Well, I have put off updating my blog for a bit, because I kept hoping to have some great pictures of my new growing garden to show you. But thanks to this crazy long, wet spring we’ve been having, that’s not going to be a possibility!

A few things have grown: lilies, dahlias, acidantheras, gladiolas and sweet peas have all shown their first green growth above the soil, some about 5 inches or so, but my daughter and I are still waiting patiently for the soil to warm enough to nurture our other plantings. The hollyhocks, columbine and sunflowers have little baby seedlings up which we are hoping will survive. And of course, the faithful hostas and heucheras in the beds from previous years have faithfully returned, making sure we have something stable to celebrate no matter what.

Looks like this may be a year of note-taking, patience, and learning for next year. Though we had hoped for wild, jubilant success, what we are instead experiencing now is also a good lesson about nature’s whims and the realities of farming. Certainly we are grateful to be living in Oregon where the weather is mild, if often uninspiring, and not where we are subject to frequent tornadoes and flooding! Given the choice, I will definitely take a cloudy June over being the subject of national news coverage. And who knows, by August I may actually have those photos I have fantasized about sharing!