I’m so happy that all of you have been enjoying my blogs from our trip to Malaysia and to Borneo. Thank you for the great comments. There are more exciting blogs from that trip yet to come. In the meantime, since I know how much you enjoy seeing my farm, I decided to break from Malaysia for a bit and give you a fresh tour around the property. Please enjoy and happy Father’s Day to all of you dads!
These beds are ready for planting.
In the vegetable garden, this dragon fly is taking a rest.
Wilmer is using a Vibro hand seeder from Johnny’s. http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-460-seeders.aspx
Red amaranth is also known as Chinese spinach.
The Vibro does a very good job of dropping seeds.
Overhead was a very curious helicopter, which hovered for quite a while.
All the labels are P-Touched.
And carrots galore
I love soybeans, or edamame.
These beds have not been planted yet.
The fluffy plumes of a smokebush
A close up of the plume
Dominick used the hi-lo to receive a delivery of an equipment part.
A very dramatic afternoon sky over my stable
The clouds parted, emitting the sun’s rays.
The white garden is next to the driveway.
A lovely species peony
A white allium
A white beardless iris
A pure white clematis
Dicentra Spectabilis Alba – White Bleeding Hearts
The shade garden on the other side of the driveway is so lush this year. The hostas and ferns are amazing!
Meanwhile, the painters are sprucing up every building with a coat of stain.
Earlier that day, Shaun and his crew were weeding a section of the terrace. The allium were spectacular!
A perfect purple globe
This is the shade pergola outside the greenhouse. The tropicals are very happy here.
The peonies were spectacular even though they were about three weeks too early.
The citrus ‘grove’
The fragrance is always so wonderful!
Linda, my farrier, was fitting a horse with shoes.
Andrew Beckman – editorial director at MSLO – leading two photographers through the gardens – they were shooting for our digital magazine.
When the chickens get hot, they scratch cooling holes in which to sit.
The potato plants look wonderful.
They also move to shaded areas of the yard.
And thank goodness the tomatoes are healthy and strong. Remember the tomato blight of last summer?
Peppers and eggplant
The clematis pergola with the allium border – Many blooms have already faded.
Stunning clematis
I suppose that looks comfortable.
More
And more
The nepeta, or cat mint, will soon be harvested for the kitties.
This white poppy is Papaver ‘Royal Wedding.’
I don’t recall the name of this brilliant red poppy.
An early blooming orange lily
A brilliant Papaver orientale or Oriental poppy – it always amazes me how they unfurl from such a crumpled state.
A visit to the cutting garden – Can you guess what flower this bud will reveal?
A herbaceous peony – such a warm shade of pink
These pretty pincushion flowers are Armeria ‘Bee’s Hybrid.’
Delicate dianthus – these look hand-painted
A very dry stream bed
This meadow was freshly mowed. The hay is drying, waiting to be baled.
I hope the owls are happy and have babies by now.
The windrow rake and the baler are standing by.
Some of the old apple trees on the property
They have lots of maturing fruit.
Knocking the branch with a stick produced clouds of pollen dust.
The white pine trees had so much pollen this spring. Pollen is generated from small, clustered, staminate cones at branch tips.
Another hayfield drying next to a weeping willow grove
Mowing a paddock – they get mowed every week or two.
More dramatic afternoon skies
These are the same willows newly planted in the spring of 2008. They grow very fast!