Garden Tuesday: Around the Yard

Today I'm presenting the Back River Birch.  It's in the backyard, gets runoff from the downspout, as well as sprinkler water, and gets full sun.

The watering can is for size perspective, and the pic was taken at 8:15 am.  Three years ago, this was literally a twig with roots.  Now, it's easily 7-8' tall, filling out, and is really healthy!  I worried about the river birches because of the drought, but I am pleasantly surprised!  There are green shoots at the top, probably due to some cooler weather this week, and a tiny bit of evening rain.  Eventually, this tree should get to be 75' high or taller, and will shade corner windows (to the left just outside the pic).

This area of the yard was landscaped designed as a large tree/flower bed that would accomplish form and function.  The former owners left us the plan so we could finish it out.  We've had irrigation issues, and installing the bed was not on our priority list when we had the system installed.  So the idea became a tree, rather than a bed that would entail redoing the sprinklers. I plan to fertilize again this fall, as that worked well last time.  Hopefully, he'll double in height again next year.

I am very proud of the trees I planted a few years ago.  They were saplings from the Arbor Day Foundation, and we got a nice variety.  The red maple went in the front yard for shade from the evening sun.  Two river birches were planted on opposite sides of the house, each to shield large windows.  Two quaking aspen were planted just outside the side fence, in a triangle with one inside the fence to make a "grove"; the inside one was an Arbor Day giveaway to my son 8 years ago, and while they told the kids they probably wouldn't grow, ours took off and is easily 100' high now (not kidding).


Also around my yard today, I took a look at the neglected flower bed along the fence behind this tree.

I did weed and mulch it this spring, but with the extreme heat, I did not go back out.  My poor drooping irises!  Must tend to those soon.  They're late bloomers and kind of hidden now, so I don't usually remember to take care of them after the blooms.  And usually the flowers are abundant, but the heat/drought quashed that, too.

I took a pic of an awesome huge spider web from the crabapple tree drip line down to the mini azaleas.  But it doesn't translate well in the camera.  Yes, the insects are buzzing and crawling quite happily now that it's below 100 degrees.  There were pretty big mosquitoes out last night.

Oh, I did get two more small tomatoes from my plants.  There are two more green ones on one plant, and blooms but no fruit on the other.  More disappointing each year.  I may give up on that garden and just concentrate on perennials and trees from now on.

How's your yard coming along?  Share your garden pics and enjoy the others at  Garden Tuesday, and Garden Party and Bloomin' Tuesday.