"One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it brings."

Monday, April 18, 2011

Making the most of an unexpected sunny day.

This morning while watching the early news I saw reports of snow in some areas south of us.  After seeing that I didn't have much hope for how our weather would be today.  The sun tried coming out between rain showers all morning then finally broke through and stayed out the rest of the day.  The Littlest Gardener and I headed out to plant 'Golden' beet seeds, two hours later we finally got them planted.  It was so pretty I wanted to take advantage of the sun and got some cleanup and weeding done and dug up a dead hydrangea and planted a new one in it's place.  The Hydrangea was 'Ayesha' which had bloomed sporadically over the 10 years I've had it and I guess finally decided it didn't want to be here anymore.  I had an 'Endless Summer' left from when I rearranged our front flower bed, so now it finally has a home.

It's hard to tell from the pictures because it was a bit cloudy but it felt warm (53 degrees is feeling warm lately) and the sun was out.

Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum) has gotten a little beat up, but it's starting to bloom.

Currant 'Wilder Red' has the cutest little flowers.  I'm not sure if all currants area bitter, but these ones are unless they are completely ripe.  The birds even leave them alone.

Frittilaria or Checkered Lily is blooming and has 4 or 5 more buds on this stem.  I didn't realize more than one flower came up from a bulb.

The garden fairies have been busy in the garden, they are waiting for the Bluebells to bloom.  I think they may use them for hats?

I moved Clematis 'Nelly Moser' to the arbor over the path two years ago.  Up until then I had gotten one bloom from her.  She's got quite a few buds already.

The apple tree is loaded with buds.  Last year after a very mild winter we had very few blooms and about two apples.  I think this will be a good year, if the worms don't get to them again.

While I was taking pictures of the apple tree there was a pair of Juncos annoyed that I was standing close to the birdbath they've been using lately.  It seemed to be looking up to the sun.

The Marsh Marigold is still blooming.

I'm not sure if anyone else around here is noticing that the birds don't seem sure about when to start nesting this spring.  They seem to be starting and stopping.  I've seen Chickadees going in and out of 3 different birdhouses (and I think they are 3 different pairs) as well as Towhees, Wrens and Crows with nest supplies in their beaks.  It's been going on for several weeks.  Usually it seems they pick their birdhouse or nest spot and they are pretty consistent about visiting it and bringing in their nest building supplies.  I wonder if the unusually cold weather has anything to do with it?
All words and photos in this post are property of A Gardener in Progress. Pin It

22 comments:

  1. You posted some really pretty pictures of some incredibly unique plants ~ enjoyed this post. xoxo

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  2. Such a beautiful garden! Love your stone path...I want that in my yard!!! Happy sunshine days to you! lets hope they stick around =)

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  3. Hi Catherine,

    My friend is headed for Seattle today to see her son. At least she will see a lot more green than here, we are still in a wintery mode.

    Eileen

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  4. W ogrodzie śliczne kwiaty. Żal jak jakaś roślina umiera, tym bardziej że była 10 lat i musiała być juz duża i ładna.Pozdrawiam

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  5. Glad the day turned out lovely for you and the Littlest Gardener to work outside. I love your checkered lily and that Junco is really sweet. As always I love seeing your garden path.

    Happy Gardening and I hope you get no more snow.

    FlowerLady

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  6. Hi Catherine, So happy you and the Littlest Gardener got to enjoy some sun in the garden. We had a warm day Monday and I planted some sedums for a neighbor. By the way, I saw a corkscrew rush plant at the garden center that was certainly interesting. The tag said it was for ponds. Do you have this plant??

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  7. You certainly got a nice day in the garden. What do the fairies think about this spring?

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  8. Lots going on at your place. A busy time of the year for all for sure. So sad about your 'Ayesha'.

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  9. Your garden is looking beautiful, Catherine! The change in the past couple of weeks is quite remarkable. I'd never heard of or seen a chequered lily before...what an astounding plant!

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  10. Mildred - I had Corkscrew rush a long time ago, I'm not sure what happened to it. It might be a good one for the small watergarden I'm putting in an old washtub.

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  11. The garden is looking GOOD! I wish the garden fairies would visit here and do little magic.

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  12. The area on the path is looking nice and filling in. That checkered lily is beautiful - I've never seen one. Hope the weather decides which season it wants to be. The calender is right anymore.

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  13. Thanks for visiting my blog. I am so jealous that you can be out working. It is cold here and more snow in forecast later today and tonight. I love your checkered lily. Thanks so much for sharing your garden pictures and brightening my day.
    Becky at Ginger Creme Hollow

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  14. What a lovely garden stroll! Thank you for taking us with you!

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  15. Even though the weather has been somewhat erratic, your garden is looking lovely. I'm sure the garden fairies will be donning their bluebell hats in no time!

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  16. Catherine, Though you missed all the snow today, we did not. 6-9 inches expected today and tomorrow. It is like Winter all over again. Your photos make me long for a more mild climate, even if you get lots of rain during the year. I too like your stone path. I did one like that for Middle Walk. Think it might appear on one or the other of my past postings. I'll be visiting again. Jack

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  17. such beautiful photos i love strolling around

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  18. Oh that Checkered Lily!!

    Yes, I too have lots of Verbena bonariensis (which my grands call the "wands." I let them grow wherever they want, though I know some consider it an invasive. When I wrote for the Butterfly Gardeners' Quarterly Claire told me that it shouldn't be planted, but I LOVE it and the butterflies and hummers love it too.

    Thanks for your comment about my baby hummers. They are a huge joy and comfort and company to me as I work on this little book. Perfect timing for me.

    Sending love,

    Sharon

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  19. Catherine, the birds are confused, aren't they?

    I love how your garden has all come to life, filling in everywhere. We finally got up to 56 today, but when I saw 31 this morning, I was only hopeful. Enjoy tomorrow too... supposed to be sunny. ;)

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  20. I had two Ayesha rooted cuttings that held lots of promise but then inexplicably died a few months ago. Darn. Such a pretty hydrangea but so hard to keep alive.

    I haven't noticed confusion with the birds just a lot of activity. I heard on the news tonight that this is the coldest April on record. Strange.

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  21. Great photos. The garden is looking ready to burst. I like the Solomon's Seal photo with the green carpet underneath. I didn't know they got so big.

    Thanks for sitting on the porch with me. I do advise painting the top of your bee condo with outdoor paint, unlike some people I know:)

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  22. I like that Checkered Lily, seems like it should be in Alice in Wonderland doesn't it?

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