Spring Blooms - Part 4

creamy daffs with Grape Hyiasenth

Cherry blossoms

ngam... the ground cover is ajuga reptans "burgundy glow". Great dicentra! it's one of the few plants for me that has withstood the weather this season. That variety of ajuga is on of the few that I think are fairly easy keep contained and still dense enough to keep down the weeds. I do thin this bunch every so often so that the hellebore seedlings have a chance, until they're old enough to be moved.

And now I think I need to get more tulips.

My hyacinths never open fully unless there are some really warm days before and during when it's blooming.

The ones that are in compacted damp soil.... never open all the way.

I think someone mention JM Jiro shidare above, not sure though. One of my favorites! I needed to tear up this bed last spring but of course there was no way I was going to touch this remove or move this one. Not much for foliage at the moment, but it has a nice form.

I'm playing with the new camera, the following are all some practicing pics of what going on around here

This message was edited Apr 23, 2008 4:18 PM

weeping katsura

muscari. (great taste in plants victor)

brunnera jack frost. Some times both the brunnera and pulmonaria will stay up all winter, this year they all died back.

This message was edited Apr 23, 2008 4:15 PM

I didn't do the ivy!!!! i've been slowly knocking it back a foot or two every year. It used to come out and past the railroad ties. It's been growing uncontained in that area for over 50 years.

this was all ivy... now it's a pieris!

my favorite bleeding heart

the willow is waking up.

Imo... highly under-rated "Pacific fire" vine maple in front (not it's permanent spot) with JM I think "Beni Hoshi" behind. I'll have to double check.

This message was edited Apr 23, 2008 4:37 PM

What's not in this picture is more like it. I love the new growth on the Cedar. Behind is Rhody "ebony pearl", JM "butterfly" and then a bunch of other things.

that's actually last years growth on the cedar (as you probably knew), this years will be a little lighter still.

And an erysimum that will brighten anybody's porch.

Lovin' that new camera? Looks like you made a great choice. Keep posting.

Laurel

Yep, so far so good. And I haven't even begun to get into all of it's features. So far mostly automatic stuff with maybe a couple of adjustments. It's soooo much easier to get a decent close-up shot! And my cats' eye don't look devilish! Thanks so much for all of the info and advice! I figured that it that was the kind I was ment to get since the first place that I called had only one on hand, I had them hold it. i called every other electronics place in town: they had all ordered it, but it hadn't arrived yet. I picked the brains of some of the staff on hand there, they all agreed that it was a great choice and quality/options similar to that of some of the little more expensive ones. Now if only they had the same to say about the software of the computer.... :-p.

I so love Spring leaf green, it's such a pretty, brief color. And seeing all the new growth. I have Trillium blooming today, and was happy to see leaves sprouting on my Callicarpa as the branches looked dry and brittle so I was afraid it didn't survive.
Went out to take pics with a dead camera battery, so didn't get any tonight.

Redchic, that is one purty kitty you got. And some great plants too. Looks like you and your new camera will have a life long love affair :~)

redchic01 very nice shots

redchick: Jo Ann here, nice camers
What brand did you finally decide on?

Good Morning Jo Ann. Up early as usual I see!! I went with the Nikon Coolpix L18. The only problems that I have encountered so far with the software not loading correctly is for some resizing issues, but it's not anything that I haven't been able to work through. Just takes a little longer. I've already lost the wriststrap! that's fine though, I can make one that will work.

Want to see a picture that I took when a lot of the hummers where at the feeders? I had just refilled the feeders and in one of the pictures I think that there is 12 birds... maybe only 10. It's a lot though.

I also took a short video of all of them since I couldn't take a picture of the birds without the flash making them glow. I think that I'll post it to my picasa/google photos area and then link it here if it would be interesting. In the video they are all chattering up a storm since I am next to their feeders (you would think that they would be used to it by now!)

thanks all! Venu-- I hope that it's a long affair. Can you believe that I just adopted that kitty about 4 months ago and she's 7 years old. She's the sweetest most entertaining cat, she does tricks, knows her name, comes to a whistle, etc. Gee...can you tell we get along. I have another one that has been near and dear for more than 17 years, but she sort of a lump when it comes to doing anything.

Cats are great, these arn't spring blooms but I'll try to sneek these in before the DG thread watchers get up.
Their names are Ben and Jerry (a household favorite) They are brothers from a shelter
Ben is first. he is a silver tabby from Lollypop Farm Humane soc.
They are bothe smart and more playfull than my old cat Harriet who was 17 when she died.

This is Jerry the hunter both cats are 12.

Jerry hunts?? hmmmmmm he's chasing mice in his dreams right now. Just kidding. but they both look like complete luv bugs. Besides, i don't know too many people who are gardners that aren't pet people too. They'll all like Ben and Jerry pictures!

He scared all the rabbits off the new property. Many of the neighbors are greatfull. I live with my daughter, her cat Angel, went into the rabbit warren and outright killed four baby bunnies. It was awfull but crocus and tulips are blooming for the first time in years.
When you understand how rabbits breed it's easy to not get freaked out about a few less.
Now if these two hunters could work on the deer problem!!!! :)

Wow, I would like to barrow these cats! Would the tackle moles and gophers?

Amazing pics everyone! They have inspired me to spend more money!!! Thanks alot! I'm going around this morning to see what tulips holes need to be filled by Brent and Becky. I've already done that with crocus and daffs last month!

I am truly amazed at how quickly all your gardens wake up!

I'm off with coffee in hand to inspect my beds!

COFFEE and flower check. The best part of waking up.
Still a bit woooozy from anesthesia for colonoscopy yesterday. ALL clear Im happy to say.

So glad to hear that! And the CT scan??

Good news JoAnn!

I didn't realize you knew about that but that's the reason I had one. Seeing a vascular surgeon in June so nobody is freaking out about it,probably have to have coratid artery reamed out,something causing slow blood flow. CT showed I have had a tinny I mean tinney stroke ,sometime, cant say when cause there was no residual affect,so the docs believe this is where memory loss comes from.
I'm 72 for crissake no wonder, I plan to go head on into a tub of mulch.
Thanks for asking

ok.... so thers not that many hummers in the picture, but there is in the video! I did count. So this is a link to my picasa web albums. The black cover of the album is the first video that is of my kitty doing one of her tricks. about 12 seconds. The second one is of all the hummingbirds this morning, nothing to exciting. (about 20 seconds) just interesting to see 10 or 12 birds all flying around the feeders. I'm not sure why the video of the cat appears black at first, but it does load properly. I may get that fixed or switch the videos so that there is something on the album cover.

ok... I did switch the videos. The album cover is the birds and then the other black box is the video of my cat.

Also... I just made a couple of my other albums there public if people want to look at them. They'll only be public for a little while (maybe a week or two).

http://picasaweb.google.com/redchic/TheHummersAndMyCat

This message was edited Apr 24, 2008 4:53 AM

This message was edited Apr 24, 2008 5:13 AM

LOVED both the hummers a wonderful. What a great environment for them, no wonder there are so many.

yep, you mentioned it up above! Glad to hear that it wasn't worse than that and sorry to hear that you have to have that done! Not fun. but, I guess that the upside is that you caught it. If there is an upside. That's all right. Most of the time here you don't have to worry to much about what you forgot because you can back track and look it up. We'll never know!

The link worked???? great. I was just about to try it myself to make sure!

There's always a lot of them at the feeders this time of years since theres not much blooming in the yard for them. The feeders are filled at least every other day, sometimes sooner. During the summer I go through about 1/5 the amount of their food. If someone is actually holding their feeder, they will still eat out of it. Spoiled little birds I guess!

good luck anita! May you find many abundant "on sale" tables!

Has anyone else seen the little 'hummers' visiting yet?
I can't wait for their arrival.

I have a few clems waking up. This one is new this year. Lincolnshire lady. I borrowed Pixie's hand :)