Wednesday, April 8, 2009

What a Wonderful Spring Day!


The other day when it snowed, it melted as soon as it hit the ground, and we didn't get the 1 to 3 inches we were supposed to.  There are no more lows in the 20s forecast, and I hope they don't put them in any more this spring.  It was in the 60s when I got home from work today.  Knowing it's supposed to rain the next few days, Heidi and I spent most of the evening outside.  The birds weren't too happy to share the yard with us.  I planted 2 kinds of carrots and more lettuce.  I also planted mesclun at Jeff's.  

Sparrow with nest supplies:



I'm not sure what kind of bird this is, but it was the first time I'd seen it around, and it's a nice change from the sparrows and grackles.



Doesn't this grackle look fierce?


Every time we went out back, we startled the doves, and they flew to here or the overhead lines.



I found a coneflower in the veggie garden that looked the same as the one coming up in my new bed, so moved them both to the area behind Heidi, along with some asters that I divided from the east bed.  I moved the bench out to make room for them.  It was getting dark, so I didn't get pictures taken.  I moved some goldenrod and black eyed Susans to the other side of the shed to add to the goldenrod that's already there.  (There wasn't much there, because we thought we were going to have a different shed built, but when we couldn't get a permit, we had it repaired. Even with just a few plants, and me pointing them out, they got stepped on during the repair.)



I saw my first bee of the season today!



At first, I thought this was an ant, but it almost looks like a small bee of some kind.



For some reason, I only have 1 red tulip.



Heidi enjoyed our time outdoors, as usual.  Across the street is Jeff's house.  He asked me to ask blog people's advice on whether he should try to prune his bushes in some way or take them out.  What would you plant there?  It's on the west side of his house, with a couple trees that provide some shade.  (The area to the left of the garage is where I am gardening, and where the tree with the platform is.)



The next 2 photos were taken yesterday, when Jeff asked me to put them on the blog.  They don't look to me that they are in the best health, but I don't know that much about bushes.



Any advice?  I hope you are getting some time outside.  I still have dirt under my fingernails.

8 comments:

  1. Oh, I get my time out, but only it's not for my plants much :( Sis's wedding shopping! That's fun too!
    Your Spring day out sounds perfect. Just a normal spring day! How satiating!
    Jeff has a lovely space to garden, Sue!
    Orchid Palm grass would do great in that border. These do well in shade too and their vibrant yellow flowers are so refreshing!
    I'm not sure if all the plants that I suggest would be available/do good there as I'm not familiar with temperate conditions.
    But if he wants a vine there, he could plant Butterfly Pea (it needs a bit of sun - at least say three hours)

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  2. Spring is wonderful, isn't it?!

    The little bird in the second photo is a Junco.

    Great bee pic!

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  3. It sounds like you had a great day! Glad you were able to get some work in. Your bird with the nesting supplies looks cute. I think maybe your neighbor should remove the shrubs and start with something new. Maybe some sort of broadleaf evergreen shrub that blooms.

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  4. Those bushes look rather as if they've had it, but you never know. I pruned a skimmia in pot hard back, intending to kill it off so that I could get it out of the pot. Two years later and it's bounced back healthier than ever. Depends whether your neighbour actually liked these bushes in the first place - do they flower in the summer? It could be time for a change.

    I was intrigued by your 'grackle'. I've never heard of this before, but it made me smile because 'Graculus' was the name of a raven-like bird in my favourite TV programme as a child - Noggin the Nog. See http://www.smallfilms.co.uk/noggin/graculus.htm

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  5. I can imagine what a treat it is to be outside for you, your visitors and your pooch too. He looks like he is certainly enjoying laying in the sun, and the birds are enjoying the spring weather also.

    Happy Gardening ~ FlowerLady

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  6. I see someone already told you about the little Junco. They winter over here and are one of our favorite visitors. They like to ground feed and aren't very shy.

    I can't suggest anything for Jeff's garden since I'm totally in a different zone.

    Cameron

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  7. Looks like his bushes have had it he might be better off digging them up, you never know though, I've trimmed things back and they come back. Love the crackle photo, we have tons of them here, every evening at sunset they take over several areas of our town

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  8. I see you've already found out that your little gray and white bird is a junco. We get plenty of them at our feeders. They're very cute birds.
    The house sparrow pic is great. He's a busy little fellow :) I often think the grackles have a fierce look about them. It's those starey eyes I guess.
    Speaking of cute, your little guy in the post below is adorable!
    If I was Jeff I'd be pulling that shrubbery out and planting something pretty there. Or at the very least I'd be giving it a good pruning. A nursery could give him some advise about what to replace it with, if he decides to take it out.
    Happy Easter, Sue!

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