LeafNotes

The garden is pretty much on its own right now which is a good thing as I have had some medical issues to deal with. So, water from the irrigation system seems to do the trick. Then when I feel up to it I clip some deadheads to ensure new blooms and everything else seems to take care of itself. All I really have to do is sit back and enjoy which is all I really feel up to doing anyway.

Oh, and an update on my baby birds. During a recent watering episode, all the babies fled the nest in the hanging planter, the parents “yelled” at me and no one has been back since. I hope the babies all made it! They were kind of flying and seemed pretty good sized. I haven’t seen any evidence that they didn’t make it which is encouraging.
Newly blooming:

• liatris
• crocosmia
• rudbeckia
• aster
• cornflower
• zinnia
• scented geraniums
• ALL dahlias
• ALL roses

I have baby birds in one of my front hanging planters. I discovered the nest a few weeks ago as every time I would water the planter, a bird would fly out, sit on a near-by branch and chirp angrily at me. Here’s a picture of the 3 babies:

I believe they are Purple Finches judging by the sound description, egg color and habitat. I try to be careful with them and water less than my usual so as not to flood the little nest or get the eggs, now babies, wet. I always save this planter for last so once disturbed, the family can quickly relax again knowing there are no humans around. Hopefully the babies will successfully fledge.

Here’s the planter:

And here’s a parent on the roof above the nest waiting for me to leave:

And, here’s what’s blooming:

• 3 of my 4 hardy fuschias

I spent about 4 hours on the slope this weekend. Too bad it was on a project that doesn’t look like much. Pretty much I dug up and moved a large bush into a new space that involved a large hole that I pick-axed at the top of my backyard slope. Then I planted a smaller shrub into the newly vacant area in my raised bed. I then put down landscape cloth across a third of the top of my slope and beauty barked the area. The new bush is happy and the area is looking good. I carried 4 bags of beauty bark and 1 bag of planting compost up the hill which was exhausting. Thank goodness I work out at the gym 3 days a week or I don’t think I would have made it! Eventually I will do the remaining two-thirds. I finished off the weekend’s work with the planting of 8 baby bear pumpkin seedlings that my oldest daughter started from seed. I planted these on the slope and mostly in peat moss as they will get full sun all day and the area tends to dry out quickly. I finished off by surrounding the seedlings with slug poison. While adjusting the sprinkler heads on the slope today to accommodate my new plantings, I checked on the seedlings. There are dozens of dead slugs surrounding each seedling. Truly disgusting pits of death. I hope the seedlings don’t mind all the slime. Today I also planted 6 impatiens next to the patio and beauty barked the area. A light day after all the hours I put in over the weekend.

Oh, and I almost forgot, my husband and I cleaned our fountain for the first time since we’ve had it running and installed a filter on the pump. The fountain was amazingly clean and wasn’t really due for a cleaning, but since were were dismantling the pump we did it anyway.

Next project for me is to figure out how to discourage a family of crows from hanging out in my yard quite so often. They are as big as chickens and can’t be up to any good though I haven’t quite figured out why they are here other than to periodically drink from my fountain and sample the climbing rose buds on the trellis. Not too many bird droppings in annoying places yet.

Newly blooming:

• red penstemon
• Phlomis russeliana

Since all it has done for the past 5 days is rain, I have not worked in the yard a bit and am itching to do so.  Though instead, I have been enjoying the bountiful blooms in the garden from the shelter of my home.  The colors and textures are wonderful and I am quite impressed with myself and my plant choices, though of course, there is so much I still want to accomplish/move/change.

I have also been enjoying the many birds that visit my garden throughout the day.  I particularly have fun watching two finch couples.  They visit the thistle feeder throughout the day and also really seem to enjoy the for-get-me-not seeds that are on the stems.   I have wanted to sprinkle the spent for-get-me-not stems in my little meadow for next year’s enjoymennt, but it has just been too wet.  It’s nice to see the finches enjoying them in the meantime!

I invite birds into my yard throughout the spring, fall and winter. Sorry birds, no food for you in the summer as I try not to let you find out about all my berries! Anyhow, I keep a regular seed feeder, thistle feeder and hummingbird feeder out most of the year. (Just a couple months without the humming bird feeder as the Rufous hummingbirds arrive by the end of February). I also have two birdhouses, but no birds living there yet as I think they mainly consider my backyard a restaurant and not a condo. The kids love watching the chickadees that love to hang out in the cherry tree. The 13 month old points and laughs whenever she notices birds in the tree. I myself enjoy the Varied Thrush the most. This bird just flips over mulch and soil and looks for worms and grubs under everything all day long. He’s very thorough!

I’m also starting a bird list of all the birds I have seen on a separate page. It will be a life bird list, not just birds from this yard. I’ve kept a list in my bird identification book for years and might as well publish it all in one place.