It’s midsummer week! The garden is reaching its chaos stage, which is both exhausting and fun in equal measure.

One — Lilac Gets a Haircut

I’ve mentioned this guy a few times before because it continues to delight me with its development. The first thing I thought when I was trying to take care of the old lilac hedge (a real behemoth before it just up and died) was that I wished it was shaped like those cute little tree lilacs that cost far more than I was willing to pay at the fancy garden shop. Then this little volunteer started growing literally the next summer. In 2024, it was apparently 1 meter tall. It’s over 2 meters now, and I decided that was about as tall as I wanted it to get, so it got its very first trim today. Kept the pretty vase shape with the trunks, cleaned up all the crossing branches and tops. Now it has all summer to grow into itself and set next year’s buds, which will hopefully be as much of a show as this year’s.

Two — My One. Singular. Poppy.

Sigh.

Right, so here’s the thing — my very first year gardening here, I just slapped down several sacks of store soil and sprinkled a flower mix over it to have SOMETHING grow there. I ended up with an amazing display of dozens of poppies in every shape and color and was utterly enchanted. I’ve been trying to replicate that ever since and have not come anywhere close, despite having success growing just about everything else, to my immense chagrin. This one single survivor is from a batch of Papaver orientale (I think that’s literally all it said on the packet) I winter-sowed in early 2023. Little plastic bubble domes, transplanting, etc. I remember putting out a bunch of tiny ones that year, and I guess this one is the only one that actually became a perennial? No idea what happened, but next spring I’m just going to go out there and hurl seed packets at the ground, because apparently the neglect method is the only thing that’s ever worked for me.

Three — Rodgersia aesculifolia (Sormivaleangervo) is in Flower

Those giant leaves are so cheerful and tropical. They also provide a nice barrier so I don’t bump into that giant yew threatening to take over the whole path. No, we still haven’t gotten around to pruning it yet, but my musing out loud that maybe we should get professionals to do it finally had the husband going “well, I have loppers…” so we shall see how that goes.

Four — Lilac Debut

The Hungarian lilac (Syringa josikaea) I planted out in the flower field in autumn 2022 has finally bloomed! It’s a pretty light pink, as advertised, and I am hopeful that this means it has set down a good root system and will start shooting up this year.

Five — Sunchoke Versatility

I made a pea tower from sunchoke stems and am far too pleased with the result. My sunchoke beds gave me LOTS of lovely stalks that I’ve been using in various ways — the sturdiest got cut and saved as stakes, so now I can make as many climbing structures as needed without running to the store for more bamboo. The less sturdy ones got crushed and used as mulch. A few beds also got the chopped-up stems as bed filler. Easily one of the most versatile plants in the garden.

Six — Lupines Going Out with a Bang

And finally, a look at my annual lupine bouquet cascade. Midsummer is pretty much when they have to be cut down before they start going to seed, so I go all in for a grand display while I’m at it. They look floppy and arched the first day they’re in water, which is actually the look I prefer.

As you can see, they perk up overnight and look much more tidy but less artfully strewn by the morning. For those wondering why I have to pick all the lupines, I write about it more in my IAVOM post.

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Thanks for visiting — see what the rest of the SoS crew is up to over at Jim’s page!