yardgranny6's Blog

WOW
May 9, 2008 | 1:38 PM PST
Tags: hollyhock , strawberry pot , Speedwell , Veronica , salvia

how time flies when you are having fun in the garden.

All my plants are in the ground. The flower beds have been mulched.

Next week we will try to get the painting done. Buildings, metal chairs, a wood structure that shade lovers sit upon and where my dirty yard shoes and hand tools try to hide on the shelf below. Maybe a pix later.

There are many plants at the fence between my neighbor and myself and when they grow up we will may not be able to talk through them. It will look lots better for the summer though. She has a hummer feeder there that all the finches love. I have not had a feeder in many years that the finches could drink from so that is fun to watch.

 I have had time to sit and watch the birds do their thing. The black-capped chickadee had their little brood out one evening, that was fun. The brown thrasher had at least one baby to nurse. I startled the baby one evening, they are so big but so clumsy trying to learn how to fly. They are now full fledged and almost as big as mom and dad. The cardinals must have little ones in the nest as they fly back and forth to the feeders in record time. The sparrow babies are so noisy they cheep and cry for more all day long. Still have not seen the hummers. I am putting out new food tonight in hopes the little bit of extra sweetness will entice them.

The squirrels are not so active right now and I think they must be in the nesting and reproducing stage. As cute as those babies are, playing and jumping and falling from one tree limb to another I don't like the aspect of the increased population. Soon I will be hearing those little 'mews' that will tell me the babies are up and ready to get out of the nest. The first year I had this house and wonderful yard, I thought there was a kitten somewhere, but soon learned that was not the case.

My neighbor, Judy (my gardening buddy) has her yard looking really cool now. She has a new hollyhock color growing in one of her old Tomato tubs, large cage and all.

Very pretty don't you think?

Here are the names of some of the new flowers in my beds. A white Speedwell and some white ice plant have been added to the White Garden Bed. After they get going will be the time for new pictures. Found two plants I have been looking for. One is a white vinca with a little pink in the throat. I have lots of the common pink, that are already coming up from last years seeds. And a little pot of Zinnias for the butterflies. Got a white angelonia to put with a purple petunia (Storm Blue) to put in a broken pot my DIL gave me. She loves the purple petunia because it has the best scent.  Then picked up a Veronica called 'Red Fox' and a Salvia called 'Marcus'.  Now I won't say never here but my gardens are so full of plants this year I won't need to purchase a single one. 

This has been a goal, to have the flower gardens so full of blooming plants you can't see the ground. Could it be this is the year for reaching that goal? Will let you know as the season blooms along.

My blueberry 'Blue Sunshine' bushes are doing well and one has many berries. Can't wait to get a taste of the first ones to ripen. My strawberries have a few blooms now, so maybe one morning I can eat my breakfast in the gardens.

So much to tell and so many more days to relate the doings in the Gardens.

More To Come Later