The Parade Continues...

The garden is moving along rapidly now.  Last week we had some nice rain showers that filled up the rain barrel and made a lot of plants happy.  Today i was able to get all the decorative grass clippings burned.  I also did some raking and picking up of sticks.

Currently in bloom:

• Creeping Phlox
• Grape Hyacinth
• Daffodils
• Frittalaria
• Tulips
• Violas & Violets
• Veronica
• Flowering almond
• Quince

I also noticed the fine little blue hairs of California Poppies starting to grow.  And my heuchera have started to grow back from their trimming by the deer.

Some of my tulips survived the foraging deer.

Garden overview 04-24-13

Looking down upon the main garden.

Almost Earth Day

Yesterday was cold with snow flurries... and today was cool but the sun was shining and i was able to get out and garden.  I cut back a lot of the decorative grasses today.  I still have plenty to cut back and hope to do that next Saturday.  It will also be our last chance at burning garden debris.  I also trimmed back the liriope.  We got the rain barrel out just in time for a rain shower and it is now full.

Trout lily with their delicate flowers.

Fountain grass in need of trimming.

Violas and grape hyacinth in abundance.
I've noticed that the blue grape hyacinth have turned purple.

Garden Overview April 20, 2013

Garden Guest

Today the temperatures felt more like spring.  I turned more soil in my vegetable garden and planted peas.  In the midst of turning the soil i was startled when i turned over a toad!  The large toad (easily a large handful) gave me dirty looks as it watched me till the soil.  It finally had enough and started hopping off.  I was concerned that it wouldn't be able to get through the fencing... but it proved that it could get through without a problem.  I didn't get a photo of the toad... but i did take these shots.

The Tet-e-tet daffodils are looking pretty small this year.
I think we need some rain to perk them up.

Garden overview 4-7-13

Now i am praying for some spring rain.

Warm Temperatures and a Honeybee

Bright Sun + Crocus = Springtime

Today we had warm temperatures and sunshine.  That's something that we haven't had in a while.  I did some garden clean-up, turned over the vegetable garden plot with Joseph's help.  I was delighted to see the abundance of earthworms in the soil.  Then proceeded to plant 2 1/2 rows of onions.

Honeybee at work.

As i wandered around the garden i thought "what i wouldn't give to see a honeybee" and lo and behold, there she was.  At first she was really working over the aconite and ignoring the crocus.  I moved the chicken wire cage that i had over the crocus (protection from deer and bunnies) in preparation of taking some photos.  The honeybee instantly went for the crocus.  I don't know what the chicken wire did to deter the bee.

Hovering

Feels almost like Spring.

Today the sun came out.  Most of the snow has gone.  The crocus made it through the snow and today they bloomed.  This morning I was concerned to see hoof prints in the garden.  I was surprised to see that the deer had moved the chicken wire cages that i had over these crocus.  But they were well-behaved and did not eat them.  I'm hoping that maybe tomorrow i will catch the crocus blooming in the sunshine... with perhaps a honey bee or two.

Blooming in purple... the delightful crocus!

Oh no, not again...

and snow blankets the region...  I hope that my crocus are holding up well under the weight of the snow.  They were almost ready to bloom.  I opted to go out and make some big snow balls... rolling them through the yard leaving bare grass in their wake.  I was delighted to later look out and see a robin foraging in the paths of bare grass.

Four or five inches of snow fell overnight with more coming tonight.

Heavy, wet March snow.

It's been a while!

I've let my gardening blog go for far too long... but i hadn't realized that it's been an entire year.  Last March was much different than this year.  We continue to be in a long stretch of cold weather punctuated with snow storms.  We are forecast to have another snow event tonight dropping 5-8 inches of the white stuff on my emerging garden.  In the meantime, the snowdrops have been in bloom and the winter aconite continues to spread with its cheerful yellow flowers.  We have seen one honeybee at the aconite.  I wonder how it will be for them this year.

The sun came out yesterday.  Not something that we see very often and it can be a bit jarring on the senses after so much grey weather.  Here's the overall view of the garden taken 03-23.