Spring at Last!

It finally felt like spring a week ago when the azaleas by the bird bath bloomed.  They are always later than most other azaleas, but this year they were right on time (despite the fact that everything else was late in getting started this year).  Maybe we've caught up to the regular season now?  And an additional surprise was that they were covered with blooms!  I'll have to check last year's entries on this blog, but I think I feed them with Holly-tone after they bloomed sparingly last year.  I guess I'll repeat that application this year.

When I gave Lily a fairy house and fairies for her first birthday in January, I also bought a fairy garden set to place in the lower patio border.  She is going to enjoy playing with it in years to come.

A Basket and a Bouquet for Mother's Day

A truly beautiful weekend for Mother's Day this year.  Well, maybe a storm on Saturday night, but blue skies by morning. William and Robert came down to edge and mulch my garden bed since my regular garden man was incapacitated with a pulled muscle in his back.  The two boys did an excellent job in my garden and now it is all set for the season with dividing and replanting done and mulch spread to keep down the weeds and keep the earth cooler and damper in August.

When we met half way outside Providence to return the boys, Reid and family gave me this bee hive hanging basket.  You can see the garden mulched and ready for the season in the background.  Nice work!

And on my windowsill, a bouquet of Lily of the Valley from my own Lily and her Mommy.

It's Spring inside and out!

The Hummers Are Back!

I saw a hummingbird last week and got the feeder out right away. We have two males at the feeder now. The females have not yet arrived, it seems. The garden has the same characteristics right now--some plants are active and others are missing!

This afternoon was cool but sunny.  It was a perfect day to do a little garden work--and I did discover more happening than I had noticed last week.

The daffodils were still in bloom, but will probably fade away by the end of the week.

The Siberian Iris I divided and transplanted last week looks very good 

after the recent May rains.  They should have bigger and brighter blooms 

now that the center is not dead and they can refresh their roots.

The Korean Dwarf Lilac had some buds.

It has not bloomed well in the past but I treated it several times last year.

And the Bleeding Heart was in full bloom.

The emerging Peony leaves almost looked like blooms with their mauve cast.

The new Lavender I planted last week looks good in its new home

in the planters marking the garden path.

The Poppy leaves added some texture to the almost bare garden.

And the Wild Ginger gave off a shimmer 

in contrast to the dullness of last year's mulch.

The Hydrangea shoots burst out of the tattered stalks of last year's growth.

The Catmint leaves unfurl like little kitten paws.

They were divided last week and are now thriving.

But the roses need some more attention. 

I pruned them a week ago, but some black spot is more obvious 

 as the leaves burst open and the canes green up.

A gardener needs patience and keen observation to notice these changes.

I hope I notice right away when the female hummers return.

It is so rewarding to spend time in the garden--

even when it appears nothing is happening!

May Day 2014

When I was little, my sister and I made little May Day baskets with construction paper and hung them on neighbors' doorknobs filled with violets and daffodils and tulips and myrtle. All of these blooms we picked in the gardens--of the neighbors!

Today, sixty years or so later, the only thing blooming in my garden is this naturalized clump of daffodils weighted down with dampness. They do look wonderful in the fog and the mist though! We are missing Spring's colors since we don't have forsythia (not allowed by association rules) or tulips and primroses (eaten by rabbits--or somebody!).

Things are greening up, but about 2 weeks later than usual.

I'm getting impatient to be out there in the dirt among the blooms.