KeeWee's Garden

It has been beautiful, but I have had enough

2012-01-20T09:21:00.000-08:00

Perhaps when, and if the rain comes later today, all this snow will melt away. It is beautiful to look at but when you can't get around on the roads, then it is not so nice.

There are two hummingbirds who visit the feeder, and I am sure they are happy to find the sweet nectar to keep up their energy.

There is a little nuthatch on the suet feeder, grabbing some food before the greedy starlings chase him away.

My toes are cold!

I wish this feeder would stop rotating, it is making me dizzy.

And.... a very unwelcome visitor.

The birds and critters are well fed at our home

2012-01-18T15:39:00.000-08:00

First serious snowfall of the season

2012-01-17T15:45:00.000-08:00

It started snowing early this morning and did not let up until around 3pm this afternoon. When I heard that the winter storm was coming through bringing lots of snow, I immediately went outside to make sure there was plenty of food for the birds.

I captured a photo of this hungry hummingbird through the kitchen window.

The trees look so beautiful with their coating of snow.

A splendid way to start Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T08:35:00.000-08:00

Just a few minutes earlier, I had looked out my kitchen window at very ominous dark storm clouds brewing, then the sun crept up gilding the undersides of the clouds in shades of vibrant pink and orange. What a wonderful way to start our Thanksgiving day.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T13:59:00.001-08:00

To all my readers, Have a wonderful thanksgiving day. Blessings to all.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-26T15:04:00.001-07:00

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-19T09:57:00.000-07:00

Still harvesting

2011-10-13T08:16:00.000-07:00

Yes I still have a few tomatoes, and a surprise, three ripe strawberries and one very small bell pepper harvested today. Look on the pepper, and you will see the teeny tiny hitchhiker I did not know was there until I looked at the photos. I wonder where that little snail is now, I will have to go investigate.

Handsome visitors

2011-10-04T13:34:00.000-07:00

These two handsome fellows came strutting through our yard, pecking here and there, and nervously looking around at the slightest noise. They should be nervous, as they have been released for the hunting season. I wish they would be smart, and stay on our property, where they would not meet any hunters.

Macro magic

2011-09-24T14:54:00.000-07:00

Bounty from my garden

2011-09-15T08:24:00.000-07:00

I have had a busy summer and have only a little put away for the winter months. There are also beans, strawberries and blueberries in the freezer.

Blackberry jelly, pickled beans, zucchini relish

Wordless wednesday

2011-09-07T01:53:00.000-07:00

The shade garden...then & now

2011-09-05T18:56:00.000-07:00

Early 2009 this shaded area beside the house was crying out for more than a bare place where nothing but a few weeds and leaves from the trees covered the ground.

I didn't really have a definite plan, rather the garden evolved as I placed rocks to build small beds.

It was a little like doing a jigsaw puzzle. I just placed the rocks where I thought they fit, and voila! a garden was born.

The garden beds were filled with topsoil and a whole lot of rich compost.

2011 and here is what the beds are looking like so far. I will be adding more plants as I can afford to. I have ferns, hellebore, primroses, wild strawberry plants as a ground cover, and a few other plants I can't remember the names of right now.

This past week I have started spreading bark mulch on the path, still have more to do on this project.

A few weeks ago, this moss and fern bed was created.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-31T01:49:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-10T01:21:00.000-07:00

My unpaid cleanup crew

2011-08-02T08:25:00.000-07:00

When it comes time to pull the pea vines, I just toss them over the garden fence, and the cleanup crew does all the work of disposing of them for me *chuckle*

The cutest cleanup crew you have ever seen.

The semi tame rabbits always know when I am in the garden, and they come hopping over to hang around outside the fence hoping for goodies.

Sucking the pea down like you would a piece of spaghetti.

Without care they still flourish

2011-07-26T21:00:00.000-07:00

For the past two weeks I have been laid low with dental problems, so the garden has been left to do as it will. Thank goodness the weather has been kind, and I do have irrigation set on a timer for both the vegetable and flower gardens, so all is well. The flowers are so beautiful and there are beans, peas, the last of the strawberries, lettuce, kale, and Swiss chard to be harvested tomorrow. I was going to pick the first two plump blueberries today, but the danged birds beat me to it. The blueberry bushes are now covered in bird netting.

Flowers sharing space in the vegetable garden.

Potted plants at the entrance to the front of our home

Peek a boo!

2011-07-16T07:57:00.000-07:00

A young bunny who is becoming quite friendly, was watching me as I pulled weeds just a few feet from it's hiding place.

Thursday harvest

2011-07-14T06:52:00.000-07:00

The strawberry harvest is starting to wind down now, but the peas are still producing plenty to pick for a week or so. The basil is to go on grilled chicken panini for our supper tonight. Yum!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-13T09:17:00.000-07:00

Harvest Monday, and a little This 'n' that

2011-07-11T06:57:00.000-07:00

Actually the harvest was on Sunday. I spent all day outside working in the vegetable and flower gardens. I must say, my poor old body, is finally getting used to all the bending, tugging, digging and pushing the wheelbarrow, as I don't hurt as much this morning.

The 10 lbs of peas have been shelled, frozen, bagged and are in the freezer, the 4 lbs of strawberries will be done today. There is Swiss chard, kale and lettuce for our rabbit (she gets the bug chewed, and not so nice greens) and some for us, with plenty more to harvest in the weeks to come.

I am very fond of a chicken panini with basil, so decided to toss in some basil seed, and by golly, they are growing. Last year I had no luck growing basil at all. On the right of the basil are golden beets, and these are coming along beautifully too.

The Sunsugar tomatoes are growing plumper by the day. I can hardly wait to taste their sweetness.

A different variety of summer squash forming.

Keewee's veggie patch is starting to produce

2011-07-04T19:07:00.000-07:00

What is there not to like about a lovely healthy garden such as this one? I do believe I have finally learned how to care for a veggie garden and 'I am tickled pink!'

Outside looking in.

Grace, this one is for you. My first Sunsugar tomato. Granted it is only the size of a medium sized pea, but will grow fast now the weather has warmed up.

Clematis climbs each side of the arched entrance to the veggie garden, and the basket is planted with hen & chicks.

Peas, beets, lettuce, scarlet runner beans and kale share this raised bed.

My very first teeny tiny squash of the season.

Burgundy bush beans, kale, parsnips, peas, gourds, and some flowers share this bed.

Scarlet runner beans climbing towards the top of the trellis in front of the pea patch.

Lots and lots of lovely peas. I am going to be very busy during the next few weeks, harvesting and processing these beauties.

The very first harvest of shelling peas of the season. There were enough peas for one good sized portion for both of us, and some were eaten right there as I stood in the garden.

I am so happy with the strawberries we have this year. So far we have had many desserts, made a batch of freezer jam, frozen several bags full, and this tray of berries will be frozen in a free flow state. I estimate I have picked 10lb or more berries so far, and hope to have enough to make another batch of jam, and freeze some more to enjoy during the gray days of winter.

Mastering Macro

2011-06-30T01:53:00.000-07:00

Well, I am playing with the macro feature on my new Kodak Easyshare Max z990, and find I still have a long way to go.

I have always found yellow to be a difficult color to capture. The color is OK but the photo is not as sharp as I would have liked.

This photo of summer squash is somewhat OK.

This one is pleasing.

This photo of ripening blueberries is fairly good.

I thought this photo turned out nice.

Burgundy bush bean flowers.

This one looks good to me.

I like this one too.

As with the first photo, the yellow begonias are not as sharp as I would like.
This is my first attempt using the super macro feature, and I am sure the quality of my photos will improve as I get to know the camera.

Chuckle for the day

2011-06-29T11:08:00.000-07:00

Two little old ladies, Dorace & Jackie were sitting on a park bench outside the local town hall where a flower show was in progress.

The short one, Jackie leaned over and said,

'Life is so boring. We never have any fun any more. For $10.00 I'd take my clothes off and streak through that stupid, boring flower show!'

'You're on!' said Dorace, holding up a $10.00 note.

So Jackie slowly fumbled her way out of her clothes and,completely naked, streaked (as fast as an old lady can) through the front door of the flower show.

Waiting outside, her friend soon heard a huge commotion inside the hall, followed by loud applause and shrill whistling.

Finally, the smiling Jackie came through the exit door surrounded by a cheering, clapping crowd.

'What happened?' asked her waiting friend.

'I won $1,000 as 1st prize for 'Best Dried Arrangement... !'

At last I have something to show you

2011-06-23T15:25:00.000-07:00

My new camera arrived on Tuesday, so am now able to take photos. Granted, I am having to learn all the new features, but so far I am well pleased with my Kodak Easyshare Z990.

The vegetable garden is flourishing. Here beets and leaf lettuce cozy up side by side.

There are so many English peas, that I will be able to share with my friends. The pods are getting fatter by the day and soon I will be able to start harvesting them.

Growing up the garden fence, are these brightly colored Nasturtiums. I do so like a splash of color in the veggie garden.

The tomatoes inside their three sided enclosure are loving the warmth, and are producing flowers already. I have two plants per tire. Early girl and Sun Sugar share a place in each tire.

Blue Lake pole beans are up and reaching for the support of the trellis. Behind are a few Violas and Gladioli for cutting.

Swiss chard, Kale, Burgundy bush beans, peas, parsnips, gourds, and some flowers share this raised bed.

Peas (two kinds) kale, lettuce, beets, and scarlet runner beans share this bed.

The burgundy bush beans are beginning to flower.

If the summer squash keep performing as they are doing now, then I should have plenty of squash to keep us going throughout the summer into fall, and some to share with friends.

Last but not least, the strawberries are the best they have ever been. I am picking loads of berries every couple of days. Some to dip in sour cream then brown sugar, some for shortcake, and some to eat right out of the garden. I nearly forgot to mention the freezer jam I will make. Yummy!

2lb of sweet strawberries picked today.

Oh my goodness,you can almost see them grow!

2011-06-15T10:50:00.001-07:00

I really am not complaining too much about the long cool, damp Spring we are having here in the Pacific Northwest, as all my cool weather vegetables are thriving.

Sugar snap peas on the left, loose leaf lettuce in the center, shelling peas on the right, kale, far right. This picture taken mid March.

The peas have gone nuts. They have outgrown the supports I had for them, so I have had to improvise using bamboo, the trellis in back which is for the scarlet runner beans, a tomato cage and plant stakes. I hope this will do until the peas finish producing.
One thing I did learn, do not plant lettuce in between two rows of peas, as it is very difficult to harvest without breaking the pea plants.

The strawberries are fabulous this year. This is just one small planter box of strawberries, plus there is a 9 x 2 foot bed, two recycled tires, and a large pot, all full of plants loaded with berries. I am covering them with bird netting as I won't share *grin*

I am surprised the tomatoes are doing so well due to the cooler temperatures. I started them out inside their Walls 'O' Water but as they grew larger I had to remove their nice warm protection.

The tomatoes are now cozy inside their three sided plastic surround. Once again I improvised using metal plant stakes, bamboo, plastic sheeting and wooden clothes pins to construct the surround.

The summer squash is looking healthy and growing as it should.

I am well pleased with my garden this year and feel I have learned a lot about growing veggies these past few years.

Go find your dinner elsewhere

2011-05-30T09:50:00.001-07:00

As I sat at my computer, I could hear the alarm call of a bird outside. I looked out the window scanning all the trees and ground searching for the predator, and soon saw a hawk perched on a limb of the old willow tree. As I looked through the branches at the bird, I could see it was eating something and soon noticed the dangling legs of a poor wee bird. Yes I know hawks have to eat too, but I would rather they go some place else to catch their dinner, and leave all my birds and critters alone.

Dodging the showers to install irrigation.

2011-05-23T18:44:00.001-07:00

Friday, when the weather was nice, I started removing the irrigation lines in my vegetable garden. You see, I had 1/4" soaker hose installed, but was not too happy with the way it delivered water to my raised beds, so when I was in the hardware store looking to see what else may work, I noticed 1/4" flexible polyethylene tubing with 1/2 GPH self cleaning drippers built in every 6". I had an 'aha' moment and thought to myself, "why not give this a try"

Drip line installed on the first raised bed.

Of course the weather turned crummy on Saturday and Sunday, but there were short periods between showers when I went out and started installing the new tubing.

I already had the 1/4"main line from the 1/2 tubing which runs around the perimeter of the garden installed, so all I had to do was run a new 1/4" line along the top of the side of the raised bed and insert T fittings every 1' then cut eight lines which run across the bed, and install them. I have an old thermos which I fill with very hot water, take it out to the garden so I can dip the ends of the tubing in the hot water to soften them, making it an easy job to push in any of the fittings.

T fitting secured with a Support clamp.

The other end is closed off using a hole plug.

I ran the system for about 3/4 hour tonight and it seemed to be working as I wish it to. I still have to set up the timer so the watering will be done in the wee small hours of the morning. I like to get the watering done around 5am before the heat of the day. It remains to be seen if we are going to have much of a summer this year.

I had to be careful in laying out the lines between the beans and other crops. I only broke off the top of one bean.

So if I can install my own irrigation system, anyone can.

Scrumptious color everywhere

2011-05-05T00:57:00.000-07:00

Since we have had some warmer weather, the flowers are showing off their beauty.

First harvest of the season

2011-05-03T12:16:00.000-07:00

The lettuce needed thinning.

Nothing goes to waste around here. The good lettuce leaves will make a very nice salad, the not so nice ones I tossed to the rabbit sitting outside the garden gate, and the kale will be for our pet rabbit, Bun.

My little bit of whimsy

2011-04-26T08:36:00.000-07:00

I am a sucker for yard art which I usually find at yard sales. This wee spot of garden is filled with all manner of "yard art"

There is a goose, and half a broken clay pot adding a little interest.

The lovely glass bird bath Mr C gave me for Christmas, takes pride of place.

Found three flower shaped stepping stones at a yard sale, but thought them too unstable to use as such, so they are for decoration only.

And this cute hedgehog was a bargain I found at a end of year sale at one of the large chain stores.
So there you have it, a little bit of my um! yard art, and there is plenty more of it scattered throughout the other garden areas.

Mini hoop houses over my raised beds

2011-04-23T18:16:00.000-07:00

Early February I sowed lettuce, kale, pea and beet seeds in the first of my raised beds, and made a mini hoop house to protect them and provide them a cozy environment to get an early start. I am most pleased with the result, as you can see everything is growing extremely well.

Tomorrow I plan on thinning the lettuce. At the far end is a trellis, which will support the scarlet runner beans I planted today. I grow scarlet runner beans first for their wonderful flavor, and second, because they have the most beautiful scarlet flowers.

The mini hoop houses are very easy to construct using this tubing I bought from Ace hardware, some brackets and floating row cover to cover them once constructed.

Here is a bracket held in place with deck screws, and the tubing which has been cut to length, pushed down through the bracket. The same was done on the opposite side of the raised bed. It is very secure and does not flop over.

The whole structure is then covered using the floating row cover material which comes as a 5x50' piece and can be cut to fit. I use bricks to hold down the sides and wooden clothes pins to hold the two pieces together where needed.

This hoop house took only about 15 minutes to construct today. Growing here are bush beans, Swiss chard, which I over wintered, kale, peas at this end of the garden, and at the far end I will plant cucumbers when the weather is warmer, these will also have a trellis to climb.

I still have more cleanup to do, and hopefully tomorrow the weather will be as beautiful as it was today.

The two tires towards the rear, house strawberry plants the other three will be for tomatoes. I think the raised bed, bottom left, will be where I grow summer squash.

Bedraggled daffodils

2011-04-15T07:57:00.000-07:00

My favorite daffs are starting to open up, but last night they were pelted by the downpour we had. I know as the day progresses, they will perk right up again.

I would love to get my fingers dirtier

2011-04-14T14:22:00.000-07:00

Oh Man! if only the sun would stay out for more than an hour at a time. Our spring has, for the most part, been dull and lacking in the sunshine department. My vegetable garden seeds have been sown in installments, in that, I have been sowing seeds every time there has been an hour, or even half an hour when it has not been raining or a very cold wind blowing.
Today I stood under the carport and re-potted the little tomato plants into the next size larger pots. I strip all but the topmost leaves off the tomato plants, and bury them up to just below the leaves in the new pots. More roots will grow from the buried stem making for a healthier plant. I will re-pot the tomatoes a couple more times until they are in gallon size pots, from there they will go out into the garden when the weather warms up. I did have plans to sow some parsnip seeds, but it started to rain and it does not look as as though it is going to let up any time soon. Oh well! I have lost the mood for gardening any more today so I think I will go and read for a while.

I believe my 'thumbs are becoming greener'

2011-04-07T00:34:00.000-07:00

2009 I purchased the lovely Fritillaria and placed it in with ferns in this wooden planter. Last year I moved it into my shaded "woodland garden"

April 2011 it has rewarded me with two much larger blooms on one stem. I had been told this is not the easiest of plants to grow, but it appears, it likes the conditions I have provided, and hopefully it will continue to grow into a larger plant with even more blooms.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-06T01:06:00.000-07:00

Varied thrush

At last, some color and fragrance in my garden

2011-04-04T18:21:00.000-07:00

Holy Mole!

2011-03-22T09:56:00.000-07:00

This little gem of an Amaryllis has been sleeping in the basement during the winter, until it was brought upstairs on the 15th of March, re-potted and watered. I can hardly believe my eyes on how fast it is growing.

March 17th

March 18th

March 21st

March 22nd

It seems I am hopeless when it comes to

2011-03-19T14:50:00.000-07:00

over wintering geraniums, but it appears I have a green thumb when it comes to begonias.

Last year I bought this lovely Bonfire begonia and at the end of the season I decided to see if I would have any luck in over wintering it.

About three weeks ago I began giving the plant a very little water, then just last week I noticed a very tiny bud had appeared. The past few days the plant has grown at an astonishing rate.

As the Bonfire begonia is growing on one side of the pot, I have planted this yellow begonia on the opposite side so it won't look so lopsided.

I think several hanging pots of begonias will look lovely surrounding the shaded front entry into our house, so here is a photo of the packet of begonias I have chosen to grow in the second hanging pot.

I have had success in overwintering Amaryllis but that is a post for another day.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-17T07:05:00.000-07:00

Mother Nature was kind to me today

2011-03-15T09:05:00.000-07:00

I have had to pick the times for gardening these past few weeks. If it wasn't raining it was too windy, and if the rain and wind weren't keeping me indoors, then the cold was. There have been a couple of occasions when the sun peeked out from behind the clouds, and I was able to get out into the veggie garden, dig in some fertilizer and plant some seeds.

Yesterday was a day of wind, rain, and 'lo and behold' a little sunshine. As soon as the sun came out, I grabbed up my packets of seed, a box of vegetable fertilizer, the gardening tools and prepared myself to get the job done.
I managed to get the seeds planted, did a little more cleanup, put all the tools away and went indoors for a nice hot cup of tea, when the skies opened, and down came the rain. Thank you Mother Nature for granting me a small window of clear weather, to get my chores done.

2011-03-10T18:52:00.000-08:00

This past week I have heard the mating songs of the robins and juncos, heralding the coming of Spring. Crocus are blooming and daffodils are very close to showing their pretty faces too. I just love this time of year with all the changes of rebirth.

Today I took this photo of kale, on the right and peas, left, which were planted February 10th. This is the first year I have planted so early in the season, and I thought if I sheltered the seeds under a row cover for protection from the elements, perhaps I would get a jump on the season, and I did.
I have been waiting to get beet and carrot seeds planted but the weather has not co-operated, maybe this weekend I can dodge the rain showers and get them in the ground.

Yay! the sun came out, at least for a little while.

2011-03-05T16:49:00.000-08:00

I have been waiting, it seems like for many weeks to get back out into the vegetable garden to plant more seeds. Finally, this afternoon the sun came to warm up the day to where it was very comfortable outdoors.
I took advantage of the lovely day to check on the kale and pea seeds I planted almost a month ago, and found they are starting to sprout, then I planted another row of peas, sugar snap this time, and some loose leaf lettuce seeds. Tomorrow, weather permitting, I plan on planting beets and radishes. Of course everything is snuggled under row covers for protection from the elements and birds.

Blogger Award

2011-02-17T08:39:00.000-08:00

Patsi of Garden Endeavors has very kindly passed on this award for my efforts on Keewee's Garden. I don't really "do awards" Being a person of few words, and at this time of the year, drowning in the winter blahs, I find nothing much of interest to blog about.
So thank you Patsi for being one of my readers, shedding a ray of sunshine, and cheering me up with the award.

Peas & Kale in the ground

2011-02-10T13:38:00.000-08:00

Today it was a balmy 45 degrees outdoors, but in my little protected vegetable garden it felt closer to 50 degrees. I took advantage of the lovely weather to put in a row of Green Arrow shell peas, which is a variety I have not grown before, so I will have to wait and see how they do. A row of Lacinato kale was also planted alongside the peas.

Got down on my hands and knees to pull more weeds from the gravel walkways surrounding the raised beds. Thankfully the weeds come up without any effort, so I am pleased I am almost done with the weeding, that is for now anyway.

Lovely weed free walkways around the beds.

I am getting that 'Spring tingle' and am ready to get started on the garden, but know it is early yet, as the official day for start of Spring is well over a month away, so I must curb my exuberance.

You may be knee deep in snow, and I am not

2011-02-03T10:12:00.000-08:00

Here in the Pacific Northwest we have had a relatively mild winter.

This morning, I decided to begin cleaning up my vegetable garden. The weeds are starting to take over and it is much easier to pull them when the ground is damp and the soil still loose. I pulled most of the weeds from the raised beds, and next I have to work on getting rid of the ones growing on the paths surrounding the beds.

The weeds growing in the gravel surrounding the raised beds and recycled car tires I grow veggies in, are relatively easy to pull, but I gave up after about an hour as it is still too cold to stay out for too long. My fingers were quite painful until they warmed up. I will do just a little cleanup as the weather permits. I am going to get the peas in the raised beds very soon, and place row covers over them.

Sedum is making an appearance.

Daffodils in a pot by the front door .

And the Blueberries are starting to bud. I sure hope we don't get a severe cold snap as I am sure the blueberries will not survive.

Now! what to do about this little guy/gal. It really is the cutest , most friendly little creature, but it has made a home in my fenced front garden. Yes I did say fenced, a fence which is two feet tall surrounds the flower garden and this is the only rabbit which has jumped over the fence easy as you please. I have sprayed, on several occasions, Liquid fence around the perimeter of the garden and also all over the plants. The rabbit took off the first time the spray came near it, but it is there back inside the fence every morning. I guess I will just have to get the spray out and chase it away every time I see it. Perhaps in this way I can at least discourage it from being inside the fence.

Brrrr! I am ready to welcome Spring

2011-02-01T09:45:00.000-08:00

This morning we have frost coating the outdoors, and our furnace decided to quit. Fortunately all it took was a push of the reset button, and away it went. I hate being cold.
On cold days like this, my thoughts wander to the upcoming Spring, and what flowers I will grow this season. A few days ago I bought myself a small bouquet of flowers and nestled in amongst the carnations and mums was one lovely Gerbera. In the past, I have seen these lovely plants in the local garden center, but passed them by going instead for annuals I know will do well here. This year however, I think I will try my luck at growing gerberas, as the flowers are so pretty and last for quite a while in a vase.
Have any of you living here in the Pacific Northwest had any luck growing gerberas, and if so what hints do you have to pass on?

Relief from the boredom

2011-01-30T11:42:00.000-08:00

Thankfully at this time of the year, there are the pretty blooms of Hellebore's to break the dullness of a sleeping winter garden. I always feel as though Spring is just around the corner when the Hellebore's start to bloom.

Macro in a mason jar

2011-01-12T20:21:00.000-08:00

Gardening gone Wild has their first "Picture This" photo contest of 2011 underway. This one is most interesting, and I thought challenging. The idea is to place your subject in the bottom of a jar of your choice, rest your camera on the lip of the jar, and take your photo. Read more HERE
I decided to go with an Autumn theme, by first by placing the jar on some pretty pressed maple leaves, then inside the jar I have pine needles, bark and a pine cone nestled on top.
I thought the round sides of the jar hints at an edge for the nest of pine needles and bark, holding the pine cone.

Towhee

2011-01-12T01:13:00.000-08:00

The Spotted Towhee is a large, striking sparrow.

Male Towhee, Junco in front.

Male Spotted Towhees have jet-black upper parts and throat; their wings and back are spotted bright white. The flanks are warm rufous and the belly is white. Females have the same pattern but are warm brown where males are black.

Spotted Towhees are also at home in backyards, forest edges, and overgrown fields, and like to frequent our seed and suet feeders during the winter months.

Colorful visitor

2011-01-06T07:28:00.000-08:00

Similar in size and shape to the American Robin but slighter in build, the Varied Thrush is a boldly patterned bird.

The Varied Thrush is similar in behavior to the American Robin, but more elusive. Much of its foraging is done on the ground, usually in dense cover, although sometimes it forages on open lawns and roads. The Varied Thrush's song is a unique fuzzy, metallic whistle on different pitches.

Like other species of thrushes, Varied Thrushes eat a combination of insects and berries, shifting seasonally. In winter, they feed on berries, seeds, and acorns, in trees or shrubs or on the ground. In summer, they prey on insects and other invertebrates.
This one seemed to enjoy the seed and fruit suet cake on the feeder.

Varied Thrushes are altitudinal migrants. They generally breed at middle to high elevations. They head down into the lowlands in winter. In late winter and early spring, they may wander to more open areas, and then in March and April they return to their breeding range. Winter range may depend on severity of weather.
I enjoy watching these colorful visitors when they visit my garden.

And so it has begun

2011-01-03T08:40:00.000-08:00

A brand New year full of promises, and surprises of good and not so good to come. We have to take the good with the bad and make the most of it.

We have had a couple of weeks of dry very cold weather with the temperatures in the 20's and below, but the forecast this morning is for rain coming up, and temps. in the balmy 40's

Whoo hoo!!, bring it on.

First thing every morning, as the coffee brews, I switch out the humming bird feeder. I swear the hummers are hanging out close by watching for me to hang the unfrozen sugar water filled feeder .
No sooner than the feeder is in place, than I hear the whirrr of wings as they zoom in for food. Poor wee things, it must be tough for them during the coldest of days.

Then the feeders are filled and suet put out for the other birds, who also seem to know my schedule, and wait eagerly for breakfast.

Even the shy little nuthatch isn't slow in making an appearance at the suet feeder, as he seems to zoom in as soon as my back is turned as I make my way back indoors, for my first cup of nice hot coffee. Brrrrr! I will be happy when it warms up again.

Last night the Christmas trees were finally de-nuded of their finery and are ready to be dismantled and carried downstairs to be stored until November, when we will drag them back upstairs and decorate once again for the Christmas season. I have begun to wonder, how many more years I am going to be able to go through all this ritual, as I am not getting any younger. Sighhhh! it is going to be a sad day when I can no longer be able to decorate the way I do now.

I kept a couple of sturdy dinnerware boxes which have handles, to store some of my most delicate glass tree decorations, these still need to be taken downstairs. At least all the trips up and down those stairs can be counted as exercise, as I sure can do with some after all the goodies I consumed over the holidays *grin*

Here I am wondering how much longer I will be able to decorate to the extent I now do, and what have I done? I confess, I bought more decorations at 75% off at the end of year sale, that's them still in the plastic shopping bag on the shelf with some of my other boxed decorations neatly stored downstairs.

I nearly forgot to mention, part of my morning ritual is to toss bread out the door for our resident population of semi- tame rabbits. These guys/gals come running, um, I mean, hopping as soon as they hear the door open.

So, as I said, new beginnings, changes in the lives of the critters and our lives. Things to get done in preparation for the planting season, like go through seed catalogs and order what we need, plan our gardens, which I have already, well kind of. I have thought about making changes in the way I set up and plant some of the vegetables, and I am going to be making changes in the flower garden too, which isn't something new, but I want to make it less labor intensive by planting more perennials and less annuals.
Happy New year everyone.

2010-12-31T04:42:00.000-08:00

When your garden is finished I hope it will be more beautiful that you anticipated, require less care than you expected, and have cost only a little more than you had planned.
- Thomas D. Church

My glass bird bath

2010-12-29T10:11:00.000-08:00

A few weeks before Christmas I had mentioned to Mr C, that I had seen some lovely glass birdbaths at our local hardware store, but hesitated to buy one so near Christmas. Imagine my delight when I opened my Christmas gift to discover this lovely bird bath.

Mr C decided that the stand, which is sold separately, was not very substantial, so we will build our own, in fact I have a very sturdy metal plant pot stand which may be just the thing to hold the bird bath.

I love that the birds on the bath are goldfinch, which are abundant around our garden during the summer months.

2010-12-24T14:57:00.000-08:00

Christmas cartoon

2010-12-22T09:35:00.000-08:00

Today's cartoon is by Cam Cardow, The Ottawa Citizen.
Cam Cardow / Cagle Cartoons

Gnarly Poinsettia

2010-12-12T13:15:00.001-08:00

The conversation went like this: Me, "the poinsettias are lovely this year, I especially like this one, as it is different from the others. As I walked out of the greenhouse towards one of my favorite assistants in the garden area of the hardware store.

shop assistant, "yes it is different" he said with a smile

Me, "I always did like things a little out of the ordinary" holding up the poinsettia with the different shaped bracts.

Shop assistant "Gnarly!" he said with a chuckle.

I took quite a few photos trying to capture the true color, which is more of a burgundy, but gave up trying as red seems to be a difficult color to photograph.

The saga of the brown rabbits and one little black bunny

2010-12-07T19:14:00.000-08:00

The little black bunny which has decided to adopt us, is now very friendly. I am able to give it's nose or back a couple of rubs before it moves away, and as soon as the front door opens, it comes hopping up to see if we have any treats for it.

I saw black bunny sitting on top of one of my flowerpots through the laundry window, but he/she was quickly chased off the pot, and the pot moved to a different location. It looked so cute I couldn't be upset.

The brown rabbits barely tolerate the little back one, so I usually feed them in different locations.

"Please let me have some of that kale, it looks very tasty"

Welcome to our house

2010-12-05T08:47:00.000-08:00

This year Autumn has been exciting around the bird feeders, as we have had some new visitors stop by.

I was surprised and excited to see a small flock of evening grosbeaks land in a tree a short distance from the feeder, then a few at a time would fly down to feed.

They don't seem to be very nervous about me being pressed up against the kitchen window, a few feet away, taking their pictures.

The Grosbeak and Housefinch had a few words about who should be at the feeder. Neither one stood down and they both eventually settled to eat at the same time.

The males are very handsome with their bright yellow feathers.

It is a busy time at the feeding station during the coldest days.

Hellebores will soon be blooming

2010-12-01T20:19:00.000-08:00

I have had a busy week and haven't really been in the mood for a whole lot of blogging. I know I am not the only blogger who sometimes feels it is a chore to get any blogging done.

Wandered around the yard today, and found a few of my Hellebores are in bud.

Primroses are such hardy little plants and keep on blooming in the coldest of weather.

One lonely little primrose on a slug chewed plant.

Yellow bird, which one are you?

2010-11-29T09:33:00.000-08:00

After searching my Birds of Washington State book, and reading the descriptions of many yellow birds which look like this one, I narrowed it down to about three, then with the help of All about birds.org I am pretty sure this is a Orange crowned Warbler. As I saw it just one time at the feeder, I presume it just stopped by for a quick snack, on it's way to a warmer place to spend the winter.
Mary Lou pointed out that she has had a Ruby Crowned kinglet at her feeder, and when I took a look at the picture of one in my bird book, I think I was mistaken in calling this one a Orange Crowned Warbler, because it has a white undertail which the Kinglet has and also the markings around the eye are more like a Kinglets. Thanks Mary Lou for pointing this out.

Happy Thankgiving

2010-11-25T01:05:00.000-08:00

To all my readers, Have a wonderful thanksgiving day. Blessings to all.

A good day to stay indoors

2010-11-23T09:16:00.000-08:00

How about that? it has warmed up to 20 degrees. Brrrrr! I was scheduled to be at a clients home at 8am, did I go? no sir, I called in and told them that the roads were too slick. It really isn't worth risking having an accident and wrecking my car or being hurt, for the few dollars I would earn for a couple of hours work.

It all looks so pretty when the sun comes out, but don't let that fool you. There is a very cold wind blowing and there is ice on the roads under the snow. Last night as I snuggled under the blankets in my warm bed, listening to the local radio station in the Seattle area, I was so glad I was not out in the terrible conditions. The radio station was receiving calls from motorists, some who had been on the road, stopped for hours. There were stranded vehicles all over the place, some were abandoned as people decided to walk, jack-knifed semis, transit buses unable to make headway on the slick roads, fender benders and other more serious accidents as people were trying to make their way home.

Bunny tracks in the snow.

The bunnies were all waiting this morning for their food. Good thing they have fur coats.

The birds are cute to watch as they pull first one foot up under their feathers to warm it up, then repeat with the other foot. Poor wee things. I am making sure they have plenty of food.

First snow of the season

2010-11-22T08:29:00.000-08:00

I started to snow about 7:30am this morning, so I immediately went outside to fill the bird feeders and feed the rabbits. It is very cold and the forecast is for colder temperatures. I am not looking forward to driving the slick roads.

The rabbits have been fed their munchies, and I am sure they are glad to have the extra nutrition.

Woody woodpecker's cousin

2010-11-19T03:32:00.000-08:00

The Downy woodpecker is the cutest little bird.

He especially likes the suet

This one did not seem to be shy, and stayed still long enough so I could snap his picture.

CORRECTION, I had this little guy identified as a hairy woodpecker, thank you Randy for pointing out that it is actually a downy woodpecker. You can tell the difference between the two, by the downy having a shorter beak and the downy nostril feathering which filters out the sawdust produced in hammering.

GOTCHA AT LAST

2010-11-15T09:00:00.000-08:00

I can't tell you how long I have spent, and how many photos I have attempted to take of this speedy little guy.

The Red breasted Nuthatch has been the most difficult bird who visits my feeders, to take a photo of.

He zooms to the feeder, snatches up a seed, then zooms away just as fast.

The only way I could catch him at the feeder was to wait until I saw him, sit by the window, camera focused on the feeder, finger on the button, waiting for him to land on the perch.

My patience finally paid off, and this past week I have managed to snap a few pictures.

Here is what "all about birds" has to say about this little bird: An intense bundle of energy at your feeder, Red-breasted Nuthatches are tiny, active birds of north woods and western mountains. These long-billed, short-tailed songbirds travel through tree canopies with chickadees, kinglets, and woodpeckers but stick to tree trunks and branches, where they search bark furrows for hidden insects. Their excitable yank-yank calls sound like tiny tin horns being honked in the treetops.

Read more HERE

Just a wee bit of color left.

2010-11-14T09:06:00.001-08:00

Last year, we got our first frost around the 6th of December, and I remember still having a few flowers blooming in the garden.

This year is the same. The pretty cerise pink of a Mum, is brightening a corner of the garden

and this red one also.

There is one hardy rose refusing to give up yet, and sleep for the winter

But the biggest surprise of all, was one single gladioli bloom I discovered starting to bloom. This one I picked and brought inside to enjoy.

I know I will probably regret this decision

2010-11-10T08:08:00.001-08:00

In a previous post, I had written about the little black rabbit which had found it's way into my flower garden. Well after a week of chasing it out and watching it nimbly jump back over the fence, I have raised the white flag of surrender.

Winter is coming on, so most of the plants in the garden have died back and it seems that many of them are not palatable to black bunny. Besides, being black, he really stands out and I think he/she will be safe from a predator behind the fence.

Yes, that is a dish of rabbit munchies I have given bunny, and yes, I am an old softie.

I can count my blessings that black bunny's cousins just hang out on the driveway next to the garden, and don't seem interested in hopping over the fence. But as Mr C pointed out, black bunny is still young and perhaps when it reaches full size, it will not be able to hop/clamber over the fence. We will see about that, come spring when all the new shoots appear, I may resort to spraying the garden with liquid fence, and black bunny will have to go hang out with it's cousins.

"So, you think I can't see you back there?" I asked black bunny, when I found it hanging out on the front porch checking out the tasty plants in the pots.

Awww! I can't resist such a cute little face.

Uh Oh! discovered in the garden again!

Perhaps we should give black bunny a name. What would you name him/her?

Flicker, Flicker, Flicker

2010-11-07T08:30:00.000-08:00

I have a suet feeder set up right outside my kitchen window, and yesterday when I was working on a project on the table, I noticed a flicker enjoying the suet. As I watched out of the corner of my eye, the flicker seemed unconcerned about my nearness, but as soon as I picked up my camera and turned towards the window to take photos, then he became wary.

Shall I stay or go?

You are getting too close to the window!

Now I am very nervous!

HERE is a web site, well worth exploring for more information on this very handsome bird, the Northern flicker.

What do you think you are doing in there?

2010-11-05T08:09:00.000-07:00

Those of you who read my blog on a regular basis, know we have semi-tame rabbits who like to hold us for ransom until they get bread every day. They also like to hang out with me, when I relax on my deck chair during my break from the garden work.

It has been a long time since finding a rabbit had managed to find it's way behind the fence securing my flowers from rabbit nibbles.

Yesterday, as I walked past the fenced garden I heard a rustle in the dry leaves alerting me to an intruder. I looked around and discovered this young black bunny, sitting there staring at me bold as brass. "now how on earth did you get in there?" I asked bunny, it stared right back and did not seem very nervous at all.
I put my head inside the front door and called for Mr C to come outside to see what I had found. Along the back of the garden next to the concrete porch, I have a piece of lattice fence I can lift out so I can gain easy access to the garden, I moved the lattice out of the way, and Mr C and I managed to quietly persuade the black bunny to make it's way towards the opening and then hop on out, across the porch and away from the house, where it stopped long enough for a photo.
He/she is such a pretty little rabbit we hope it will join our semi-tame team and hang out with them. We just hope it does not find it's way back behind the garden fence.

Beautiful in it's own way

2010-11-03T09:07:00.000-07:00

But I don't want to live here.
Some of you may know I am a competitive pistol shooter, and last week Mr C and I were in Prescott Arizona to compete in a match. Of course, the gardener in me is always on the lookout for any flora and fauna, and although I did not see critters of any kind, there were some interesting plants to capture shots of with my trusty Kodak easyshare.

This is the terrain where the range is located. It is rocky, dry, with scrubby stunted trees and shrubs, seemingly doing well in such a harsh environment, but of course they have adapted to survive in this land of hot dry conditions. There were a few flowers still blooming, doing their thing before the cold winter really sets in. Yes they do get snow here, as it is around 5000-6000 feet in altitude.

Prickly friends

There is an abundance of prickly pear cactus in the area.

The hardy aster was the only plant growing on the side of the dry berm.

I cannot identify this plant.

Prickly poppy
Such a delicate bloom on a very prickly plant

Alligator juniper bark

The only water I could see for miles around, was in this stock tank fed by the windmill, although the unpaved road into the range, showed evidence of a recent downpour, with deep washouts across the road. Fortunately the club at the range owns a grader which was used to smooth the road out the day before the match, other wise it would have been a very bumpy ride out to the range.

We have dandelions, this part of Arizona has saguaro cactus.

I took these photos out of the car window, as we blasted along the freeway on our ride back into Phoenix, to catch the plane back to Washington.

Saguaro standing so stately against the background of a clear blue sky.

As much as I think the desert is beautiful, I could not live here. Being born and raised in New Zealand, surrounded by an abundance of green, and just about half an hours drive to the ocean beach, I would be a very unhappy person in this environment.
After competing in the match, we wound down by doing the tourist thing, exploring Prescott and the surrounding area.

Saturday bird day

2010-10-30T04:24:00.000-07:00

I know I can fit just one more seed in my beak.
I don't know what this little Junco was up to with his beak full of seeds. Perhaps he was going to take them where he could eat without all the other birds at the feeder pestering him.

We are survivors

2010-10-28T08:45:00.000-07:00

We have had a couple of days of blustery damaging winds and copious amount of rain, which has pretty much flattened most of the rest of the garden, but the sedum, and a couple of snapdragons growing against the wall, and under the eves of the carport have been somewhat protected from the onslaught, so there is a little, very little, color in a part of the garden to enjoy for a while yet.

The holly berries are ripening

2010-10-26T08:30:00.000-07:00

Our Holly is well on the way to producing lovely red berries I can use for decorations over the Christmas period. Every time I look at the holly, I am reminded of the English traditional Christmas carol, we used to sing in school, many, many years ago.
From Wikipedia: "Holly and ivy have been the mainstay of Christmas decoration for church use since at least the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries,

Lyrics:

The holly and the ivy, when they are both full grown,

Of all the trees that are in the wood, the holly bears the crown.

Refrain:

Oh, the rising of the sun and the running of the deer,

The playing of the merry organ, sweet singing in the choir.

The holly bears a blossom as white as lily flower,

And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ to be our sweet saviour

Refrain

The holly bears a berry as red as any blood,

And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ to do poor sinners good.

Refrain

The holly bears a prickle as sharp as any thorn,

And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ on Christmas Day in the morn.

Refrain

The holly bears a bark as bitter as any gall,

And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ for to redeem us all.

Did any of you also sing this carol at Christmas?

BTW, we don't have any small children or animals around who may eat the holly berries. (just in case any of you are concerned)

Golden red delight

2010-10-25T08:41:00.000-07:00

This particular fern always rewards me with this luscious color in the fall, the others just turn brown, dry up and wither away.

Fall is here

2010-10-23T08:53:00.000-07:00

Yes indeed, fall is here in all its colorful splendor.

We call them ---The bunny mafia

2010-10-19T13:02:00.000-07:00

We have five semi-tame rabbits who won't let us step outside without handing out treats. LOL
Picture this, we mince along with tiny steps, (so we won't trip over a bunny) while the rabbits hop and frolic around, and over our feet as we try to walk to the spot where we place torn slices of bread for their pleasure. I started feeding the rabbits away from the house, so I would not run over one of them as I backed out my car.

Now who could resist this poor starving bunny? *chuckle*

My vegetable garden has to be fenced, but that does not stop our bunny friends from waiting at the gate, hoping for a handout when I am working inside.

My flower gardens are also neatly fenced.

"Psst! there she is, do you think we can get her to give us a treat?"

Me beg? I am just sitting here looking cute!

"Sheesh! I am just soaking up a little sun, I wouldn't think of begging"

Farewell gift

2010-10-13T12:14:00.000-07:00

I was surprised to see this gorgeous late bloom. I will enjoy it while it lasts.

The glads have really put on quite a display this year, and have provided cut flowers for many weeks.

I will be planting many more of this, one of my favorite flowers, next season.

Too little, too late!

2010-10-11T19:39:00.000-07:00

Our summer this year has been, it seems, very short and way too cool.

There will not be any eggplants harvested from the garden this year. They are just now beginning to flower, and I bet the first frost isn't far off.
I think I need to sweet talk Mr C into getting the greenhouse built.

I may be able to harvest at least one, halfway decent sized bell pepper.

Why are you blooming now?

2010-10-06T13:04:00.000-07:00

My potted Azalea seems confused as it has started to bloom for the second time this year. I thought they only bloomed in spring.

Autumn beauty

2010-10-04T17:23:00.000-07:00

I believe this is the seed pod of a lily.

Monarda

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2010-09-29T07:05:00.000-07:00

There is still a little color in my garden

2010-09-28T06:53:00.000-07:00

It won't be much longer before the garden will be pretty much colorless, so I am enjoying the flowers still blooming while I can.

Winter is not too far away

2010-09-26T07:36:00.000-07:00

No, we do not have snow.....yet.....This is a photo from 2006 when we did have snow, a lot of it, I am making sure I am ready for whatever Mother Nature intends on throwing at us this year.
Yesterday it was a slightly breezy day, but warm, so I spent all day outside putting the summer furniture away, deadheaded the flowers which do not provide seeds for the birds, and most important of all, I drained the irrigation system, drained and rolled the hoses and put them away, and put away a whole lot of stuff which seemed to have found it's way under the carport. I also swept the pine needles from the front porch, which come from what was once a nice little potted Christmas tree. Many years ago, it was planted next to the steps up to the front door, and now towers over the front of the house, it looks nice but makes such a mess. As I swept around a potted plant, I saw a movement out of the corner of my eye, and discovered a tiny garter snake trying to get out of the way of my advancing broom. I let it slither away down into the garden before finishing the sweeping. I like to have garter snakes in the garden, as they help in keeping the insect population down.
There are still a few things I want to get done before the weather really turns nasty, but they will have to wait for another day, as today, Sunday, I need to rest a little (my body is telling me I did too much yesterday) besides it is a damp gloomy day,a good one to curl up in a comfy chair with a good book.

Sedum is a bug magnet

2010-09-23T08:30:00.000-07:00

The butterfly, bee and wasp were all busy sucking up nectar from the Sedum.
The days are growing shorter, there is a nip in the air, and soon there will be no more bugs hurriedly going about their business. I am not a winter person, and get a trifle depressed during the long gloomy days of winter.

TAKE A VACATION AND THE GARDEN IS SURE TO PRODUCE WHILE YOU ARE GONE

2010-09-16T19:06:00.000-07:00

We were away for just six days, and it was as if the garden knew it, and put on a spurt of growth.

There are plenty of beans to process and put in the freezer.

Two lemon cucumbers waiting to be picked as I first picked two very large burpless cukes which I thought may be past their best, but they were still crisp and tasty.

The kale is about three feet tall and leaned over under all that weight. It has since been staked.

I picked a couple of hand fulls of Sunsugar tomatoes, and there are plenty more ripening.

The ornamental gourds have fattened and I hope they will still grow a little more.

The two small blueberry bushes, just two years old, have produced about three pounds of fruit so far this year. As the fruit ripens, I pick it and place it in the freezer so we will have yummy berries on our pancakes during the dreary days of winter.

I am hoping there will be enough warm weather to ripen these couple of beauties, but judging by the forecast I may be out of luck.

WEDNESDAY WHIMSY

2010-09-15T02:49:00.000-07:00

WEDNESDAY WHIMSY

2010-09-08T02:46:00.000-07:00

MONDAY MOMENT

2010-09-07T06:45:00.000-07:00

Love in The mist seedpods, holding onto raindrops.

TROPICANNA CANNA 'PHASION'

2010-09-02T07:53:00.000-07:00

This is one Canna I grow for the foliage as well as the flowers. It is hardy in zones 7-11 prefers full sun to partial shade. It will also do well in a large pot, and will grow up to 4' in the container, and 6' in the garden.

I love the shades of the multi-hued leaves, and it will be crowned with brilliant tangerine orange flowers. This year due to our cooler than usual summer, the plant is slow in showing it's lovely blooms.

WEDNESDAY WHIMSY

2010-09-01T02:42:00.000-07:00

So, there you are!

2010-08-31T06:59:00.000-07:00

I put this plant in the garden about three years ago, and it is only now that it has decided to bloom. I believe it is a variegated phlox.

Thursday harvest

2010-08-26T01:50:00.000-07:00

Royal Burgundy bush beans, scarlet runner beans, cut and ready for dinner tonight, sungold tomatoes and cukes for the salad. There is nothing as sweet as homegrown vegetables to grace the dinner table. I already have several packages of beans in the freezer, and the way the beans are producing, there will be many more.

WEDNESDAY WHIMSY

2010-08-25T02:38:00.000-07:00

WEDNESDAY WHIMSY

2010-08-18T02:34:00.000-07:00

I AM GLAD SURPRISES NEVER END

2010-08-17T14:04:00.000-07:00

I bought this Amaryllis last year and enjoyed the blooms for many weeks, and when it had done flowering I left it alone during the winter months and started re-watering it come spring. All I got for the care it received, was a lot of healthy leaves, so I decided to sit the pot out in the flower garden. Soon I saw that the leaves had died so I assumed the plant was lost, then a couple of weeks ago, much to my surprise, I noticed new growth, which turned out to be new flower stems emerging from the top of the bulb. This is the first stem to produce two lovely flowers and the other stem still growing. I am so glad this lovely plant did not die.

A SURPRISE VISITOR TO MY GARDEN

2010-08-13T09:37:00.000-07:00

Western Tanager

As I walked out the front door I heard a bird call which was unfamiliar, so I started to look up into the trees. I spotted a yellow bird, one larger than the goldfinches hanging out in the yard, one I had never seen before. I rushed back indoors grabbed up my camera ready to take the perfect shot. Of course when I very cautiously went back outside, the bird was not where I last saw it. I stood very still and scanned all the surrounding trees, then saw the bird way up in the branches of a plum tree. I very slowly edged my way closer all the while readying the camera for a close up shot, and managed to snap just one before the bird flew off.
Back indoors I opened my "Birds of Washington State" book and looked for a yellow bird of about the same size of the one I had photographed. I was surprised to see a number of bird which looked similar, but had to look carefully at the photo to distinguish all coloring and markings on the bird, checking against the description in the book.

ID: stout orangy bill - check

dark eyes - check
bluish gray legs - check

Yes indeed, I am 99.9% sure I have I have correctly identified the visitor to my garden.

WEDNESDAY WHIMSY

2010-08-11T02:27:00.000-07:00

PROGRESS ON THE SHADE GARDEN

2010-08-07T19:54:00.000-07:00

Looking across the primrose garden, to where I am creating a shade garden.

This was last year when I started building some small connecting gardens.

The lovely old willow lends shade to this area. I have removed quite a lot of the English ivy which was covering the ground under the tree, to make room for other shade loving plants.

I have started hauling rocks, and arranging, then rearranging them until I get it to where it pleases my eye.

A little whimsy here and there for added interest.

The broken pot holds the soil around the fern's roots, so it will not be washed down the hill.

Looking back up towards the driveway. I still have a lot of work to do before I can say it is finished.

WOW! WEDNESDAY

2010-08-04T11:05:00.000-07:00