Garden Bloggers Bloom Day - May 2012

This spring the irises have been just spectacular. I don't know why becasue we aren't having much rain. It must be that they like this kind of weather. I always thought they liked more water. A spirea and a double mock orange is also blooming in this photo.

The Hydrangeas appear to be responding to the mild winter we had. If they aren't blooming now they sure are setting buds for a big show. Jackmanii, Climbing Hydrangea and Oak Leaf Hydrangea blooming in the photo below.

Speaking of big shows. The annual Mock Orange stravaganza is in full tilt. The fragrance and bright beautiful blooms show off for everyone. 

This is a honeysuckle that I am making into a standard. It needs a haircut but I will wait until it stops blooming. All the honeysuckle in the garden are blooming now. It is good for the hummingbirds. 

The white climbing rose I got for my birthday last year is blooming up a storm. One of these days it will climb up over this arch where the red one will meet up with it.  

Speaking of meeting up. I am headed to the Asheville Garden Bloggers Spring Fling. I hope to see everyone that pops in here from time to time. If you can't make it to the Fling you can always go to Carol's Maydreams Garden blog and tour all the blooming gardens reported there.

Nature's Miracles

We went to our favorite park for a walk and we were treated to a gigantic rainbow. This rainbow brought the promise of some much needed rain.

Along with the rainbow came thunder which Luna doesn't like. Her tail went down and she gave us strict instructions to head for the truck. 

It didn't rain enough to dampen the day. We sat out on the patio for some time. The mock orange is in full bloom and it's sweet scent seems so soothing. It makes you feel cooler. I just wish it would bloom all summer. 

When the sun comes around to the patio I head for the Casa. For when the sun comes out so do the bugs. It seems like it is going to be a buggy year.  The mild winter and warm spring is inviting to the bugs of the world. Luckily we have had only a few days of those horrid bity bugs that plagued us last year after the flood.

Speaking of bugs. As we were trimming the shrubs out front this winter I found several Praying Mantis egg cases.  I stuck them into the window box outside my window.  I was hoping to watch them open as I had never seen this happen.

Sure enough, the other day I looked out and thought that a bunch of cotton wood tree fuzz was captured on one end of the sticks in the window box. Not many cotton woods close to my home.  Then I looked a little closer. 

The little buggers were hatching out. There must have been thousands of them. 

It was amazing to watch these little beasts emerging from their capsule. It didn't take them long to shimmy up a stem to observe their new world. I tried to turn a stem so my DB could take better pictures but they would just fall to the ground in self defense.

It was amazing to watch these tiny, perhaps half inch long, bugs starting life. They were stalking one another just a few minutes out of the case. Ain't nature grand?

I hope you all are able to get out into the garden and surrounds to enjoy some of nature's miracles.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day - April 2012

Once you see what all I have pictured you will be amazed by all the blooms that  my zone 6 garden is sporting mid April this year. I have looked back through my records and almost everything is way ahead of normal spring blooms times.

The Clematis are especially beautiful this spring. Ramona (above) is blooming with the Pink Phlox.

In the picture below the white Clematis (Miss Bateman Donohues) on the back arbor is leaping this, it's third, year.

The Lavender Clematis with pink veins (Fireworks) on the other side of the arbor isn't growing so tall but it is blooming up a storm. The colors of this one doesn't quite come through in this photo.

The bearded Iris are firing up in the garden. Below is an old pale yellow variety that I have threatened to dig out every year but I can't seem to bring mysef to do it. When it is blooming with the honeysuckle, wild columbine and waterplants it fits right in.

I don't know the names of my Irises. They have come to the garden as pass along plants or I have had them so long the names escape me.

The pagoda dogwood is blooming now. The red dogwood out front has finished it's cycle of bloom.

Most of the shrubs are finishing their early spring blooming. An exception is the buckeye shrub (below).

And the Pyracantha is FULL of blooms this year. Last year for some reason it didn't have hardly any blooms therefore not many berries. We won't have to worry about that this year.

Today it is windy and warm once again. We got a good 3/4" of rain yesterday so all is right with our world and may more rain follow.

I hope the pollinators are out and about in your garden. If you have blooms to share this 15th day of April please post and then go to Carol's blog and add yourself to linky to share with the world your blooms. Here you will also find gardens from all over the world posting their blooms. You can revisit fall and  or see what is blooming in gardens all over the world. Happy Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.

My list of all flowers blooming:

Golden Alexander

PPP Phlox

Creeping Phlox

Columbine (native and white)

Water plant

Honeysuckle

Iris

Red Climbing Rose

Clematis : Miss Bateman, Fireworks, Jackmanni,

Varigated Soloman's Seal

Lily of the Valley - White and Pink

Brunnera 'Jack Frost"

Dicentra (yellow)

Ajuga: Chocolate Chips

Deadnettle

Spiderwort 'Sweet Kate'

Bluebells

Mayapple

Blackberries

Pagoda Dogwood

Snowball Viburnum

Doublefile Viburnum

Pyracantha

Wedding bouquet Spirea

Kerria (both)

Wigelia (red and Pink)

Broom

High Bush Cranberry

Ninebark

Wildflower Wedensday - Trillium

It is that time of year again when the wildflowers begin to abound. As I step out into my favorite woods the trails become alive with blooming wildflowers. While the Spring Beauties and Dutchman's Breeches meld together to give this look of a wildflower carpet it is fun to go along to find what else might be up and about.

 Here I have found the Toadshade Trillium blooming. I dashed home to see if any trillium was blooming in my garden. Sure enough...

I have a trillium blooming too. While it is similar to the Toadshade it is a different variety. It is Prairie Trillium. How do you tell the difference you ask?? Well the sepals on the Prairie Trillium are on the under side of the leaves. If you look at the Toadshade picture above you can see the sepals on top of the leaves.

If you have a shady spot in your garden either of these trilliums are great to have. They are in the lily family. Such reliable early bloomers once you get them established.

For more wildflower viewing and inspiration to incorporate wildflowers in your garden head over to Gail's blog Clay and Limestone.

Introductions Needed

I want to introduce you to my latest gardening companion... We have named it Stripey since we don't know if it is a him or a her.  Stripey seems to be about 20" long.

Stripy has a penchant for earth worms. 

The other evening I was watching Stripey rooting through the mulch. I could tell he was hungry. So I dug up some earth worms to feed to him.

Yumm yummm. He was quite happy to have them. After he ate 4 earthworms, 

he looked at me as if to say, OK what is for dessert. 

I have read that Eastern Garter snakes eat mostly earth worms, toads and frogs. I had one of these snakes in the garden last year and had hardly no slug damage or snail damage on my hostas. I think they must eat these too.  In the photo below you can see him staring at an empty snail shell. He could have been sitting still so I wouldn't see him. Clever fellow (fellowette).

Have you had any wildlife in your garden lately?

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day - Late March 2012

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day completely got away from me this month. We have been having record heat as has most of the areas near here. This has caused me to be outside more than usual. By the time I come inside I am worn to a frazzle. I haven't been able to work up a post.  Most things here are ahead of schedule as far a blooms are concerned.

Please follow me down the path around back of the house and I will show you what all is going on. Don't you feel royal walking this path?  It is as if someone has strewn the path with petals so your shoes won't get muddy. Don't worry about getting muddy shoes though. We haven't had enough rain to mix up any mud.

Peek over the fence here and you can see the forsythia blooming. I must say that the Magnolia tree has been outstanding this year. If it hadn't been so hot it would have lasted longer. The poor hyacinths and daffodils aren't liking this 80degree heat either.

Luna likes to lead people around. I hope you don't mind. You can see that the anemones are blooming at the feet of Red Lady Hellebores. 

The Almond Bush that I thought had died is blooming beautifully.

Bloodroot is looking gorgeous. 

The bees are out in numbers. I saw bumble bees and wasps today too.

All sorts of bugs are coming alive. Like these tiny things on the white tulips.

I hope you were able to get out in the garden this weekend to enjoy nature and keep up with spring as it is full steam ahead.

Other flowers in the garden now: Service Berry Tree, Redbud Tree, Daffodils, Narcissus, Leather leaf viburnum, Pussywillow, Kerria Shrub, Grape hyacinths, Orange Hyacinths, Ajuga, Periwinkle Hellebores, Dandelion, Barrenwort Epimedium 'Fairy wings', Spring Beauties, Lungwort, Short Pink tulips, Creeping phlox, chinonodoxa.

P.S. We have been out of the garden a lot lately too. My DB took the picture of a male Falcate Orangetip Butterfly today. A very early arrival. This is the butterfly on my hearder. We were at a Fish and Wildlife area a county East of where we live.

Spring Snow

                                       We went from this yesterday, a perfect early spring day,

to this, a perfect early spring day.

It seems that every March we have snow. So despite it being warmer than ever this winter we have had our largest snowfall this year, such as it is, this spring.

I am sure those of you up North are laughing your wool socks off at this piddling of snow but I am glad to see it.

I thought we were  going to get through a winter with just a heavy dusting of frost. How could I say we had winter without snow? 

I can now  say we have had winter.

So let the growing season begin.

Have you had snow this winter or has your winter been as mild as ours?

I hope your area wasn't one of those hit by the tornadoes and severe winds. My thoughts and prayers goes out to all who has to deal with the devastation.

P.S.

My DB took this picture out his window this morning. You can see that Mrs Robin doesn't especially like this weather. You can also see that the sun is out and it will melt the snow so that Mrs Robin can go on hunting worms and getting on with territorial chores.