Greetings fellow peony enthusiasts! Moments ago some diffused sunlight peeked out so as noted in a previous post, time to try out my new Sony and the Tamron SP 90mm Di MACRO lens. I am not a fan of using auto focus while shooting a macro lens but alas, prescription glasses to correct my near field astigmatism has allowed me to get back to manual focus. Much, much faster versus the searching that use to transpire. Although this new Tamron is faster than the previous model (and cheaper by the way), I do like manual when composing the shot. Since we are a honey bee safe zone on our farm, please let dandelions live versus spraying them! They are some of the first flowers that give our honey bees the necessary energy after a long winter hibernation.
This is another source of food for honey bees. Yes the dreaded ‘Creeping Charley’. This is one noxious weed that I am not a fan of as it chokes out all good grasses and can take over perennial and vegetable gardens. Even though the macro lens opened up a new view of it, I still think of the work it will take to pull this weed out of our beds. The best way we’ve found is to add another sheet of black plastic over our decaying western red cedar mulch in our beds and add more mulch. It is a never ending battle so if any of you have any chemical free approaches please email us at info@swensongardens.com.
Oh the sweet smells of spring bulbs!
One of our favorite smells in the spring is from our Magnolia Bush. The former owners of our farm said to wait till the next spring and enjoy the fragrance. Wow were they right. This bush is by far a touch of Heaven on earth! Thankfully this scent touches all our senses and each time I smell it, it reminds me that the peonies are a few weeks away from blooming!