Suddenly it's summer

Suddenly its summer. Everything is lush and green. I walk out in the morning to a warm earthy summer aroma; blossoming trees, grass, gardens, things growing. Out on the back deck in 70 degrees with morning coffee, warm sultry sun soaking into my skin, I watch our pair of sandhill cranes having an early morning stroll. They came back so late this year we thought they had given up on us. Then one morning out in the garden  I heard them loudly announcing their arrival. It was a particularly windy day and they circled the gardens twice before dropping their landing gear, those long spindly legs, and floating down like drunken sailors reeling from side to  side trying to keep their wings even as they were buffeted about by the wind. 
The gardens are finally all in order and ready to do their thing. Perennials are a foot high and looking like they didn’t have a bad winter. Rhubarb is at least two feet. Vegetable gardens are ready for “starts”, the seed we planted in pots and have been growing under grow lights. Except for carrots, radishes and peas we start most vegetables indoors. Dan has been getting them ready for planting by hardening them off along with flower starts that we use to fill in between the perennials. Rock gardens are in flower as is the rose tree of China and the forsythia.
Only the shade garden is still half asleep. No sign yet of the hostas or the lamium or brunnera but gorgeous blue poppy greenery and a very lush looking thalictrum lavender mist, my favorite.  Not quite as lush are the bleeding hearts. I’m hoping they’ll perk up in this warm weather.
Everyone is knocking wood. Last year we had a beautiful start to summer like  this and it lasted about three weeks. Then it started to rain and continued to rain for 31 straight days. That can't happen again. Knock wood.
After the early cleanup by our garden helpers step number two was weed patrol. Its easiest to get weeds when the perennials are just pushing out of the ground. If you get them early they are relatively easy to keep in check for the rest of the summer. Next I went through and put everything in its place. Some things like the peonies and geraniums stay right where you put them. But others like to stretch out. Companula glomorata for instance. I love the look of the plant with its green cushion sending up stalks with showy purple flowers but its habit of creeping out of its spot is a nuisance.
Some consider it an invasive species.  I pulled out lots of glomorata. Also Filipendula ruba, another creeper. It was moving into the native day lilies which are also creepers but easy enough to keep in check. Then there are the self seeders. A friend calls them volunteers. The problem is when they volunteer to grow where they shouldn’t grow. Silene put itself in the peonies. So did the little anemone, Windsong. A healthy looking delphinium was coming up in the asiatic lilies. Lots of columbine everywhere. This year even ligularia had baby’s. One right in the middle of the foxglove. Another in the siberian iris.
Everything that comes out gets potted up for the plant sales. All the garden groups raise funds with early season plant sales. Its much more satisfying to pass the plants along to others to enjoy than to merely dump them in the compost pile.
The orchard is in red bud. That’s the color of the buds before they open into white blossoms. The weeping cherry is in full bloom as is the manchurian plums but everything else will wait until next week. Just in time for the yearly orchard open house.
Summer’s arrival has timed itself perfectly for Memorial Day weekend which is the traditional planting day in the Valley. We actually could get more growing season if we started earlier like in mid-May but there is always the chance of a late spring freeze so we wait.
Today on a summery day like this it’s clear waiting time is over. Time to get planting.