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The deer population which nightly passes through my property would regard my garden as a "salad bar" if I did not constantly spray repellant.  Their favorite, of course, are the hostas… and I have a load of hostas in my garden.  Those plants have all been sprayed, and, so far, they have not been touched.  

Today I noticed that the deer have discovered a new tasty treat.  They have never before bothered my Siberian iris, but today I saw that they have chewed off most of the buds.  In the photo below I think that you can see the chewed-off stems.

Of course I immediately sprayed the buds which remain, but the number of blossoms that I will have will be much diminished this year.

Fortunately I had sprayed this Asiatic lily that I planted yesterday.  Otherwise, all of the buds would have probably been gone.

Among the flowers that the deer seem to ignore (knock on wood) are the Mexican primrose which my cousin Gail gave me a couple years ago...

and the amsonia, which are always very pretty each spring.

If only the deer had a diet exclusively of weeds!

What Do You Think?

A few years ago when I was at one of the local garden centers, I bought several glass and ceramic spheres which are meant to be placed on a pedestal as a "gazing globe".  These are of different colors rather than the traditional silver, reflective spheres.  Instead of putting them on pedestals, I arranged them on the ground.

I didn't put them out last summer, but yesterday I brought them out of the storage shed.  Sometimes, when I look at them I think that they look cool.  Other times I think they look silly... as if I had set a bunch of bowling balls in the garden.  What do you think?

Heading Out Back

I have finished cleaning out the flower beds in the front, and I have now started with the beds behind the house.  I began with what I used to call the herb garden.

It used to be an island and contained mainly herbs.  But over the years it has grown and is now attached to the main perennial garden.  The only herbs there now are chives, oregano, lemon balm and mint.  (The last two are invasive, and each year I am ripping out large quantities.)  I used to have a lot of bee balm, but for some reason none of it came up this year (Notice the bare space in the lower right corner).  I will have to plant something in its place.  Perhaps some more daylilies... they seem to thrive anywhere.

The spiderworts are now in bloom.

They are also invasive and pop up in beds where I have never planted them.  They are pretty, but each year I dig out clumps that are taking over areas where I do not want them.

One clump has mutated into almost white flowers.  I wonder how that happened.

Farther back, the Siberian iris have begun to bloom.  

The honeysuckle vine is also blooming.  I planted it years ago because I wanted its beautiful fragrance.  Unfortunately, this particular variety has no scent at all.

You Will Be Missed

My sister-in-law, Barbara, passed away this morning.

She had been bravely battling cancer.  When she was diagnosed, she was given one year to live.  She refused chemotherapy, and went on to live six more years.  Most of that time she was able to lead a fairly active, independent and happy life... dining out and going to the movies, spending time with her grandson, enjoying holidays and family celebrations, or just sitting down with a good book.

It was a gift to us all to have her smiling presence for those unexpected, additional years.

We will miss you, and treasure the memories that we have of you. 

More Azaleas

Another one of my azalea bushes burst into full bloom seemingly overnight.

Bravo!

I have always wanted to hear a live performance of Beethoven's 9th Symphony by the Cleveland Orchestra, and last Thursday I got my wish.

(Concertgoers received a free poster commemorating the Cleveland Orchestra's centennial.)

This season is the 100th anniversary of the Cleveland Orchestra, one of the greatest orchestras in the entire world.  To conclude the season this month, conductor Franz Welser-Most scheduled five programs performing all the symphonies of Beethoven.  This Thursday, Friday and Saturday, was the grand finale of the centennial.  The orchestra played the last symphony which Beethoven wrote... his spectacular Ninth, the "Choral Symphony".  Next weekend the orchestra will travel to Vienna to perform all the Beethoven symphonies, and then in June they will go to Tokyo. 

I have been to many orchestra concerts in Cleveland's beautiful Severance Hall and the summer home at Blossom Center, but this was one of, if not the most memorable.  The evening began with Beethoven's "Grosse Fuge", the final movement of his String Quartet in B-flat major arranged for full string orchestra.  It was very nice... but I suspect that most people were eagerly anticipating the main event.  After intermission the orchestra returned to the stage, and the 150 members of the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus marched onto the stage as well.  The chorus is one of the only professionally-trained, all volunteer choruses in the U.S.  The house lights went down, and one of the greatest pieces in the history of music began.  The Ninth is Beethoven's longest symphony. It runs about sixty five minutes. The first three movements were beautifully played.  Then a dissonant chord opened the final movement... the chorus had risen to its feet... and four vocal soloists appeared on stage.  "The Ode to Joy", the lyrics taken from the German poet Friedrich Schiller, had begun.  I have heard recordings of this symphony many times, but it cannot compare to hearing a live performance.  The audience was engulfed in the sounds of the orchestra and the voices of the chorus and soloists.  Adjectives such as awesome and overwhelming are inadequate.  I am not ashamed to admit that I was trembling and teary-eyed.

And then it was over.  The audience rose to its feet and gave the performers a thunderous ovation.  The applause went on and on.  How long?  Five minutes?  Ten?  I don't know, but I do know that I have never heard such a prolonged response.  And although I am not one to shout, "Bravo!", I was shouting at the top of my lungs and applauding until my hands were sore. 

It was a tremendous evening, one that makes me proud to be a Clevelander!  

More Blooms

Several days of rain have prevented me from working in the garden, but now we have had some nice weather, and I once again am making some progress.

The creeping phlox, which I showed on my last gardening post, has now passed its prime, but more flowers are now blooming...

Sweet woodruff, a ground cover, has pretty white flowers this time of year.

The columbines are blooming, and there are loads of little seedlings coming up, which will provide blossoms in future years.

Some of the azalea bushes are now in full bloom.