End of May

Posted on May 30, 2017 by

Let’s get the weather out of the way – it is cold and rainy. I may never get to put my sweatshirts away. It sucks.

One benefit is that the flower blooms last a lot longer than normal. My Clematis is gorgeous, but the peonies have been budded out for a couple of weeks but aren’t blooming.

Cold wet weather tends to affect my gardening exploits. I’ve done a little weeding and transplanting in between showers but not a lot. I did grow some corkscrew vines from seeds and set them out on our two arbors this weekend.

I have a wicking project to start, but it is too wet. We did get two yards of mulch taken care of last week and moved enough plants to set up a new sitting area in the shade of an oak tree, but it had been too cold and wet to sit out there. 🙂

Have you ever thought about vertical gardening? I just posted an article and a book giveaway on our Master Gardener blog in case you’re interested. Don’t want you to miss out on anything gardening related.

Seeing that I’ve been inside more than usual, I’ve been working on a hand project but am off to buy material today.

Last Friday, I went to an amazing class with Nancy Morgan, fabric artist, and want to try a small project. If you have an interest in hearing about her process let me know. I don’t want to bore everyone to sleep but would be glad to share if there is interest.

This screenshot of Goodwin Mansion in Strawbery Banke, Portsmouth, is from her website. It is 22×18″ and is all made with fabric. Her fabric skills blow me away.

Have a great week, and as we move into June, I hope your weather is sunnier than mine. 🙂

About Judy @ NewEnglandGardenAndThread

Master Gardener who enjoys gardening, quilting, photography, and traveling.
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35 Responses to End of May

  1. Joyce says:
    May 30, 2017 at 9:25 am

    Our weather has been perfect this past week – I hope yours kicks in soon so you can fully enjoy your planting areas!
    That is a quilt? Oh my! It would be a challenge to paint it, let alone piece it!
    One thing that comes to mind while I read your blog is the mantra of efficiency – “Hands to work, hearts to God” (Amish?) Gardeners always need to be busy – when rain comes in – out come the inside hobbies – in your case, QUILTS!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Judy @ NewEnglandGardenAndThread says:
      May 30, 2017 at 2:17 pm

      What a nice thing to say. 🙂 Nancy Morgan’s pieces are all framed under glass and intended for walls. They won’t keep your body warm but they sure keep your mind and heart warm as you are truly amazed at how they are created. With your art degree, I think you would love watching her work. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      • Joyce says:
        June 1, 2017 at 10:04 am

        I would love to see Nancy at work! And I also enjoy stopping back to the previous post every time I visit because you almost always have a thoughtful reply! Not a lot of bloggers do that (myself included) but it sure makes a comment-er feel appreciated!

        Liked by 1 person

  2. Laurie Graves says:
    May 30, 2017 at 9:32 am

    Cool and rainy in central Maine, too! Here’s hoping that June will be warmer. The upside is that everything is green, green, and green. And, it’s not too hot for a bike ride 😉 Nancy Morgan’s piece is spectacular.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Retirementallychallenged.com says:
    May 30, 2017 at 10:21 am

    I love fabric art so I vote yes! So sorry about your weather. I know how frustrating it can be to wait for a reluctant spring.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. circadianreflections says:
    May 30, 2017 at 11:24 am

    Your Clematis is gorgeous! Do you cut some blooms to have indoors too?

    That fabric art is lovely!

    Liked by 2 people

  5. Dan Antion says:
    May 30, 2017 at 1:31 pm

    Same cool wet weather down here. We’re trying to squeeze in outdoor stuff between showers. While fabric art isn’t likely something I’ll ever do, I’m always fascinated to learn how things are done. So, if you go for it, it won’t scare me away.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Joanne Sisco says:
    May 30, 2017 at 2:05 pm

    Unfortunately we’re having the same weather. Rain, wind, more rain, more wind. On a positive note, everything is very green and I don’t have to worry about watering :/

    Liked by 2 people

  7. Murphy's Law says:
    May 30, 2017 at 3:16 pm

    Holey moley! The fabric art is incredible! What a talented gal. My arthritic hands prevent me from doing anything like that, but I would love to know “how” it’s done, from start to finish.

    Weather no better here. Cold. Rain. Windy. Gloomy. Plants doing well, but hell, so are the weeds! No fun in that. 😋 But like Joanne said, we don’t have to water!

    What a pretty plant Clematis is. Reminds me of a daisy minus a layer of petals.

    Hope the sun shines on you soon. If we had any sunshine here, I would gladly send it your way. 😜

    Liked by 2 people

  8. the eternal traveller says:
    May 30, 2017 at 4:12 pm

    Today is the last day of autumn here in Australia. We’ve had glorious weather for weeks, warm and sunny with mild nights. Just how I like it. But Mother Nature realised that winter starts tomorrow and she’s decided to bring it in with a bang. There is a frigid blast moving north from Antarctica and it’s bringing cold temperatures and frosty mornings to much of the continent. Gaaah! The only comfort is knowing that, at least where we live, the cold weather only lasts for a few days and it should warm up again soon. I hope your weather improves too, Judy.

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Marilyn Armstrong says:
    May 30, 2017 at 5:27 pm

    I am seeing the same thing. Lilacs blooming for a month and the roses not blooming at all. Columbine blooming like a blanket, but not a sign of a the day lilies. But also, not much sign of the dreaded caterpillars of wrath! So there are good things to this crappy weather.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. joey says:
    May 30, 2017 at 7:51 pm

    The rain and cold really affected my peonies this year as well. They pretty much all bloomed the Thursday before Mother’s Day and they were all brown and sad by the following Wednesday. Usually, I get more like two weeks of blooming. 😦
    I hope you get some sunshine and warmth soon.

    Liked by 2 people

  11. KerryCan says:
    May 31, 2017 at 6:10 am

    Something good has come from the rain–you’ve made some progress on your fabric project! I think it’s good that you’ve almost been forced to move forward on that quickly–if you’re like me, the longer you wait, the less likely you’d be to actually do it. I’ll look forward to hearing more!

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Oddment says:
    May 31, 2017 at 6:50 am

    More cold and rain? Nooo! As a Hoosier I can empathize because Indiana goes through interminable bouts of such weather, and it is profoundly depressing. It would be so much worse at this time, when gardeners are manic about getting out and playing in the dirt. I marvel at how you can turn your frustrations (and creativity) into fabric projects. About which I know nada. But I am always inspired by your quilts and other projects, so I’m looking forward to reading about this new endeavor.

    Liked by 1 person

  13. Karen says:
    May 31, 2017 at 2:02 pm

    You certainly have had the rain but in the long run I think it is a good thing because of the drought that the state experienced. Good thing or not, it is hard when you would rather be outside in the sun enjoying your lovely gardens.

    Liked by 1 person

  14. germac4 says:
    May 31, 2017 at 7:36 pm

    Rain has a way of getting IN the way when you are a gardener on a mission! I look forward to seeing lots of photos of green countryside in your part of the world, as soon as the rain is over.

    Liked by 1 person

  15. Eliza Waters says:
    May 31, 2017 at 9:41 pm

    At first I thought Nancy’s work was a painting, but fabric, wow!
    I’m beginning to think we are going to need to build an ark. I end up working in the drizzle, I’m so behind. When the sun comes out, I leap outside to get a few chores in before the skies close back up!

    Liked by 1 person

  16. gardeninacity says:
    May 31, 2017 at 10:27 pm

    Your Clematis is definitely gorgeous, so many flowers in that stunning white. Other than some vines and very tall plants, I’m not all that keen on vertical gardening.

    Liked by 1 person

  17. Sue Harvey says:
    June 1, 2017 at 2:49 am

    Procrastination is good sometimes. Was going to trash my clematis after years of straggly vines and blossoms last yr. Didn’t get around to it. This year its loaded and blooms are lasting longer than ever. It’s either the weather or it heard me say “I’ve got to dump that thing this year”

    Liked by 1 person

  18. fernwoodnursery says:
    June 1, 2017 at 6:01 am

    I wish I could say that the weather is holding us up here at the nursery, but customers still arriving ( a good thing!!), umbrella’s being handed out, and plant potting still on the agenda. Often, by late afternoon, we are cold and soggy. It will change though, won’t it, Judy. And, we are not wanting to experience anything like last year’s drought so we’re being careful about what we wish for!

    Liked by 1 person

  19. reocochran says:
    June 1, 2017 at 6:39 am

    I loved the white blooms against the green grass in your own photograph and really think vertical gardening is a piece of art! Even when it is real plants, it is a challenge!
    Thanks for screen shot of the fabric and handmade design by Nancy Morgan.
    Judy, you have created several handiworks I have admired before. . .Have a wonderful rest of the week! xo

    Liked by 1 person

  20. Leah says:
    June 1, 2017 at 8:32 am

    I’d love to learn more about the project you have in mind and about the work of Nancy Morgan, as well. Bring it on!

    Your garden is so far ahead of mine. Peonies in bud? Not for a bit. I’ll have to check out the post on vertical gardening. That’s one way of adding even more to my yard!

    Liked by 1 person

  21. Dawn says:
    June 4, 2017 at 4:57 pm

    It has been such an unusual Spring here, too, Judy! May was quite cool and rainy, but now the ground seems so dry. Our blossoms are several weeks ahead of schedule. I’m very happy that we haven’t needed air-conditioning at all so far! Wishing you sunny June days in the garden, Judy! ♡

    Liked by 1 person

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