There we were, an amiable couple of 34 years, chatting about not much of anything, and here comes a blaze of glory. If there is another bird out there with more gusto than a hummingbird I don’t know what it is.

We have black-capped chickadees, red-breasted nuthatches, redpolls, several kinds of sparrows, robins, the occasional shrike sighting, too many bald eagles, sandhill cranes overhead, but the razzle dazzle of a hummingbird is a show stopper. She danced up and down the digitalis (“Foxy” foxglove), sipped a bit from the delphinium “Black Knight,” toyed with the cowslip primula but hit nirvana when she was faced with the magnificent mock orange. I think she gasped with delight.

I know I do. Each and every time I come and go from that door I stop to take a good long inhalation, face buried in the stunning simplicity of the white blooms.

There are three of these shrubs in the garden. The second one is on the end of the deck where the stairs lead to the stone paths, the third is under the bedroom window, and each one is stunning.

If you have yet to introduce one (or three) of these to your overall landscape plan, give it some thought. Two of mine have been in place for five years, and the third for two. They are very happy here in the Far North. Presently they are about 8 feet tall with the potential to reach 12 feet. I took their mature size into consideration before I planted them and am thankful for that. There is nothing sadder than a tree or shrub that is crowded against the side of a building, yearning for more space.

This is as good a time as any to plant a tree or a shrub. They are on sale, usually, and have enough time yet to establish themselves before the rigors of winter settle in. I have planted in September but the results were not as vigorous as August plantings.

The plantings of trees and shrubs that went into this property over the last seven and a half years has been worth it both in monetary return and physical labor.

The amur chokecherry with the wonderful copper bark is the haven the hummingbird sought when she needed a rest. There she perched, the green on her back the exact same green of the leaves, preening, regrouping, at peace.

Of the five European mountain ash two have been struggling, to the point that I considered removing them if they did not respond to the site this summer. Lo, they must have heard me, somewhat like the laying hen that hasn’t laid an egg in too long and you give her a little talking to and bingo! she has a eureka moment and starts laying eggs. Same with these trees. They have a wealth of suckers at their bases and I decided to cut them down and let the strongest sucker take over. No need. They look excellent this year. Although we water faithfully, there really isn’t anything like the real thing. We need to remind ourselves that we are at the northern most tip of the Northwest rain forest, and rain is the name of the game.

These steady rains that we have been graced with and that our natural and introduced landscape is so thankful for, have the ability to turn the strawberry crop into mush. I am harvesting underripe berries because I fear that they will rot before they fully ripen. Strawberries have so many enemies: weeds, too hot, too cold, too dry, too wet, birds, rodents, slugs, a certain Jack Russell terrier who is no longer satisfied with the castoffs thrown her way and now picks her own.

I have been allowing mine to grow in a mat (not rows) in a raised bed. I like the way it looks and the mass of foliage seems to help hide the berries from the birds, but I am now questioning air circulation. Methinks that next year I may experiment with one bed in rows to see if bigger berries develop and to cut down on rot.

I was watching a 5-year-old friend pick strawberries the other day and he was having a tough time finding them. I think that rows will make it easier for the children in my life to find the berries, to know where berries come from, to understand berries, to never take a berry for granted.

This rain may have hindered my corn crop. I have been informed by a fellow gardener who actually grows so much corn that he puts it in his freezer, that the rain we have been experiencing will damage the pollen that needs to make it to the tassel on the ear of corn. Rats. We will be able to tell in about a week to 10 days whether or not this is the case. I intend on holding my breath.

Note: I like to deadhead the peonies just because they look neater but the seed head that forms is just stunning so you may want to let them go and use them in dried flower arrangements.