy this year.  After the last few busy months, it's good to get back to normal . . . whatever normal is:)

17 comments:

  1. Love the setup for the reception. I will forward this to my daughter...her wedding is next summer.
    Love your lilies....especially 'Moonlight Maaquerade' guess I am a sucker for purple blooms.

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  2. I'm glad the wedding went well, except for the heat. What wacky weather we've had! I though the lettuce was finished, what with the 90s we were having. It even got up to 100 a time or two. Now, we've had a cool down with some rain, and the lettuce has been doing better, but some of it had already begun to bloom, and they are going to go ahead and send up those flower stalks unless I get them pulled. The green beans in one area, and summer squash in another are coming up, so I am harvesting the lettuce closest to those.

    I can't remember when certain flowers bloom in relation to others, but a few days ago, I looked back at my June posts from last year, and saw that some of the flowers are earlier and others later than last year. Some are about the same, though. Well, it's 2:15 p.m. and 73 degrees. I better get back outside now that I'm finished eating some watermelon.

    I hope your temps are cooler too.

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  3. Congratulations! The wedding and the reception were a success, the garden shone, and a momentous occasion was celebrated.

    Well done, gardener. Very well done, mother.

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  4. Doesn't the weather feel heavenly today Rose? I could stand a whole week of this. Aaahhh. It looks like the tent was a cheerful place. No wonder everyone stayed in there. I know how you feel though. You wanted everything perfect. It looks like you did it. Congrats. Now, relax and enjoy the summer.

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  5. It's been hot here too Rose. Glad to hear that the wedding turned out great, all the hard work on your part paid off. :)

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  6. Hi Rose, I'm glad everything went well for your daughter's wedding. The stress must have been intense. Your garden is lovely, as usual. June here has been hot too, but today it rained and it is much cooler.

    I love that tropical theme! Glad it's all over. I've been away from blogging for a bit. So, will catch up on your earlier posts.
    Hugs

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  7. I bet it is so nice to get back to normal indeed. Lovely tent set up. I bet it was a great party for all.

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  8. Hi Rose,

    I am so glad to hear that everything went well with the wedding reception. I thought of you all and prayed the weather would be kind to you. Such a lot of planning goes into these things....well done Rose.
    I now understand the heat of Illinois, after my visit last year. I had to smile when you said about running make up and plastered hair.....a similar look to mine when I visited....Ha!!

    Due to the odd weather here, my garden is all over the place. I do not understand what is going on at the moment as everything seems muddled. Some plants are way ahead of their time and others are well behind. Odd.

    Clematis are wonderful plants. I have around ten in my garden and they all give so freely.
    They are wonderful for growing through old trees.....
    Nelly Moser is lovely.....

    Yarrow....if only. I really love this plant, I love the flat blooms. Sadly it does not like my wet soil, so I have given up on her. Perhaps one day I will try again.


    Have a restful week Rose. Feel a little concerned about you.....do take care.

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  9. Glad the reception went well. Now you can relax & get your breath back!

    That clematis is beautiful.
    Maggie X

    Nuts in May

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  10. Janet, Congratulations on your daughter's engagement! The outdoor reception was nice and what my daughter and son-in-law wanted, but an indoor one at a hotel would have been much easier:)

    Sue, I got a late start planting veggies, so my spinach and lettuce may not do well at all--I haven't even picked any yet. The temps really cooled down this weekend--I love it!

    Laurrie, Thank you; I felt a bit let down when all was over after so much planning, but then again it's nice to not have so much on my to-do list for awhile.

    Lisa, The weather right now is wonderful! I even had to put on a jacket last night while working in the garden for a bit, but I'm not complaining. Relaxing is at the top of my to-do list:)

    Racquel, Last week was downright miserable. I'm looking forward to temps in the 70's this week.

    Wendy, Good to hear from you! I've been wondering how you were doing--how is the move coming along?

    Tina, Big events like this get me motivated to finally accomplish some long-overdue projects. But I'm glad to finally have a short to-do list now:)

    Cheryl, My biggest worry was that we'd have a storm and I'd have to fit everyone in my basement! But even with a little rain late in the evening, all went well. The heat this past week, though, has been much worse than when you were here in September. Yarrow likes it here--it pops up everywhere in my garden.

    Maggie, This was a banner year for the clematis; I need to add more to my garden. Yes, I'm breathing much easier these days:)

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  11. So glad it all went well Rose. I kept thinking about you and wondering how it was all going.

    The marquee photo looks so pretty and colourful!

    I know I could not survive in the humidity there, it would just take my breath away, literally! I see that not only are we both procrastinators but also we are both non morning people! I smiled at the thought of you gardening in your PJs :) and admire you for forcing yourself to rise early and make the most of the cooler hours.

    Your blooms and photos are lovely as always. My Nelly Moser performed beautifully this year again too.

    Enjoy the relative peace and quiet Rose and congratulate yourself on a very successful celebration!

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  12. The tent for the reception looked wonderful. We have had really hot weather the last couple of weeks too.

    Hopefully you will get a cooldown and can relax and enjoy the garden!

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  13. Rose girl I am working my way backwards on your posts (sorry I am so late getting here to read about the wedding.. it sounds like all went well except for that horrible heat .. and I know exactly how you must have felt .. I would be the same way too .. totally melted ! haha) The garden is totally mixed up with what it is supposed to do with such swings in the weather .. I know I have said it before but it is true -> MENOPAUSAL weather !!LOL
    Those lilies are gorgeous and yarrow is one great old fashioned plant you can rely on for sure!
    Joy : )

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  14. Lord-a-Mercy, it's been hot here too. I'm glad you made it through the reception. My daughter wants to have hers here one day too. Eek!!! I've got awhile though. Your blooms are so pretty my friend. Guess what, my lilies are all out of order too. What is up with that? I think the weather. Moonlit Masquerade is one of my all-time favorites. It just glows.~~Dee

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  15. I'm so glad everything went smoothly for you. It's too bad the guests didn't get to see how hard you've worked to make the gardens so beautiful.

    This has been an unusually hot spring, even for Florida, and very dry here for it being the start of rainy season. Let the normal return soon!

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  16. I'm glad you had a good party. I'm sure a marvellous time was had by all in that gloriously decorated marquee.

    Beautiful flowers. Our weather is abnormally cold - I've resorted to a hot water bottle while Husband's been away! - but amazingly things are growing in my garden. I must post some flowers - whoops, I meant to write pictures!

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  17. So glad it all went well, you must have been exhausted!

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