Back To Work

I’m sure not many noticed the lack of a Green Spaces column the past two weeks. If you are one who did, you could blame my sisters (with their husbands in tow) for coming from southeastern Missouri to see us. The first few days here were spent getting reacquainted with northeastern Montana. These two sisters also attended school here in Opheim way back when. They much prefer the dryer atmosphere here over the mugginess of a Missouri summer. We attended the Fort Peck Theatre production of Murder on the Orient Express, and then had ribs at Eugene’s afterward.

The last few days I accompanied them on a tour of Glacier National Park. We enjoyed a meal at the tiny Sugar Shack at Rudyard on the way there. We had a delightful time, staying at Club Ted (booked by my sisters via Vrbo). I so wanted to dig up some of the alpine flora we saw there in the park. But, not only would that have been unlawful, the plants most likely wouldn’t survive here on the non-alpine flats. We did consume a couple of mountain lilies up near the visitors center at the top of the Going to the Sun Road. Our Red Bus Tour driver, Dan, said it was okay to eat one there, but it’s illegal to harvest and remove them from the park. I can testify as to the slight sweetness of the flower, but the stem put me in mind of chives: there was a distinct bite and a bit of heat to that part of the plant.

Since my return from a wonderful vacation, I’ve been kept busy getting everything watered. It seems Mother Nature shut off the faucets and turned up the heat while I was away. I’m really appreciating the drip system my parental in-laws purchased for my garden 40-plus years ago. There are very few weeds growing between the rows.

I did get the netting erected over my row of peas. The plants were just flowering when my sisters arrived on June 16. I harvested my first batch of sugar snap peas a few days ago. I steamed them, after removing the stringy top, along with five baby potatoes snitched from under a plant. I threw in the same amount of mid-sized red onions. Doused with ghee (clarified butter) and sprinkled with Everything but the Bagel, they were delicious.

The bigger bird deterrent (think sharptails) consists of a dense black, closely woven netting, as well as a looser woven string netting. That looser netting needs to be replaced. I’ve already had to rescue two goldfinches. The first one somehow got inside the tent-like netting, and frantically flew from end to end before discovering the opening where I’d entered. The second one managed to get his talons, and then his body, tangled up in the net. I had to grab his body, holding his wings still with one hand, while snipping the string (it’s like nylon fishing line) with scissors in the other. I’ve left the scissors close to the fence so they’ll be handy should another bird snag itself.

I had a couple partial rows in the garden where my saved flower seeds didn’t seem to be growing. Since the greenhouse was having a sale (half-price!), I purchased more work for myself. I tried to stick to the smaller plants so I could shelter them under my plastic cup collection (the bottoms are cut out, and when the cups are upended over the new transplants, they provide shade as well as act as a small windbreak). Mostly I bought gazanias, and a few pansies. Of course, once I was actually doing the transplanting, I found small sections where my seeds are coming. But I don’t regret buying more flowers.

I couldn’t resist getting a couple large dahlias. Of course, they wouldn’t begin to fit under my cups. But I have a small collection of cedar roofing shakes left from when my in-laws built their house (also a long, long time ago). I set those in the ground to the south and east of those larger plants. So far, so good. Those dahlias I expect will reward me with large blooms I can cut and put in a vase sometime soon.

There were also more begonias (we have a soft spot in our hearts for those) and geraniums. I planted two more large planters with those, as well as some other flowering plants. I’d had a couple slips from my Swedish ivy started, so those joined the begonia/geranium pots. Now to figure out where to set those pots…

To deter the grasshoppers and box elder bugs, I’ve sprayed the yard with Tempo. I hope that’s effective as I’ve worked too hard to just feed bugs.

While it’s good go take time off to spend with family you don’t see often enough, it’s also good to be home.