R. rugosa seedlings
(Via Girl Gone Gardening)
30*, feels like 19*, 70% humidity, SW 15 mph wind, partly cloudy These are a couple of the Rugosa seedlings: R. rugosa rubra has red stems. R. rugosa alba has white stems.
30*, feels like 19*, 70% humidity, SW 15 mph wind, partly cloudy These are a couple of the Rugosa seedlings: R. rugosa rubra has red stems. R. rugosa alba has white stems.
Gardens Are a Magical Part of Family Life!
(Via Home and Family: Gardening Articles from EzineArticles.com)
Gardens are a magical part of family life. Some outdoor space, however limited, is a real bonus when you have children. A space to run around in, play with a ball and learn to dig, water and nurture plants is really beneficial to kids growing up.
Gardens are a magical part of family life. Some outdoor space, however limited, is a real bonus when you have children. A space to run around in, play with a ball and learn to dig, water and nurture plants is really beneficial to kids growing up.
One round trip ticket, please……….
(Via Idaho Gardener)
The Rock. Or the alternate title: Where I went on my spring vacation.
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Stay tuned for the full report. I packed my long johns and warm clothes.
Post from: Idaho Gardener
Rhododendrons And Hostas… No Quality Time Alone
(Via An Iowa Garden)
Another garden combination that I've grown to like, is pale lavender rhododendrons with hostas that have a lot of creamy white on their leaves. The two seem to each soften and complement the other, and the hostas planted around the "skirts" of the rhododendrons, cover their bare legs nicely... pictured is a new bed from last spring. Now add some primroses, and a bunch of early spring bulbs like crocuses and snowdrops, a half dozen lilies for late summer bloom, squeeze in a couple of hellebores, and have the whole bed invaded by bluebells, blue squills, and lamium, and you've pretty much got a typical mature flower bed from my garden. The rhododendrons and hostas in this garden just don't get much quality time together by themselves.
Another garden combination that I've grown to like, is pale lavender rhododendrons with hostas that have a lot of creamy white on their leaves. The two seem to each soften and complement the other, and the hostas planted around the "skirts" of the rhododendrons, cover their bare legs nicely... pictured is a new bed from last spring. Now add some primroses, and a bunch of early spring bulbs like crocuses and snowdrops, a half dozen lilies for late summer bloom, squeeze in a couple of hellebores, and have the whole bed invaded by bluebells, blue squills, and lamium, and you've pretty much got a typical mature flower bed from my garden. The rhododendrons and hostas in this garden just don't get much quality time together by themselves.
Rhododendrons And Hostas… No Quality Time Alone
(Via An Iowa Garden)
Another garden combination that I've grown to like, is pale lavender rhododendrons with hostas that have a lot of creamy white on their leaves. The two seem to each soften and complement the other, and the hostas planted around the "skirts" of the rhododendrons, cover their bare legs nicely... pictured is a new bed from last spring. Now add some primroses, and a bunch of early spring bulbs like crocuses and snowdrops, a half dozen lilies for late summer bloom, squeeze in a couple of hellebores, and have the whole bed invaded by bluebells, blue squills, and lamium, and you've pretty much got a typical mature flower bed from my garden. The rhododendrons and hostas in this garden just don't get much quality time together by themselves.
Another garden combination that I've grown to like, is pale lavender rhododendrons with hostas that have a lot of creamy white on their leaves. The two seem to each soften and complement the other, and the hostas planted around the "skirts" of the rhododendrons, cover their bare legs nicely... pictured is a new bed from last spring. Now add some primroses, and a bunch of early spring bulbs like crocuses and snowdrops, a half dozen lilies for late summer bloom, squeeze in a couple of hellebores, and have the whole bed invaded by bluebells, blue squills, and lamium, and you've pretty much got a typical mature flower bed from my garden. The rhododendrons and hostas in this garden just don't get much quality time together by themselves.
The Sun Came Up Like Thunder
(Via An Iowa Garden)
After a long and unrelenting winter; the stuff of weather legends, warmth (and with it, hope) returned today, in the form of the sun, which rose like thunder from behind the eastern ridge, draped in robes of orange and peach.
All the birds began clearing their throats and singing from the tallest trees, the deer started racing back and forth along the far ridge in sheer joy, and the first drip-drip of snowmelt from the roof signaled a new day, and hopefully a new season... spring!
All the birds began clearing their throats and singing from the tallest trees, the deer started racing back and forth along the far ridge in sheer joy, and the first drip-drip of snowmelt from the roof signaled a new day, and hopefully a new season... spring!
Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
(Via gardenauthor)
Photo: Johhny N. Dell, Bugwood.org
Ta-dah! After almost a month of trying to identify this tiny bird... success. I'd see her, unexpectedly, on trips to the backyard. Sometimes dining on seed, often clinging to the suet feeder, while a downy woodpecker waited patiently for a turn. Assertive, positive, confident and surprisingly bold, this busy little bird is constant motion, making an ID quite difficult - at least for this backyard birder.
By the time I was back inside, sequestered with my Peterson field guide, relying on my general observations and shaky memory, I found myself trying to make this bird fit into the warbler family. After all, we'd had three warbler species, just last year - new to this area. There were similar colorations and mannerisms, but I was still unsure. The first thing I had noticed was the small size and short tail.
Finally, yesterday, in flipping through the bird book, researching something else, I took a closer look at at the Ruby-Crowned Kinglet. Although the map includes my area in their year 'round range, kinglets have never appeared in this locale, before. I say "she," because I do not observe the scarlet crown patch of the male, although I understand it is often inconspicuous. Either way, so far, I have only seen a single bird... I can only hope that the Ruby-Crowned Kinglet finds this gardener's yard hospitable and stays to raise a family.
Everyday, in the late afternoon, this spunky, gregarious kinglet flutters between the seed and suet feeders, just a couple of feet away. She seems untroubled by my presence, or that of the dog, peering curiously at us, from around the feeder. And everyday, in the face of all this positivity, I lose just a little more of my 'bah-humbug, spring is never coming' attitude.
For more information on this bird, click on Chipper Woods bird Observatory (GREAT PHOTOS!), All About Birds or Bird Watcher's Digest.
©Deb Lambert 2008
Photo: Johhny N. Dell, Bugwood.orgTa-dah! After almost a month of trying to identify this tiny bird... success. I'd see her, unexpectedly, on trips to the backyard. Sometimes dining on seed, often clinging to the suet feeder, while a downy woodpecker waited patiently for a turn. Assertive, positive, confident and surprisingly bold, this busy little bird is constant motion, making an ID quite difficult - at least for this backyard birder.
By the time I was back inside, sequestered with my Peterson field guide, relying on my general observations and shaky memory, I found myself trying to make this bird fit into the warbler family. After all, we'd had three warbler species, just last year - new to this area. There were similar colorations and mannerisms, but I was still unsure. The first thing I had noticed was the small size and short tail.
Finally, yesterday, in flipping through the bird book, researching something else, I took a closer look at at the Ruby-Crowned Kinglet. Although the map includes my area in their year 'round range, kinglets have never appeared in this locale, before. I say "she," because I do not observe the scarlet crown patch of the male, although I understand it is often inconspicuous. Either way, so far, I have only seen a single bird... I can only hope that the Ruby-Crowned Kinglet finds this gardener's yard hospitable and stays to raise a family.
Everyday, in the late afternoon, this spunky, gregarious kinglet flutters between the seed and suet feeders, just a couple of feet away. She seems untroubled by my presence, or that of the dog, peering curiously at us, from around the feeder. And everyday, in the face of all this positivity, I lose just a little more of my 'bah-humbug, spring is never coming' attitude.
For more information on this bird, click on Chipper Woods bird Observatory (GREAT PHOTOS!), All About Birds or Bird Watcher's Digest.
©Deb Lambert 2008
