Today was the first lawn mowing of the year. Fortunately, the grass grows slowly here. I can usually get away with mowing the lawn four or five times in the summer.
The iris are now in bloom. I look forward to this happening. Iris grow wild here and I have been spreading them along the edge of our lot across the street for several years. One side of the lot has a clump every ten feet, or so. Ferns also grow well here. I may begin spreading them, too, because they make a nice backdrop for the iris.
There is a new flower blooming in the lawn. I don’t know what it is, but it has a pretty blue color in the flowery part. After consulting with her, Melissa says it is a type of vetch and is lilac-colored.
Siberian Pea is an attractive, but invasive, ornamental plant. It bears edible pods and is wonderfully tolerant of moose browsing. It also resists vandalism by snow plows. Unfortunately, that makes it difficult to remove from where it is not wanted.
The previous owners of the house planted hedge on two ides of the lot. In the first few years of ownership, I cut out all the twisted or unproductive trunks. It made a huge improvement. It turns out you can cut off almost every stem in the spring and the bush will be back by midsummer. In later years, I began shaping the hedge. Now, I only have to bring it back a couple of times each summer.
You could probably have one person designated for the responsibility of weed (pretty ones!) control on your various properties as time goes by.
You mentioned Siberian Peas are edible. Do you eat them? To what are they similar in taste and texture? Would people plant them specifically for this purpose?