Showing posts with label bluebirds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bluebirds. Show all posts

Sunday, April 28, 2013

rainy morning in the garden-4/28/13

there is great peace in the garden on a rainy morning.  perfect for clearing away the stress of the week. 
 a few moments to stroll the beds and take in the view, will do much to rejuvenate a tired body. to see the beauty of rain drops on day lily leaves...

 the promise of beauty in an iris waiting to bloom...

the quiet knowledge of what will become of the logs sprouting turkey tails...

a slight awakening of the appetite with wood ears, velvety and plump, awaiting the journey home to the kitchen and...

the joy of finding a mother bird sitting still and keeping her eggs safe and warm...

the garden is all of these things on a rainy morning.  it is also these things on a sunny afternoon, on any morning, afternoon or evening for that matter.  but to experience it, you must visit.  you need to take the time to walk through and see what the season has to offer.  bring a weeder and some gloves, we've got work to do.

 the bluebird nest is active-mom and dad are busy tending to the first brood of the year.  take care not to linger too long or loudly near the box.  the mother robin is just behind the box in the top of the arbor, tread carefully in the arbor so that she doesn't abandon the nest.

 in dr. bost's garden, i found the largest turnips i have ever seen!  don't even think about eating them-he works with fungus and those are just some of his "patients"
 i never saw the rain gauge here-we had about 3.5" of rain in this last storm.

 we always assume that the rain garden does it's job.  well, here is proof of that.  the basin is holding some rainwater and it is slowly draining.  rainwater is best kept where it falls and i am glad to see we are making that happen.  it is also pretty clear that we need to clean this garden up-lots of weeds and sedum plants need to be removed from the basin.

 reflections on water always catch my eye

 columbines blooming in the shade garden

 the iris garden down the hill from our garden is a popular site for outdoor weddings.  these clematis plants would make a beautiful backdrop for a wedding photo.

 actually, the whole gazebo could make a beautiful wedding site

 our new sedum garden.  do you have any unusual varieties of sedum to share?  we are looking to plant as many as we can in these blocks.

 rosemary in bloom.  one of my favorite plants in the herb garden.  the bees are loving it too.  it is a great addition to many dishes.  add it to bread dough.  roast it with potatoes.  stuff it into the cavity of a whole chicken before baking it.  the list goes on and on...

personally, i like to bake with it.  for this mornings cake, i took some freshly picked rosemary and combined it with dried currants for a lovely, yeast risen cake.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

5/15-moving right along

it was a dark and dreary morning but at least it didn't rain on us!  we had a nice time and much was accomplished today.
and as always, i come with a freshly baked cake.  this week's selection-almond poppyseed cake with a little lemon zest for zing.  i blinked and the crew dug in and ate half the cake!!!

 the first bluebird brood did not survive-mockingbirds!  mr & mrs(that's her in the photo) are preparing for the second brood.

 butterfly weed almost in bloom


 what we did today-mulch the garden.  two loads were delivered and the crew spent the morning spreading it out over the pathways.  in the photo, darry fills the wheelbarrow while anne rakes it out.


 in this photo, david dumps a load while anne continues to rake it out...



and as the morning progresses, the cake disappears...everyone, including myself, had at least two pieces!






 st. john's wort in bloom in the herb garden.

 nancy dividing plants in the herb garden

last year, i collected logs to construct the walls of the herb garden.  many of them are sprouting mushrooms.  while many of them are inedible, they are all interesting to look at.  here are a few photos of the fruiting bodies present today




 every bottle garden is a potential terrarium, ours is no exception!

 now, doesn't that look pretty?  amazing what a little mulch can do!

going, going, gone...there's a first time for everything!  come join us some time, you know there will be cake!!!