Gardens Thrive With Sweat & Rain & Sun

 Rhododendrons thrive here on Cedar Pond.

 They grow wild in our forests, but the blooms are not as colorful there as the typical rhododendron found in landscaping in city & town.

 Snapdragons are doing well in our gardens and our flowerboxes.

 Pots of hostas, hens & chicks, phlox, snapdragons ,  and Campion are sitting next to our garage awaiting planting in other parts of the gardens.  

 Columbine sprouts, grows, and thrives everywhere here. We have several colors of Columbine , white, pink, purple. We did not deliberately plant it, but somehow this lovely wildflower found it's way into our gardens and we've grown to appreciate it.

 The kiwi arbor my husband built in front of our dovecote has finally been accepted by the kiwi. We actually have shade from the kiwi vines this year and the kiwi grows so quickly I know we'll enjoy shade from the hot summer sun here this summer.

 Fuzzy Harwood kiwi. We have a thriving male and female growing here . Each has it's own side of the arbor but they seem intent on meeting. Ah, romance ! We hope the romance of the male & female kiwi will produce fruit for us , but for now their joining producing shade is a good thing too.

 The grape arbor my husband built is greening with the grapes he planted  and I know we'll have a bountiful grape harvest if I beat the birds to it. Last year I made grape juice from these grapes and boy oh boy, my home made grape juice was so good ! I need to quadruple my grape juice canning this year because it  is so good we ran out of it quickly. Beats any commercial grape juice in taste for sure.

Flower box under the kiwi arbor between the chairs. Snapdragons, lobelia, and a red geranium.

 

All of the gardens on Cedar Pond thrive because my husband has worked hard to prepare the soil they are planted in. He has used the manure of many generations of our chickens, goats, & sheep composted and tended to produce rich soil . Rich soil that was hard clay in places and in other places  rocky & barren when we first moved here years ago. Rich soil produced with the sweat of hard work . Hard work that reaps it's harvest after the abundant rains we enjoy give way to sunny summer days . Yes, gardens thrive with the sweat of hard work , abundant rain, and glorious sunshine.