Spring has sprung in the Willamette Valley, and summer is almost here. It's difficult to tell what with all the grey and gloomy days we've been having. (I have the heater on this morning.) I took photos around the yard yesterday, and they seem to show indicate that nature is at least carrying on a charade of vernal splendor.

To begin, you may want to review the photos from when we put in the berry patch, just to get a feel of the place. (Mighty Oaks From Little Acorns Grow is another related entry, though it has no photos.)

Here then is your virtual garden tour:

June in the Willamette Valley means strawberries. We picked our first fruit during the last week of May. Since then, we've been able to pick a bowlful every couple of days. Lately the strawberries have been rather flavorless, but they were amazing just after that pair of hot days.

Meanwhile, the blueberries are coming on.

Last fall, I transplanted four twenty-year-old blueberry bushes from Tom next door. One of them appears to have died, but the other three are exploding with fruit. Of the two smaller bushes I bought, one is bearing, the other is not.

Other berries are ripening, too. There's already one tiny, mutant raspberry that is red and tempting. Rhonda says the rest (and there aren't many) may be ready to pick by the end of the month.

   

The marionberry vine is a monster. Its main vine is thicker than my thumb and rife with nasty thorns. It's shooting out all sorts of helper vines, too. So far, it's under control, but it may eventually take over the yard.

Our thornless non-invasive blackberry is blossoming, just like all the other gazillion blackberries around Oregon.

   

There are even a half-dozen small, unripe berries: greenberries.

Blackberries are my favorite. In early August, we may have a nice little crop.

We planted four fruit trees last fall: a prune, a pear, and two apples. Of the four, only the most mature tree — the Jonathan apple — is bearing fruit. It has little grape-sized apples that are growing ever-so-slowly.

   

Are vegetable garden is still an experiment. Remember that I applied garden science to determine where to plant everything so that it wouldn't be shaded by the arborvitae. This has worked. Sort of. The arborvitae still cast a lot of shade, and with the neighbors' permission, I'll trim them in the fall. Also, the ground is too clayey and we've had too much rain. Despite this, the corn is putting up a valiant struggle. It may actually be knee-high by the fourth of July.

Each little cluster of grapes in the photo above is about the size of a dime. Of the ~100 cuttings I planted, only a handful died. I've thinned the five hills to only two cuttings apiece. I'll let each pair fight it out this summer, and pull up the weakest come fall. I only hope my arbor can support the weight.

Of course, our place has more than just edible plants. Rosings Park wouldn't be complete without roses, after all.

Kris is having trouble finding the name for each. The Neelands had mapped some of the plants, and others had tags, but based on further research, many of the roses were incorrectly labelled. She may call a Rosarian to come out and lend a hand with identification.

And, of course, no tour of the garden would be complete without a few photos of the cats. Toto, as you might expect, mostly stays inside, old and cranky. Her brothers, though, love the yard. Nemo is a little monkey, always getting into trouble. (As you'll see tomorrow, Simon is always having to come to his assistance.)

Most of all, our boys like to play together.

Nemo likes to stalk Simon.

And Simon likes to hide.

On this day at foldedspace.org

2004 — Motorcrash   On the drive to work this morning, I was composing an hilarious weblog entry. Then, at the intersection of Lone Elder and Highway 170, I came upon a terrible accident.

2001 — Tolkien Art   I found a web site that has a lot of Tolkien-inspired art.