Many Happy Returns!

It is a very April day here!  Rain, thunder  and minor flooding in the usual places are all part of the spring experience here.  Yesterday was different.  It was so nice that spending time outdoors was simply irresistible!  

One of the things on our long, long list of outdoor activities was to clear out the rest of the bluebird houses.  This house had bluebirds in it last summer.  You can tell from the grassy nest.  The little balls of chewed up milkweed fluff indicate a mouse nest.  It can be quite exciting to evict these unwanted winter residents.  No one was at home here so it was easy to just flip the contents into the trug.  I have been seeing bluebirds so it's great to have this done!  In several of the other houses the rodent residents were at home.  Those evictions were far more exciting.  There was a lot of dancing around and squealing going on but Ed and I have been together for a long time and he is used to it. I might have terrified the mice.    Boy, those furry little critters are fast!

We did get some chores done, but I spent some time looking for signs of my returning plants.  I was so happy to see my pink trout lilies poking up through the leaves.  Red now, the leaves will turn green with spots one they have been in the sunlight for awhile. That is a Johnny Jump Up leaf to the right.  Soon happy little purple faced flowers will make me smile.

The shooting stars have broken through. One plant has been pushed up by frost or pulled right up out of the ground by deer  and is showing its roots.  Next time I am out there I will  replant it.

I'm always delighted and a little surprised  to see my squirrel corn come up in the spring.  Perhaps it got its name from the unusual flowers, but the name conjures up an image of the red and grey squirrels quarreling over who gets to eat my plant first!

I think this bright red plant is my single peony emerging.  I could be wrong, but I sure was happy to see it yesterday!

This is a Sea Holly plant.  This plant spreads by self seeding.  It attracts an amazing variety of pollinators to the garden and the lavender flowers last for a very long time.  I don't like to thin these out unless I have to .  This one can stay.  The tiny sedum plants you see here are from seed.  The original plants were given to me by Thelma H., a good friend of my mother. They are another reason to make me smile.

Last but surely not least are some of my Pickwick crocus flowers. April showers bring May flowers, but they bring April flowers too!

Beautiful Monday Morning, Photos By Amy

We needed our rubber garden shoes to walk in the garden this morning. We had no overnight rain but the dew was heavy.  How lovely this native wild blue flag is in the morning light with all the water droplets for decoration!

Little water droplets allow us to see the spider webs that have been spun overnight.  Once dry they will escape our notice even if they are still there.  I don't see the spider anywhere.  She must be off resting after working the night shift!

 

For a plant that will grow just about anywhere blue flag has fascinating flowers.

This Campanula portenschlagiana, Serbian bell flower magically appeared growing from Ed's stone wall.  We planted others in the wall, but on the opposite side of the garden from this one.  I'll take all the happy surprises I can get and this one looks great!

The texture of the Black locust trunk makes a wonderful background for this wild columbine.   There are a few red flowers left, but many more green seed pods are seen here.  This plant has settled in the shade garden and plans to stay and multiply.  We need to cut them back or they will become invasive in numbers.  Seed pods placed at the base of the wall will allow this native to grow in its preferred location in the company of stone outcrops.

This I. Ensata, Lavender Bounty is outstanding this year.  The total number of flowers has been impressive. Individually they are elegantly marked.  Notice how the strong morning sunlight washes the color right out of this flower.

Here's a second look.  There are several tiny black bugs here, but the larger one in the lower left is an interesting one.

Last but not least the happy faces of Johnny Jump Ups.  They are here to stay as well, coming up all over the garden.  The flowers deserve a smile even on Monday morning.  I can't think of a better way to begin a successful day!

A Sunny Day In May, Photos By Amy

A newly transplanted and watered Lady's Mantle is a beautiful study in light, shadow, color and texture.

Here's a mass of fragrant Johnny Jump Ups to brighten an already sunny day.

Yellow Iris and purple alliums are a winning combination here!
  

New oak leaves let the blue sky show through.

With the warmer weather and sunshine the leaves of the oak will grow and change that sunshine and blue sky to cooling shade.   It was a very beautiful day to be outside in the garden.  We all enjoyed it !

No Time To Say Hello Goodbye...

Today the  garden is a busy place. We have pretty primroses only slightly frost singed.
 

A Mount Hood daffodil surrounded with grape hyacinths makes a beautiful picture.

At long last the tulip tree has some flowers!

Tonight's salad will contain the first French tarragon of the season.  Might as well weed out those violets and eat them too!

This is such a pretty picture. I love the  colors, but really it consists entirely of weeds.  Some of the Johnny Jump ups went in the salad as well, but I never did develop a taste for dandelions.

Late October Bloomers

Last night's thunder storms dropped about an inch of rain on the garden.  Everything was wet, but when it looks and feels as great as it did out there today you just have to go out  and do something.  Ed headed for the back to work on the wilderness garden.  I tried weeding here and there, but too much of Ed's garden soil came along with the weeds.  I did get a great look at a Northern Harrier while I was working.  It soared low enough over the garden that I could easily see its distinctive white rump patch.  Eventually, I put away my garden tools and swapped them for the camera.  I decided to search the garden for after the frost blooming flowers.

  

Perennial flax plants are so lacy and fragile.  It's surprising to me that these plants are still green and making flowers.  These plants self seeded and are growing on their own terms.

Although the wild asters seem to have completely finished blooming, this cultivated variety planted on the east side of the stone square is still making a few perfect flowers.  Ed saw a late Monarch butterfly that was trying to fly into stiff south winds.  Few flowers remain to provide nourishment for this straggler.

The freezing temperatures and hard frosts killed the blooms on this chrysanthemum, but some of the remaining buds are opening in the warmth of the sun.

We were sure that this Helen Mae chrysanthemum had missed its chance to bloom this year, but never say never.  The persistent plant has a beautiful flower with several more buds to come.  I hope this one gets an earlier start next year.

The Emperor of China is always a late bloomer.  This year is no exception.

I found a few yarrow blossoms.

As always, the Johnny Jump Ups flower no matter what.  These last two plants are considered flowers or weeds here depending on where they are growing.

That is not the case with this last plant.  This is a true weed.  It was still blooming and green after the freeze and it continues to thrive now.  When things dry off a bit, this one has to go!

Why I Bought a Seed Catalog ????

We receive a huge number of seed catalogs here. They have only just begun to arrive and they will continue well into 2012. We get more catalogs than we could possibly order from even if space, time and money were no object. Why then would I pay for a seed catalog to be sent to me? Ed asked me that question and it is a good one. I shall try to explain. The catalog in question is from the D. Landreth Seed Company, the oldest seed house in America, purveyors of fine seed since 1784. I was definitely intrigued by the idea that this company sold seeds to George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. The catalog was created by an American graphic artist and printed in York, PA by American workers. It combines nostalgic graphics with up to date color photos of heirloom  varieties of vegetables and flowers. Those are all reasons why this seed catalog might be worth buying. Finally this seed company is located in New Freedom, PA. I lived in New Freedom for several years as a child. I still have relatives who live there. That personal connection is what really made me do it. There it sits on the top of the stack. Whether we will order from it or not is hard to say. It's early,we are still just looking.

Meanwhile outside after a few days of rain our garden's snow cover has melted. Now it is cold again with a few snow flakes  in the air.  Ed still braves the cold to work outside.  I took a quick walk around the garden and found these Johnny Jump Ups that have been blooming under the snow. The cold sends me back inside very quickly. I have a warm heart and very cold hands. It's the promise of spring and next year's garden that has my attention.

Precious November Days

These November days when the temperature warms in the middle of the day you can work outside comfortably unmolested by mosquitoes and other biters. Later in the late afternoon towards dark a few of them are still around taking advantage of their last chances for that free meal.
These fleeting days are precious. Ed spends some time cleaning up garden beds. Those he doesn't get to will wait till spring. Here the debate whether to clean the garden of all debris or leave it alone for the wildlife is settled by Mother Nature. She decides how much remains untouched.

Late fall always brings on Ed's stone wall fever. Once you find out you love to build stone walls there is always a new place to put one. Here the pile of wall stone grows at the site of the next project. Usually Ed's wall building is a solitary process, but based on the last few days it looks like building  this  wall will include a lot of socializing with our neighbors and others. In this area stone walls are plentiful but many of them are falling down. People are intrigued to see one being built.

With most of the garden looking brown black or gray in response to our freezing nights, I am amazed to see this butterfly bush still looking green. Planted on the south side of the stone wall is apparently a perfect location for it.

The garden appears to be finished with flowers except for Johnny jump ups. These little purple and yellow flowers are spread all through the garden. I have a weakness for these hardy flowers. I guess you could say they grow here as a cover crop. In some places they are weeds and have to be pulled. In other places I let them stay. Some winters I see them blooming under the snow. I can't imagine the garden without them and I won't have to. They are as sure to come up as the sun in the east.