Storm's over and time for Coffee!!!

Congrats, Pixie!! Lucky you!

Wow... Just wow... Why are the guys always the ones who chime in about the log homes and the Adirondack chairs and the lamp made from a fishing lure? Just wondering... although Pixie, I would LOVE to have a porch like that. We have a 1/4 acre, I think. Just a slice of the street. No porch, don't know the neighbors, nothing.

Seandor, I'll come to your plant swap! Last time I went to Springfield, I got totally lost. I can't come today; maybe next weekend? I want Monarda (what color?) and Delphinium and Baby's Breath and everything! I have a bunch of NOIDs to bring.

xxxx, Carrie

Pixie, that is great!
I have an acre. I'm pretty happy with that.

I'd settle for an acre! I have about 6/10 of an acre.

ours is 3/4 acre, but part of it is under the lake...can't plant much there. I'd love to do some water plants, but you have to be so careful about what escapes into the environment. I think I'll just wait until I get a small water feature that I can control.

Maybe you can do floating planters in the lake - I'm sure you'd have to check the rules. But you can anchor them so they'll stay in your part. And nothing would 'escape' into the lake. You can do water loving plants using floaters like I did in my pond. You can also do what they do in Disney - create floating planters that feature masses of annuals. These are not in soaking wet soil but are watered by a large wick. They are very impressive.

That sounds like a good idea and I bet it would look real nice in the lake too! I love the house! I've always wanted a porch. I have about an 1/8 of an acre and try to fit in as much as I can. I would love more, but I'm not sure my back would.

Oh yeah - my back would not be very happy either!

My back isn't happy! I spent the whole day yesterday weeding 1 garden (and it was a good day for weeding). There was more grass in this garden than in my lawn.
My neighbor had a tree stump drilled out and I used those wood chips for mulch on that garden last year. I assume that's why it was so bad. Never again!
At least it's done. I really like that mazus reptans I have out there for a sunny, dry groundcover.

Morning Dave - Grass in the beds is a huge problem for me this year. Seems to have come out of nowhere. How do you get it out without pulling out the good plants??

I don't like wood chips for mulch. Don't like how they turn white and they pull nitrogen from the soil.

The Mazus looks nice. How fast does it spread? I am looking for a good ground cover for sun.

It is pretty - I agree with Victor - I love your shadow too!!

So it thrives in head shadows also. Wow, what a plant!

Okay - I am not only a newbie to gardening, I am a relative newbie to the North East - is anything about this weather normal? It seems like it has been raining for days. I have so much work to do in the gardens, and so many plants to plant and everyday goes by and little gets done!

Nice here. The Big Dig has had a tremendous effect on MA weather patterns.

How do you figure that, Victor?

Well, the trick is to get out there the minute the sun pops out. We've become the Northwest, is all. Today I watered orchids all AM while it rained. But as soon as there was a break in the rain, I was out putting down my straw paths and trimming roses. I figure one more chunk of non rain time and I'll finish those roses! Then I have a huge forsythia to trim, the lilies to spray for botrytis (last year's disaster), and peony cages to put up. Maybe by August! I guess weeding will never happen this year.......
Here's a pic from the barn porch before the straw went down. (The brugs are hanging out there till the end of May.)

Wow, Boojum, nice green in your photo!
You're so right; I felt as if I were in Seattle this weekend on the Cape. Soft (relatively) slanting rain, then a bit of sun, then rain again, then sun peeking through. I was outslide trying to garden. . . kept having to go inside when it got too wet, then outside, then inside again. I pretended I was British, but it got too squishy even for that. Meanwhile, I could hear the weeds applauding.
I'm just sure it's the Big Dig up to its old tricks.

The rest of the NE has had a warm dry spring, while MA has been thrown off kilter by the big dig. ;^) (At least that's my guess as to what Victor meant.)

Seriuosly, this is a weird spring. But I think even our normals springs are eratic by other people standards. I think of Spring (and Fall), not as seasons but as transition times with summer & winter fighting it out. That said, this is the weirdest Spring I remember.

Victor & Anita, Not my head, that was the Goodyear blimp passing over.
The reptans went very slow for a good year and is now taking off. I hope it continues at this rate.

The weeding was slow where there was turf grass. Fortunately it's mostly roses and bulbs out there but I still pulled out some muscari & tulips with the weeds. Got most of them back in.

I knew it was something full of hot air!

Hey! I resemble that remark!

I see a dandelion in the lower right corner, Dave. Better get one of those dandelion weeder things on a handle. Long handled or short handled, I don't care, but you need one.

Just trying to be helpful.

xxxx, Carrie

Carrie, It's gone. A lot of relatives still here though.

Don't feel so bad Dave - I've got a reunion in my yard!

Well, now I don't feel so bad - the weeds are taking off in my yard, I still have three roses to plant, a gazillion little seedlings, and now my lisianthus have arrived, and DH wants me to buy plants for the hanging baskets as the beautiful petunias I hoped to have are way to puny to put into planters yet. Sigh . . .

I am hoping this week of good, warm, sunny weather will get my wintersown seedlings a bit bigger for transplant. Then I can get rid of the milk containers that they are in. It is the one downside to w/s'ing.

I tried starting up some tubers in the milk containers this year Anita. I am fairly happy with the results.

I took this picture this morning in the house. It is something you do not see too often at least in my neck of the woods. Make sure you see two.

Beautiful birds! I love the red and blue together. What a sight that must've been in real life. Lucky you!!

Boojum, what a pretty backyard. Dave, I think I gotta get some of that mazus reptans. I love it!

I saw it and said to DH that is a picture! I can take pictures of birds as I do not have one flower yet grrrr... We have wetlands in the back yard. I have seen birds I can not even begin to tell you what they are.

I took this picture last week and the bird has been here a year and is comical. Don't know what it is, ruffled grouse or a patridge? Anyway's you can see the hand trying to hand feed it. Funny part he chases my DH all around the yard. DH rototilled the garden and he right behind him. He mows the lawn and he literally chases him. He takes the tractor and swings the bucket to level dirt and the bird chases the bucket. The dog chased the bird and got pecked on the nose.

Funny about the dog. I love that picture. You should frame it.

Geat bird pictures and story, Schickenlady.

Don't have my bird book here-it's definitely not a ruffed grouse. Does it say Bob White?

your right boojum....it looks like a quail.

I have tried to find what little bud is (the bird) with no avail. Here is a side shot. Next I will take a pic of my dogs nose and the scar :-)

i dont know if this is the same bird but it looks alot like it

http://sdakotabirds.com/species/sharp_tailed_grouse_info.htm

also has info about its habitat and description

Whatever it is, it looks delicious.

Not a NH bird, I'm afraid. After consulting my books, I think it's a female spruce grouse. http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Spruce_Grouse.html

Good thing Victor's not in NH!

schickenlady
I do think it's a Grouse but I'm no bird expert! Here is a place that will identify it for you: http://www.namethatbird.com/
Hope that helps and good luck!

I like it!

xxx, Carrie