Busy in the Garden

There's a lot going on and a lot to do out in the garden these days. The broccoli was looking a little wilted during its first full day out from in under the cloches so I decided to do a little watering.

The radishes are up.

Jo's trying to get our green beans planted before it gets dark.

The cauliflower is next on my to be mulched list.

Busy in the Garden

Blackhaw Viburnum

Blackhaw Viburnum (Viburnum prunifolium)

We have a couple of specimens growing along the edge of the woods north of the house.

Black haw is usually grown as a large, upright, multi-stemmed, deciduous shrub with an irregular crown, but it also may be grown as a small, single trunk tree. As a shrub, it typically grows 12-15' tall with a spread of 6-12', but as a tree may reach a height of 30'. Commonly occurs in moist woods, thickets and on streambanks. Non-fragrant white flowers in flat-topped cymes (to 4.5" diameter) appear in spring. Flowers give way in autumn to blue-black, berry-like drupes which often persist into winter and are quite attractive to birds and wildlife. Ovate, finely toothed, glossy dark green leaves (to 4" long) turn attractive shades of red and purple in fall. Fruits are edible and may be eaten off the bush when ripe or used in jams and preserves. Common name refers to the purported similarity of this plant to hawthorns (sometimes commonly called red haws), though hawthorns are in a different family.

Source: Missouri Botanical Gardens
Also: Missouri Plants

Blackhaw Viburnum

Potatoes Mulched

The potatoes are now covered with grass clippings and mowed leaves. Soon the plants will be poking back up through the mulch again, but the mulch will help keep them moist and give the developing potatoes a place to grow without burying themselves so far in the ground.

Broccoli uncloched.

Spinach up.

Potatoes Mulched