A Farewell Tour

While the rest of the world has been immersed in the royal wedding, I have been more interested in a wedding coming up soon--my daughter's.   Between last minute details and packing for the beach ceremony,  I haven't had much time for gardening or blogging.  I will be offline for a short while, but before I leave, I wanted to share some of my favorite blooms from this spring's garden.

Everything changes so quickly this time of year, that I'm sure the garden won't look the same when I come back.  The tightly coiled leaves of the 'Sum and Substance' hosta are starting to unfurl already.

Other smaller hostas in the shade garden are already spreading out after a few weeks of seasonable temperatures and a lot of rain.

Besides the spring bulbs, the Brunnera 'Jack Frost' is one of my favorites in the shade garden.  I can't get enough of these blue, blue blooms.  The beetle on the foliage was a surprise when I downloaded this picture.  I've seen a few bees and saw the first butterfly today; in another week or two they should be more plentiful.

The slender narcissus, which someone (sorry, I forgot who!) suggested might be 'Pippin,' is still blooming, much to my delight.  And the bleeding heart has nearly doubled in size and number of blooms since last year.

This is the first year for the new fothergilla 'Blue Shadow.'  I planted it for its fall color, but these white puffball blooms are just as welcome this spring.

There are wildflowers called spring ephemerals, but so much of spring's beauty is ephemeral. 

 The flowering crabapples were gorgeous this year, but with heavy rains and strong winds at times last week, the blooms didn't last long, and soon the driveway was strewn with pink petals.  I won't complain, though; here in central Illinois we were very fortunate compared to other areas of the country, especially the South, who experienced so much destruction from the storms.

The crabapples were at their best over Easter weekend, but I didn't take time to get a good photo then.  I guess I was distracted by other priorities.

The white crabapple blooms a little later and lasts longer than the other varieties, but I noticed today that even it had lost most of its petals after another blustery day.

The old apple tree has seen better days, but its spring show is spectacular.

Last summer was the first time I did a serious pruning of the old lilac, and it rewarded me with the most blooms I've ever seen on it.  Pruning will definitely be on my to-do list again in June.

But all this has been leading up to what I promised in my last post--showing off all my tulips.  There was nothing ephemeral about these bulbs this year--one variety or another has been blooming nonstop for at least three weeks, and I have been loving every minute of it.   Pink is definitely the predominant color.

In the roadside garden a collection of tulips from Breck's called 'Monet's Garden' compete with the rapidly growing coneflowers and daylilies.

The collection is intended to echo a common color scheme of Monet

 with shades of pink, white, and dark purple. 

This pale pink one didn't fit in the previous photo.  Did I mention I like pink?:)

Somehow a few red tulips also snuck in another area of the roadside garden.  This may be from a previous year's planting (most likely) or from a bargain collection I purchased somewhere last fall and neglected to write down in my garden journal.

Another unnamed tulip in the roadside garden, this time yellow with streaks of red.

Near the shade garden a different bi-color tulip which also appeared in the lily garden.  Part of the fun of seeing the tulips bloom each spring is the surprise factor- a late fall rush to find a place to plant them all often means I forget what I've planted and where.

But I didn't forget two new purchases last fall from Brent and Becky's bulbs.  I couldn't resist buying something named 'Fur Elise,' but I had forgotten that it was a shorter tulip than most of my others.

The other new tulip I've shown before is 'Professor Rontgen,' a  parrot tulip that is every bit as gorgeous in person as it appears in their catalog.

And the shorter 'Fur Elise' worked out perfectly as the forefront for these taller showstoppers.

Although I tried and tried, I couldn't get a decent long shot of the whole lily garden.  But from this photo you can see that there is no color scheme in this garden--it's been a kaleidoscope of clashing colors all spring. From creamy white to nearly black, nearly every color of the rainbow is represented by this year's tulips.

No tulip post is complete for me without my favorite tulip, the last to bloom of all--sweet 'Angelique.'

Enjoy the beauties of spring while they last, and Happy Gardening!

Garden Muse Day: Sweet Promises

April Morning

I walk the garden as the last pink streaks fade from the sky,
my faded blue robe drifting below my winter coat.
If the neighbors laugh or disapprove, I do not hear them:
this is my time, my private space.
The world does not enter here.

I look for signs—a bud, a spot of green that was not here yesterday.
Sophie gambols beside me, looking for her own treasures—
a chewy stick, a forgotten toy.
The morning chatter of birds catches her attention, and she rushes off,
trying to join them in flight.

I kneel to brush away leaves from the hellebores,
 their blooms too shy to face me.

Nearby, yellow trumpets blare--

Yesterday's lone daffodil bloom is now a dozen waving in the breeze.

Green buds on the lilac,

the first emerging leaves on the hydrangeas,
Hyacinths nestled in their cocoons,

Crocuses—purple, yellow, white . . .
all so small they would go unnoticed in the riot of July.
But in early April they are a source of wonder and delight.


Sophie returns to me, and we make our way back into the house,
content with the promises of spring.

Garden Muse Day is brought to you the first of each month by Carolyn Gail

at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago.

Welcome, Spring!

Happy Spring to everyone! Yes, I know yesterday was officially the first day of spring, but the weather was so sunny yesterday, the best first day of spring that I can remember in a long time, that I spent it outside cleaning up flowerbeds instead of on the computer.



Signs of spring are everywhere. I am happy to report that I do have crocuses! After complaining on Sunday that none of the crocuses I planted last fall had appeared, a few miraculously shot up and bloomed on Monday. Each day I seem to notice another one. My apologies to the squirrels, the cats, and whoever else I blamed for digging up these bulbs.

Another harbinger of spring, the robins, have been out in great numbers for several weeks now. Some years the appearance of a robin in spring is not that remarkable, because a few usually over-winter here. But this year I didn't see a robin all winter, probably due to the extreme cold we had, so they were a welcome sight this March. The photo is not very good, but my camera has only the standard 3x zoom, so this was as close as I could get to the robins. Besides, you'll notice another sign of spring--the grass is now green!

Before spring brings out all its blooms, and I return my focus to the flowers in the garden, I wanted to share with you my attempts to photograph some of the many birds that visited here this past winter. Throughout the very long winter, the birds were a constant source of entertainment.

On a very cold, blustery day in early January I put up a new bird feeder. My fingers were so numb that I made a makeshift hanger around a branch and filled it, not realizing that the winds would whip it around. After swaying from side to side on a gusty day, the feeder was quickly emptied, and all the birdseed fell to the ground. These dark-eyed juncos, though, had no problem scratching it up from the snow; in fact, I think they preferred feeding this way.

The juncos were constant visitors here this winter. Apparently, they like the cold, because I've never seen as many as this past year. Of course, the addition of several feeding stations may have encouraged them to stay for awhile, too.

My friends, the cardinals, decided to spend the winter with us, too, instead of heading south to sunnier climes. This photo looks as if I had"Photoshopped" it, but I assure you, other than very close cropping, the cardinal is real.

Although I've always enjoyed watching the antics of the birds and listening to their glorious songs, especially in the spring, I've never been a "birder." But I've learned so much from fellow bloggers who can identify so many different species of birds and who post such stunning photos of them that I've caught some of that enthusiasm.

I decided that what I needed was a proper bird field guide so I could identify some of the birds that visit us, besides the familiar robins, cardinals, and sparrows. I had part of a gift certificate to Barnes and Noble left over, so I ordered this book online, going by only the description of the book provided on their website. I was so happy when I got the book, because it is perfect! Birds of Illinois provides beautiful color photographs of both the male and female of each species, information about its habitat, what seasons it can be seen in different parts of the state, and other characterisitics. In addition, it is color coded, so if I have no idea what kind of bird I've seen, I only have to look through one section of the book according to the bird's dominant color. It's also a small book, easily fit into a purse or bag should I want to take it along on a "gardening adventure." I highly recommend it for any beginning birder; I believe there are more in this series for other states as well.

Thanks to the book, I was able to identify this downy woodpecker, the first I'd ever seen in our yard. (Ignore the pot and many sticks, please; they have since been cleaned up.) He has become a daily visitor to the peanut butter suet feeder; in fact, you can almost predict when he will arrive each afternoon for his lunch. I was also excited one day to see a red-breasted nuthatch. Such a pretty bird--I quickly grabbed the binoculars and then the field guide to be able to identify him. I saw him only once, though, so no photos.

In an effort to get some decent bird photos, I kept moving the feeders closer and eventually purchased this feeder that attaches right to the living room window. My thanks to Kylee for first showing this on her blog early last winter and to Robin for telling me where I could buy one--WildBirds Unlimited. I bought the smallest feeder they had in case it didn't work out, but after using a tip from the salesman--use a little vegetable oil on the suction cups before attaching--the feeder has stayed up all winter. The only problem has been that the birds have not been too attracted to the feeder: perhaps it is too small, or maybe this could be the problem . . .

. . .Toby! Toby has really appreciated this feeder. I can always tell when there is a bird nearby when I see his tail twitching.

Then again, it could be Sasha who scared off the birds. This is Toby's spot, so Sasha normally doesn't venture onto the couch, but the bird feeder must have been too enticing for her as well.

Actually, I think the birds, like this junco, eventually got used to the cats. It was that human with the strange silver third eye suddenly appearing next to the window that usually frightened them off.

Out of all my futile attempts to photograph a bird at the feeder, this was my only success--a chickadee who appeared last week. Pretty pathetic, I know. I was very happy with my little Sony Cybershot camera when I got it last Christmas, but once I started blogging, I've had a serious case of camera envy. However, as far as I've been able to determine, there is nothing in the economic stimulus package to bail out the bankrupt Prairie New Camera Fund, so it looks like a fancy new camera with a powerful zoom and supermacro will have to wait. In the meantime, I won't strain your eyes further with any more blurry or far-off photos; from now on, I'll leave the bird photography up to those of you who do it so well. Instead, I'll just stick to flowers and the creatures who will stand still for the camera . . .

Aw, c'mon, Tarzan, do you have to make faces for my camera, too?? I give up. An Ansel Adams I'll never be.

Have a good weekend, everyone, and enjoy the wonderful sights and sounds of spring!

The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day

he created Spring.

--Bern Williams

Spring Promises

Spring comes slowly this year
The earth awakens from its long slumber,
Yawns, and shudders.
Heaving up startled hostas
Their brown buds still sleeping,
Awakening green shoots of
Daffodils
Tulips
Hyacinths nestled in their spiky cocoons
And small leaves of mystery
Waiting to unfold.
All promises of wonders
Soon to come.






I don't usually write poetry, and I'm obviously not very good at it, but there is something about spring that makes one wax poetic, isn't there? We have had three glorious days of sunshine and warm temperatures in the 60's, allowing me time to work outside and get some flowerbeds ready for the "real" gardening to come in a few weeks. I've been eagerly checking the spring bulbs, like the daffodil about to burst into bloom above, and discovered that under all those mounds of leaves there were some other surprises. I have been jealous of all of you posting your lovely spring blooms and greening perennials, so I hope you don't mind me showing off my promises of spring.





The hyacinths are slowly emerging and have changed from green to blue in the past week.

The tulips are growing every day, but they are all mid to late spring tulips, so it may be a few weeks yet before they bloom.








Then there are the mysteries--what did I plant here?? The stems look like tulips, but I don't think they are supposed to be in a clump.











Some of the perennials are beginning to emerge as well, such as the sedum pictured here and my salvia. No signs yet of the coneflowers, though.












The nepeta is also coming up nicely, this one a "Walker's Low." All the gardening magazines and catalogues tout it as a catmint that cats will leave alone. Apparently, Tarzan didn't read that page; maybe I'll have to show it to him and the other cats.
















Now I understand what is meant by winter heaving. I expanded my tiny shade garden last fall--spading it up inch by inch over several days' time--and planted a few new blue hostas that I can't wait to see. I discovered, though, that most of them had been unwillingly thrust above ground. I patted them all back into the soil yesterday; I do hope they make it.






A friend of mine gave me a clump of what she called "Siberian Iris" a few years ago; perhaps


someone can tell me what their actual name is. They have never bloomed for me, though they are "greening up" nicely this year. Maybe this will be the year for blooms!








Another possible mystery--I do hope this is my aster coming up, because that is what is supposed to be here! When I first began gardening a few years ago, I read an article by a gardening expert who said she never pulled up anything that might be a weed until she was sure what it was. Sounded like a good idea to me, so I have followed that philosophy although sometimes I have foot-tall weeds before I know what they are.












This photo is the perfect reason for keeping a gardening journal and taking photos of your garden. Obviously, I did neither last year, so instead of the tulips I thought I had planted I have an empty space.

Although it is much too early here to plant most flowers, I couldn't resist planting the primroses I bought last weekend. Aren't they cheerful?

And, of course, a pot of pansies near the door.

April can be a tease in the Midwest. We may still get a snow shower, and we'll certainly still have nights of frost. But at least now I can see the promise of springtime flowers soon to come.

(My apologies for all the blank space--Blogger seems to have a mind of its own, no matter how hard I try to eliminate extra spacing.)