Garden photos of '09.....#11

Good Morning JoAnn. Yes they say that IT is coming! Last week it was unseasonably cold and snowed (only small amounts) several nights., with rain/snow/hail/sun mixes throughout the days. Yesterday, and they next few days, we're getting unseasonably warm 70 deg stuff (yeah!!) with record setting cold at night. Last night was 25deg. here and we got to 68 today. That was great after highs of 46 last week. Today was are supposed to get to 70 with a low of 29. It seems as if I need to take both long johns and shorts to work! My plants are soooo confused. But I'm happy for the sun, be it 40 or 70 out!

Sun makes a real difference in my mood.
I'll be bailing out the extra water in my fountain reservoire( big tub sunk in the ground) it holds water for continuous water spout from the top of a basault column. The pump is happier when there is only 3 inches of water in the reservoire.
I will also look for the three Blue Angles from you last year. Its a bit early but no harm in looking.
Here's the fountain being installed

next

and in working order with JM Spring Delight

wow... That's looking fantastic!! Nice work!!

Its really going to be a nice garden. I lazagnaed the grass at the bottom of the last picture and here is how it looks now.
There are going to be about 30 new plants,heucheras,lilies,astilbe,sedum.

All of your hard work and planning is really paying off! It looks great.

This is the official spring picture.
"Sunrise over Fountain " tee hee'

nice... love that fountain... going to be so relaxing

The birds come too. There is a birdhouse nearby where chickadees are building.
Last year we had wrens, I hope they dont come and take over as wrens do sometimes.

I had bought a three tired plastic waterfall thing that looks like fake rock... a few years back and never set it up.. figured the birds would love it... and the other thought was one of my slopes might make it look like it belongs there ... might have to break that out this year

the box claimed no digging needed... but not sure how cheesy looking it is... was one of those blow out sales... I think I paid $20.00 for it

Do you clean out your birdhouses every year? What about everyone else?

You could always add a few additional rocks. I've seen those plastic ones as well.

By the way - ge - I do love that fountain.

I do clean out the bird house, sometimes the wrens come and haul out everything the former tenents have done the year befor and sometimes they haul out whet the chickadees are in the process of doing. I dont mind either bird but wrens are cruel.
Looks like another birdhouse further away for both families.

Ge1836, your fountain looks great with all those new plants.

We will clean out all the bird houses today, hopefully. My DH favorite birds are the swallows and last year they did not nest on the property, but were here most days flitting about. I hope they like us better this year. Patti

The birdhouse is within 15 feet of the deck so morning coffee with a wren is sublime. Cant wait for that to happen.

I meant to say "when" they get planted. Hope your weather is better today. We have blue skies. Patti

sunny here too but thats it for a few more days.
Generally weather is warming and in the "Im never satisfied" column.
I cant wait to sleep with the windows open.

I am in the same column as you are!

Windows open would be a dream

Windows being being opened at night is a favorite happening at our house each spring. When I went back to Oklahoma in March, I had to open the windows in my room at night, as my 94 year old mom needs her heat. I thought I was going to die. I think that is why I got so sick on my return. Too much heat and a lack of fresh air except when I took a couple of trips to gardens and a nursery. We live cold and sleep colder! Patti

There is such a small window of "open windows at night" here befor we have to keep the house closed for the AC.

Brugs with bugs, Victor?!!!

Great fountain, Jo Anne! I love fountains of all types.

Here are some pics I took of my hellebores this morning. This first collage is of 'Ivory Prince'.

Karen

This next is the 'Southern Belles Strain', with a close-up of my concrete gnome. The pic in the lower right of the collage is a different type which I don't know the name of. I bought it about 3 years ago, came in a huge pot, and I split it into 3rds. Only this clump survived, and this is the first time it has bloomed since I bought it. I will not split up a large clump of helleborous again. It would be so gorgeous now if I had left it in one big clump. I had paid about $25 for it, which I guess is a good price for a clump of that size. It was in a gallon size pot.

Karen

Oh, and Victor, yes, I got down on the ground to get these shots!!!!

Karen

Way to go, Karen!! Nice shots and good lighting. Love the double! Funny - I don't like double flowers in general, but I love them on hellebores. Go figure.

Thanks, Victor! I really want to get more hellebores this year. I love them.

Karen

Here's a daff bud getting ready to open.

Vinca buds

Vinca flowers

Lucky horseshoes.

My hamamelis.

A picture would be nice!

Darn it! Did it again!

Old moss covered log by the hamamelis.

And last but not least, a future project......

Very nice Karen. Which hazel (hee hee) is it? Should I ask about the toilet??

Here's my first daff.

Coppertina.

Hellebore.

JM 'Royle'.

Hyacinth - smells wonderful.