Lilacs

Front Garden Birds

I love the picture of this robin the best, somehow it looks like the gnome has something to say to it. If I ever think of a clever caption for it I may use it on a greeting card.

There must be something shiny about the camera lens hidden inside the feeder because the birds seem very interested in it.

On the other hand, this bird couldn't care less so I'm left to wonder what's really going on.

There have also been doves, goldfinches and cardinals but there are no pictures of them because they seem to favor the other feeders and those don't have cameras in them.

The main thing for us is the enjoyment we get from watching and listening to them chatter and sing in the garden.

It can drown out the traffic at times to the point that you can almost forget you're in the middle of a city.

Progress

Having filled all of the large planters I'm Planting up all of the various sizes of pots laying around here.

I'll be changing this table out for the big one as our main entertaining area.

There will be 2 other, smaller areas that will be a bit more casual.

This is our new toy to make the transplanting easier and faster this year.

Since I can't get around and do the digging myself I'm trying to make things easier for others.

I've been told it's fast and works really well.

Coffee, Tea or Gardening?

Enjoying a few cut flowers with coffee.

A violet from the garden and a selection of teas for my garden party.

Taking photos and doing watercolors

When the Sun Comes Out, So Do I

I'm so happy to be out in the garden again and have been planting and trans planting everything I've got on hand.

So far the only new plants I've purchased are 9 wild strawberry plants. Why just 9, they've been difficult to find and were $18.00 per package of just 3 plants but they spread well and quickly and I figure 9 will be enough to fill my 4 x 4 foot raised bed within a couple of years.

 By then they well be well established and can be released into the woodland habitat here to help feed the wildlife. Meanwhile in the garden box I'm hoping to let the bees cross some of them with other varieties of strawberries to develop a larger berry with the sweetness and durability of the wild ones.

As regular readers will remember we have a very shady urban lot and a half so finding a strawberry to do well here has always been a challenge. Wild strawberries are native to the woods and should be a perfect fit here.

As you can see here, the shade is a real challenge to growing much of anything besides hosta here.

Parts of the front yard are virtually in the dark all day long.

I just don't dare spread them around the yard until there are more and stronger plants which is why I'm starting them in a garden box where I can protect them. Too, too many of my plants get dug up and vanish around here. I am determined to get ahead of the squirrels and things this year.

Getting a Start in the Garden

It may not look like too much progress going on between these two photos but keep in mind, it's early in the season.

What you're seeing here are peas, carrots and beans in large planters seeded over with wildflowers which should make for both a pretty and a useful garden this year.

The flower seeds that I'm using are a mix of seeds I collected and saved from last years garden and packaged seeds that were given to me by several family members.

The other thing of notice about what I've done so far is that the supports that the beans and peas will be growing on will make a nice, living, privacy screen between our property and the neighbors.

Daffodil Bloom

We have daffodils planted in several different areas of the yard so they will be blooming at different times which I'm hoping will give me more time to draw and to paint them.

My First Day in the Garden

I sat for a minute deciding where to start and the easy choice was to clear out the biggest planters first.

  I took a break to check on a few things with my phone before getting back to work.

I had another long planter moved over and filled one long planter and one of the round ones with peas, carrots and flowers. It felt like a good start to me.

Resurrecting the Garden

It was Easter Sunday so I thought "what better time to see what comes back and what doesn't come back to life out in my garden this year"

I'd been indoors since last fall and was very happy to be outside again with the wheelchair. This daffodil was the very first thing
to bloom this season.

As you can see, we've got a LOT of work ahead of us before this space will be a garden again.

These will be our "before" pictures. You may see some of them again as the season progresses and we want to showcase the changes.