No Rain in the Garden!

Yesterday was a great day to spend in the garden. We didn't see much of the sun, but the grey clouds kept the rain to themselves. We have lot to do. Ed spent time digging and dividing iris. Susan and May stopped by to trade plants.  Two different iris that were from Susan's grandmother's farm are now at Stone Wall Garden. I weeded around the lavender hoping it would dry off so that I could cut it. I have my ribbons all ready to make lavender wands. I didn't get around to trimming the lady's mantle so it still has it's after the heavy rain look.

Without the rain this "Sundown" cone flower had a visitor .

 It was so nice to see a honeybee on the milkweed. I wish you could enjoy its fragrance that dances through the garden on the wind!

 The A. curviceps, swamp milkweed, is blooming too. Ants seem to be visiting here.

 I took great delight in watching this bumblebee wriggle and roll around in this pink poppy.

But the best fun was watching the antics of this male woodpecker and his offspring. Dad does feed the baby, who is almost his size, but there seem to be rules. Baby seems to get fed after flying, and definitely gets fed after pecking on the locust tree branch. Here at our garden playground work does get done, but stopping to enjoy what is going on around you is job ONE!

Gone To Seed

Blue sky days this time of year mean cold nights, even into the teens, but for a short time in the middle of the day, it is gorgeous in the garden. Most of the pink poppy seeds are gone. Even the few seed  heads that remain are probably empty.


The meadow is filled with fuzzy goldenrod seed heads. From a distance they look a dull brown, a perfect hiding place for the deer. Close up, against the blue sky, I find them quite beautiful.

The bed of Gloriosa Daisies is loaded with seed heads.

This red sumac will be an attraction for the birds all winter .

In the late evenng , seeds dance in the sunlight. It's is an amazing sight. If only my camera would capture the golden color of the light, and the way the light glints off the seeds that float before my eyes.

I Forgot My "Weeding" Glasses

It's another 85+ April day today. I watched three deer cross behind the stone wall early this morning. They were jumping, twitching and flicking their ears. I found the bug repellent before I headed outside. I would so like to avoid last spring's swelling and hives adventure. Once outside I chose the bed in front of the house to do a little weeding. The dirt has really warmed there. The pink poppy seedlings and the dill are beginning to come up. With the reflected sunlight off the white house that is our warmest garden spot. I weed with careful attention watching for the things I want to grow. It didn't take very long for the heat to drive me to a place where I could work in the shade.




The patio on the west end of the house is shaded in the morning. I chose to work there. The first thing I had to do was come in the house to get my glasses. Last year when the red creeping time was cut back after flowering, I sprinkled the cuttings here on the patio. The wind blew the cuttings away, but some of the seeds stayed.The picture you see is a tiny little red creeping thyme plant perhaps three eights of an inch across. It's very hard to tell a tiny thyme plant from a tiny speedwell plant. I carefully weeded the patio, happily finding several more tiny thyme plants. I also cut back some of the dead growth on the older thyme plants.

While I was out there I saw a wild turkey. I also saw a crow fly off with a small snake hanging from its beak. Those pesky crows are good for something!