Last evening I returned home from a week in Oregon on business travel. In recent years I’ve gone out a day early to hike coastal mountains and to visit gardens, but Covid closures nixed those plans. Next year I’ll go out two days early.

There have been several inches of rain over the past few days, and light rain prevented a look around the garden when I arrived home, so I was anxious to see how it had changed in a week. Weeds were mostly in check when I left so I expected no disasters, though following several inches of rain there were a few minor washouts.

A deer was spotted beside the circle patio in the evening’s fading light. I don’t track the timing, but certainly the next application of repellent is a few weeks overdue. With morning mist and heavy clouds through the day spraying will have to wait until tomorrow.

Several paths to back parts of the garden have grown over this week. Old clumps of toad lilies (Tricyrtis) jumped six or eight inches taller and wider and green and gold Japanese Forest grasses (Hakonechloa macra) now spread to cover open ground from a week ago.

Most of the Japanese irises (Iris ensata) have faded from their peak bloom a week ago, but a tall Siberian iris seedling now flowers above fragrant blooms of an ‘Eternal Fragrance’ daphne (Daphne x transatlantica ‘Eternal Fragrance’). Oriental lilies, spireas, and hydrangeas are just beginning to flower. I am happy to be home.