Iris time.

Many of the irises are in full bloom. Here are a few.

"China Moon"

"China Moon"

"Pretty in Pink" (I think)

"Found Variety"

"Bumblebee Delite"

"Bumblebee Delite"

"Sunny Delight"

"Inuendo"

"American Classic"

"Edith Wolford"

Tomato log

On cool nights, I bring the tomatoes inside. Two weeks ago I bought 4 larger plants at Tsugawa nursery. They were so lush and beautiful. I planted them right out in the bed. It's an experiment. We'll see if they start to bear before my own seedlings.

Currently the plants in the tomato bed are sulking. There have been several nights as low as the low 40s, last night was 49 degrees. Tomatoes should not be set out until the minimum night temp is above 50. It WAS warmer when I planted them.

My own seedlings in pots are catching up to the purchased ones. The race has begun!

Thinning peaches. Victory over leaf curl!

Peaches and other stone fruits often over-bear. Too many can mean they all fall off, no bearing the following year, and the peaches are too small and not as flavorful It's psychologically difficult to remove peaches, but they are in clusters as thick as grapes, so about 3/4 have to go. I started thinning using a scissors, but finally twisted them off. I probably need to thin some more, but I'll wait to see how these do.

Before thinning. Peaches are so thick that the stems are obscured. They look like fuzzy grapes.

After thinning. I quit counting after removing 200 tiny peaches. There are probably still over 150 on the tree. Since these are genetic dwarf peaches, the leaves are much closer together than regular peaches. Plus, the final peaches are smaller. So, I don't think that they need to be thinned to the same distances as regular peaches.

If I was superstitous I would not declare victory. But we are getting to the end of when leaf curl is a problem. Click on labels below to see what I did, and what they looked like this time last year. It worked! Not only did I not kill the peaches with the plastic bags and spray, but they look great! I have pulled of about 10 leaves with leaf curl, but that's nothing compared to last year. Today I sprayed with neem - not sure if it helps, but they are in with the roses and roses definitely benefit (decreasing aphids and fungal disease)

What's blooming?

Tall lilac (blue) in full bloom, bushy Korean lilac (maroon) not quite blooming. Wisteria about 1/4 open, the fragrance already filling the air.

Rhodies are in bloom everywhere.

Lilac, close up.

Not blooming, but very pretty. This is "bloodgood".

Strawberries in bloom. The gardens have strawberries as borders. Quite pretty at this time.

Preventive measure: Tanglefoot for ants and aphids

Every year, I discover ants in the figs. It's not too bad - slice open and wash them out. If you miss a few, the ants have a nice crunchy texture and nutty flavor. However, the ants carry fungal spores, and it seems that the ant-infested figs also spoil before they reach their ultimate sweetness. Every year, I tell myself that "next year" I'll prevent the ant infestation.

Same with the cherries. Every summer, the leaves develop massive black cherry aphid infestations. I suspect that the ants cultivate the aphids. AFTER I see them, I get out the tanglefoot, but by then a lot of damage is done.

So this year WILL BE DIFFERENT! I actually did remember. What's up with that! Tanglefoot is great at stopping the ants from climbing the trees, and no toxic chemicals.

The instructions state to wrap the tree tightly with plastic, before applying the tanglefoot. I cut wide strips from plastic grocery store bags. These have enough stretch to make snug, bark-tight bands. They also tear quite easily, so there is no risk of girdling the tree with them. They start to deteriorate in about a year, which is time for the new coating.

I use a disposable plastic knife to apply the Tanglefoot. It's very gooey. Next to impossible to wash out of clothing.

I applied the same treatment to the pears, apples, cherries, and figs. The reason for also applying to the apples and pears is to reduce spread of disease by aphids.