It's May, and the gardening is sweet!

What a fantastic time of year to be a Northwest gardener! Plants are fairly bursting out of their beds with an exuberance matched only by the weeds, blooms are everywhere, the soil is warming up enough for warm season vegetables... and my to-do list is so long that merely reading it exhausts me. But it's my favorite time of year in the garden, and I only wish I could take the month off from work to garden full-time.

This post will provide a quick update on the garden, and that's about it. After all, it's Saturday, and there's gardening to do!

Veggies
Asparagus has been bearing for a few weeks and still going strong. Hubby didn't harvest during the week I was out of town, so there are already a couple of fronds that are about 4 feet high.

I harvested some radishes a couple weeks ago and another bunch last night. Radishes are great for people like me who like instant gratification.

Lettuce is doing well... when I can keep the slugs off it. I can start harvesting a few leaves this weekend, with more to come.


Flowers
Columbine is blooming and really jazzing up my woodland garden. Here are a few pictures:


Meadow rue -- weird-looking but pretty:


Rhododendrons -- some are in full bloom, and others are just getting started:


Miniature roses are gorgeous:


I took the citrus trees out of the greenhouse a couple weeks ago, and most of them are blooming like crazy. My front yard smells like citrus blossoms -- heavenly!


And finally, the carnivorous pitcher plants are coming out of their winter sleep. They have strange-but-cool-looking flowers:


The peonies have buds on them, and my white lilac just finished blooming.

There's lots to do in the garden. Next up: Planting the warm season veggies (beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, squash, and melons). This weekend I hope to get the beds manured and ready, with actual planting planned for next weekend. Busy, busy, busy!