Planting, Weeding and Rain

 Another week of tending the Prospect Gardens is slipping by. As I write this (June 8th), I am hoping for more rain. Earlier in the evening, we received a brief refreshing shower. The skies are overcast and it's anybody's guess if more badly needed rain will nourish the Prospect Gardens. The soil is dry. Today, I continued watering the grasses and flowers I received from Nate, a nearby neighbor.

Last Monday from another neighbor, Susan, I picked up purple cone flowers, pictured to the right. Susan is also a member of First Unitarian Society and offered the plants before last Sunday's service. Our Senior Minister Michael, gave a very interesting sermon about Henry David Thoreau. I didn't know his father made pencils. I was introduced to Thoreau in an American Literature class as a sophomore, attending the then two year UW Green Bay Center. We were studying the transcendentalists. I am considering reading "Walden" once again. 

The center eventually became the four year University of Wisconsin Green Bay.  Oh wow, the years have slipped by.


Susan also provided several other plants, including the one in the next picture. I can't recall its name.

 This last week also included more weeding and removing aggressive plants, and Ann, my wife, helped also.  For example, the Saw Tooth daisy. It's a lovely plant that blooms late in summer. However, the Saw Tooth spreads through seeds and rhizomes, providing an evolutionary advantage compared to other prairie plants.  Lesson here is this species needs a large prairie.  

The next two pictures show the "before" and "after" of my three hours of labor. Blue skies, mild temperatures and a light breeze meant perfect conditions for gardening. You can see the blue sky in the two pictures.

I was hoping to uncover many of the original plants we installed a few years ago. My expectations, as this picture indicates, were just that. Now the barren areas present opportunities for beginning again. I am considering planting more grasses with few prairie plants.  Grasses will help prevent erosion.  Maybe the sturdy sedge? Something to think about over the weekend.

Meanwhile, I will be hoping for more rain. I just looked out my window. A nearly a full bright moon hangs in the clear sky. Beauty and serenity abound while signaling less opportunities for rain.