Pictured: Volunteer Martha Washington Geraniums in a porch planter 7/12/26.
| Another quiet summer week on the ranch. We took a leisurely woods walk Saturday afternoon and a quick stroll through a park on Sunday morning. Shane did some great work on mom’s ‘bird tree’ over the weekend too. Enjoy! Amy | Table of Contents: ~ Woods Walks: Blooms & Hidden Finds ~ ~ The Birds: Birding with the Merlin App ~ ~ The Yard: Bucket Garden & Bird Tree ~ ~ Garden Guide: Phenology in Action! ~ ~ The Blog: Livestock & Upcoming Editions ~ ~ The Funnies: Plant & Nature Humor ~ |
~ Woods Walks: Blooms & Hidden Finds ~
What’s Happening in the Woods This Week
In Active Bloom:
- Common Centaury (Centaurium erythraea)
- Clustered Dock (Rumex conglomeratus)
There isn’t a lot new to see down there. I didn’t get it pictured, but I noticed a lot of Oregon Grape berries are getting quite purple and ripe in appearance. Have any of you made Oregon Grape jelly?? I’ve heard of people doing it, but I just haven’t been brave enough to try it yet!
This is what I’ve found on the internet: “Oregon Grape berries are naturally tart and high in pectin, making them excellent for setting jelly when cooked with a traditional 1:1 sugar ratio.” Share any recipes you use in the comments!
Still no trail-cam videos yet. We keep forgetting to change batteries and get them set up! Maybe we’ll get it done next week……or not hahaha.
~ The Birds: Birding with the Merlin App ~
I had to zoom in 30x with my phone to get a picture of this pair of Wood-Peewees down by the creek on Saturday. Now that we’ve learned to spot them, we see them everywhere!
Went to Silverton on Sunday, and were early for an event we were heading to, so took a walk in Coolidge-McClaine Park, Silverton, OR. Found a couple new birds for my life list. They are super common here at the ranch as well, but also VERY hard to see in the brush tree environment we have here. This park had wide open trees so spotting these birds was a breeze!
~ The Yard: Bucket Garden & Bird Tree ~
Shane made this video of the ‘bird tree’ to showcase his latest additions.
That garden next to the house is our project this fall when the rains come back in force and loosen the soil. We need to dig out the blackberries the birds were nice enough to seed there and we have a few Roses and wild Bleeding Hearts that need potted up. The plan is to mow it short, add cardboard, wet the cardboard, pay to get a load of woodchips delivered, cover the bed in woodchips, then plant non-edible/non-medicinal ornamentals in that bed. The plan is some Feather Reed Grass, dwarf Rose of Sharon, and dwarf Butterfly Bush in the back row. Middle row False Indigo, Hardy Cranesbill Geranium, dwarf Plumbago, Daffodils, Dutch Iris, and Glory-of-the-Snow. Ground cover throughout would be Creeping Sedum.
Shane has 7 different kinds of strawberries going! The Pineberry ones (white ones that supposedly have a taste of pineapple) sent off a ton of runners so he’s got them set to root in small pots. He wants to add another variety or two, Arctic I believe is one.
Sabina Burrito kitty out by Shane’s garden!
~ Garden Guide: Phenology in Action! ~
I switched to using phenology to plan my garden, so I created a practical planting guide to help you do the same! Instead of following a rigid calendar, phenology means watching local indicator plants to know exactly when the soil is ready for your crops.
What to look for in Late June/Early July:
– Daylilies & Ocean Spray blooming.
– Himalayan blackberries starting to form green berries after blooms fade.
Harvest immediately as they become ready:
– Sweet Cherries (last call!)
– Blue Elderflowers (last call!)
– Mulberries
– Juneberries
– Currants
– Gooseberries
– Summer Squash
– Cucumbers
– Bush Beans
– Collard Greens
– Swiss Chard
– Carrots: reach peak sweetness when the foliage hits 12+ inches tall and the root shoulders poking out of the soil are 3/4 to 1 inch thick.
– Garlic: Look for the lower leaves of the stalk to turn brown and dry out. When the bottom 3 to 4 leaves are brown but the top leaves are still green, your bulbs are ready to dig!
Harvest begins shortly:
– Pie Cherries
– Japanese Plums/early European Plums
– early Blueberries
– Red Huckleberries
– Onions: Watch the green, tubular tops. When the plants are ready, the stems will lose their structural integrity and naturally flop over at the soil line. Once 50–80% of the patch has flopped, it’s time to harvest!
Make sure you pay attention to what nature is doing, as the months listed are APPROXIMATE. Especially with the crazy weather we’ve experienced this past winter until now! It may seem early to start some tasks, but trust that nature knows exactly what it’s doing! Just because I am here in Molalla, OR, doesn’t mean these same indicator plants won’t work the same in other areas, also. FOR EXAMPLE – higher elevations or colder regions may take longer for some plants to bloom or set fruit.
Ready to garden by nature’s clock?
Now you can download and print your own copy!!
~ The Blog: Livestock & Upcoming Editions ~
Don’t forget the monthly Homestead Happenings: Livestock Edition that goes out the first of each month!
Here’s the latest:
Homestead Happenings: Livestock Edition July 2026
The next Homestead Happenings: Livestock Edition for the July recap will come out August 1st, where we talk about plans for sheep breeding season!
We’ll also see you all again July 20th for the next Homestead Happenings: Flowers & Nature, where we’ll share even more garden guidance and check out what else is blooming!
The blog is a sampling of all the photos I’ve taken this month. Please head over to our social media to see the photo dumps!
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~ The Funnies: Plant & Nature Humor ~
~ Thank You! ~
Hollow Hills Ranch 