the garden is in!

it's all in.

all of it.

now, we water; we cajole; we check every day.... and we hope while we're on vacation the neighbor doesn't let it all dry out and die.

Caption contest

this guy needs a caption, so i'm having a contest on facebook.

go to my facebook page and leave a caption. winner will be voted on, via facebook. what does the winner win? a 5x7 or 8x10 print, their choice from my portfolio!

if you're not my "friend" leave me a comment here with your facebook contact or email me and i'll friend you!

First Hummingbird of the season!

.... got himself stuck in my garage last Friday. Buzzed around the ceiling for over 3 hours before we, uh, helped him find the way out. Yes, the door was wide open; no, he couldn't find in on his own. And why do I refer to the bird as "he"? A "she" would have stopped for directions. (LOL)

Flower Tower

My first attempt at a flower tower:

Front bed

A little corner missing, but you get it....

Patio Side Bed

So, these are the perennials in the bed:

Seedling update

Ok, so I dropped the ball blogging.... but I've been busy planting and tending!

Of the 5 flats of seeds I planted, that's 72? plant cells, only about 6 cells did not germinate. So, yay!!!

Now, I've planted some of them in pots, but none of them in the ground b/c I'm waiting for the landscapers to get the mulch down. Last year, I planted before the mulching, and they mulched right over some of my new plants, killing them. So, this year, I waited. And waited. I asked the management company to find out wth was going on, and I was told they'd be done mulching LAST week. Still waiting. Now, I've been told this week. Hm. Not happy. I am NOT a happy camper. On the other hand, we've had 2 rather late frosts which necessitated covering tender plants. I just moved mine into the garage. If they'd been in the ground, I would have had to cover beds. There's the silver lining, I guess.

I'll post photos of some things in a bit.... need to edit and resize. ;)

Flower photos

lots of new flower and bird photos on the website:

www.susankphotography.com

feel free to comment!!

Seedling update

Of the 5 trays of 72 "pods" I planted, almost all have germinated!!

In fact, I'm thinking I might have to transplant some of them up into peat pots b/c they're really getting tall already, and we have at least 5 or 6 more weeks before I'm supposed to be able to plant, safely.

It's a veritable garden.

yay!

March bird count

good Lord, we got birds!

20 Goldfinches
16 Doves
15 Red Winged Blackbirds
12 Grackles
12 House Sparrows
8 Cowbirds
6 Tree Sparrows or Chipping Sparrows
4 Cardinals
4 Chickadees
2 Titmice
3 Hairy or Downy Woodpeckers- the smaller one, i always forget which is which

Robins all over the place
Geese in the marsh
and a pair of Mallards in the marsh, when the geese don't chase them out.

breathtaking visitor

Peepers, and such

We have peepers. Well, WE don't have peepers, but our pond/marsh/puddle does. And, the water isn't so far from the house.

Last year, we were like, "WTH?" at the cacophony. We asked a neighbor, "wth IS that?" and she told us, "peepers!"

Ah, peepers.... and eventually the peepers stopped peeping. LOL And I guess we forgot about them. Until yesterday. They're baaaaaack!

So, this morning, I googled peepers. They're a tiny frog. And their mating season is from March to June in the north. And the males sing for a mate. And THAT is the cacophony!! It's peeper season!! Go google them; they're interesting little guys.

And, there are sprouts in tray #2!! Gosh, I'm so excited.

Yesterday I cleaned some of the pots out. And pulled some weeds. Overdid it, for sure, at least that's what the knee is saying today.... So I'll take a couple days off from farming. LOL

I have leftover seeds that I'm going to put in the pots, I think. Maybe I'll take these next couple days to ponder what to put together in what pots.

Tray #3

Tray #3 is cosmos and poppies.

Tray #1 actually has some sprouts!! That's not even 7 days.... do I have magical water?? LOL

Also planted a pot last week for the top of the chimnea. And, Saturday, I removed the plastic from the basil sprouts, and now must spray pretty much every day. Can't let the little sprouts dry out!

2nd tray, in

Planted the second tray of 72 today.... boxwood basil, bells of ireland and 3 varieties of white marigolds.

Should all germinate in 7-14 days.

Amazing birdhouses

If you are in the market for a gift for a gardener or bird watcher, consider visiting this ebay shop:

http://stores.ebay.com/South-Alabama-Creations_W0QQssPageNameZstrkQ3amewaxQ3amesstQQtZkm

6-8 weeks before final frost

would be now???

Today, I planted the first of 3 starter trays. These seeds are the 14-21 day germinators.

Friday, I plan to do the second tray with the 10-14 day seeds.

Then, Monday, the last tray with the 7-10 dayers.

Why am I spreading the task out like this? Because I tend to get "done" with it before I'm really and truly done, and I rush, and I'm not as careful as I should be. Some of these seeds are TINY, and I want to do everything I can to get good results. I figure by spreading out my planting over 3 days, I'll be careful with each and every tray.

Got Basil?

I have basil growth!!!

WOO HOO!!!

and Cosmos

add to the "I Have" list:

Cosmos, Summer Dreams

Seeds I Have

Basil
Bells of Ireland
Cerinthe
Cleome
Coleus
Coneflower
Cosmos- white and sensation mix
Marigold- french vanilla, snowball, snowdrift
Scabiosa
Sunflower- Lemon Queen
Zinnia- Envy, Purple Prince, White Wedding

Still looking for:
Zinnia, Tequila Lime
Nasturtiums- yellow
Coreopsis- Heaven's Gate
Gomphrena- Fireworks
Petunias- yellow.... good luck with that, huh?
Vinca-
Blue Eyed Daisy
Sunflower- Bashful

Basil in a pot

I planted my basil seeds this morning. They're in a pot on my kitchen window sill. We'll see how this works. If it's successful, I'll be tempted to keep basil year round in the kitchen. To me, it's one of God's great gifts! I once even thanked Him in our mealtime grace for fresh basil. My husband laughed. I told him, "Hey, I AM thankful for basil, why not say so?" LOL

Garden picks for this year

Here's what I chose from my Burpee catalog.... some of them are already in my garden.

Seeds, bought!

I have bought the seeds I selected from my Burpee catalog, and my seed starter trays!

Well, mostly.

Still looking for the Tequila Lime Zinnias for less than $4.95/pack + $6.95 shipping. Seriously??

Love my seed catalog!

Got my Burpee seed catalog last week.

I dog-eared pages on my first page thru. Then went back with scissors.

I cut out photos of the flowers I want in my garden this year, as well as the perennials that I know will (should) be back. Then I planted my garden on my coffee table.

I rearranged, divided and rearranged again until I got the garden I want!!

Plan: get the seeds and get them started mid-March, 8 weeks before last frost date.

If anyone sees Tequila Lime zinnias, let me know?

February Bird Count

40ish Gold Finches
18 Doves
8 Cardinals
6 Chipping Sparrows
3 Chickadees
3 Juncos
2 Purple Finches
10 Starlings
2 Blue Jays
2 Hairy Woodpeckers
6 House Sparrows
1 Hawk
1 Robin
1 Cowbird
2 Red-winged Blackbirds
1 Pine Siskin (i think)
and a handful of geese out on the partially frozen marsh/pond.

Robin!

I saw my first robin of the year yesterday!!!

Uh, did he know he was going to get snowed on this morning? He might have delayed his return for a bit more if he had....

Wednesday's Winter Storm

Oh yeah.... we got a foot-ish.

I went out this morning to fill the bird feeders. The snow was so deep it came up over the top of my boots. And into my boots.

It's really hard to walk in snow that deep! LOL I was tripping and falling all over the place. Not a pretty sight, but at least the feeders are full and birds have food for the day.

OH, and by the way.... according to the weatherman, we are about an inch and a half from record snowfall for the month! I didn't think this was "normal."

January Bird Count

Visiting my feeders:

40ish Gold Finches (probably more, but counting them isn't easy)
12 Doves
4 Cardinals
4 Chipping Sparrows
3 Chickadees
3 Juncos
2 Purple Finches
2 Starlings
2 Blue Jays
2 Hairy Woodpeckers
2 House Sparrows

Winter Storm= More Snow

On top of the abundant ground cover, they're forecasting another 12".

I'd guess we're about 5-6" into that. And it's falling heavily. And steadily, at 9:30 a.m.

Well, we'll see, won't we?

Trying to Ignore Winter

This has been a miserable winter for this sun-loving Southern belle.

That first "flurries" post in October turned into our first snowfall. Since then, snow has been a regular visitor here in NE Ohio. Granted, it IS NE Ohio, and it IS supposed to snow in Ohio in the winter, but, honestly. This much?

I mean, I don't know. I'm not from here. I'm asking.... THIS MUCH???

Is this normal?

Is it this cold, normally? For this long??

This morning, I went out to fill the bird feeders and it felt "warmish." I checked the thermometer. It was 16. And it felt "warmish?" LOL Yes, well, that's what happens when it's been single digits and below zero a lot lately. It's all relative.

So, the pansies I planted in October, clearly did not survive. They were buried, frozen, months ago. I didn't even get my spent annuals pulled out because I was first in the cam-walker with the two foot fractures. Then, Hubby broke his hip the beginning of October and I was busy caring for him. Then, snow. And frozen ground.

Come spring, I will have dead annuals from last year to dig out.... hope none of them were disease carriers.

For now? Nothin' but snow cover.