Evening's Gardens

This shot of the purple tulip (with few exceptions, they are long-lasting in their beauty) made me think of Gillian's recent photos of that deep maroon tulip from her garden (she turned it into her new header photo--you should check it out here).

Have you noticed how spring's popping up all over the internet? It seems like everyone's blogging from the garden these days...and what could possibly be wrong with that?

Hey, remember when I introduced you to the ajuga a few weeks back and they seemed to tower above the shasta daisy foliage?

You can see (right) the daisies are now taller than the ajuga, though each of those two blue flower spikes have sent out six inch runners in several directions.

Helpful gardener that I am, I covered those runners with a little dirt as I weeded the other day...to help those runners turn into roots. I'd like a whole patch of those blue flower spikes next year!

To the left in that picture, you can see another of the successful peony transplants, with a rose climbing up the fence post. Peeking over from the other side of the fence, there's some tall garden phlox in the background. The white in the foreground is pansies to the left and allyssum to the right. The pale green right in the center down there is a clump of autumn sedum.

The light was perfect for photos in the garden this evening, and I finally got a good shot of the columbine, the buds of which are only just starting to look like the unique flowers they become.

I'm always interested to see what the flowers will look like...there were two or three different varieties going in Eastham, and I'm not sure which ones made the trip...and which might've been new seedlings from cross-pollination. It could be a flower I've never seen before. I mention this because I don't remember them being this purple last year.
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We interrupt this blog post to bring you a lapful of kitty.

Half an hour passes. There is chin-rubbing, bread-making, belly-rubbing, ear scratching and almost deafening purring. Now, with the possibility that something more interesting might be happening somewhere else in the house, he's off again.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled blog. We regret any inconvenience.
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The evening sun also allowed me to get this terrific shot of the buds of the red valerian (distant relation, I believe, to the white valerian I also know as garden heliotrope...confused yet? Good, I'm not alone.)

Pterydactls, anyone?


While I poked around the garden--I'm happy to say there are still carnation buds yet uneaten by the Giant Bunny--this cowbird swooped down to get a drink and have a bit of a wash.


In the little birdbath in the sideyard, this house sparrow was doing the same.

But it was time to turn my attention to more "local" wildlife, as it was time for the Nightly Walk...and Em was eager to hit the dusty trail.

Her enthusiasm never fails to inspire me--she gets more excited about these walks than she does about Paper Day (her name for Christmas morning).

She is always in control, but even moreso as we pass the gardens in this yard every night.

I'm so enchanted by their arrangement and design; I'm constantly surprised as I recognize one plant or another(there's purple violets in between and underneath the hostas)...and then spot another I've never seen before...and Em just drags me along, so I never get to look for very long.

I made her stop for a few moments on the next corner, where there are a few mayflowers blooming. I've been trying to photograph them all week, but seem to be continually foiled by wind and too-bright sunlight...and of course, the impatient dog.

She's all business on these trips, and has little time to be standing around while I take pictures, so I usually take them on the fly, or not at all.

This evening, I managed this one of the lily of the valley (and buttercups!!) growing under this fence around the last corner as we headed into the home stretch.

Cinco

An old friend surprised me this spring. This is ajuga, which I am happy to say hitched a ride with this clump of shasta daisies. Also known as carpet bugle, this plants diminutive flower spires stand three or four inches tall. And just look at the deep blue of those flowers!

I'm pleased to see it's happy in this location, which I can tell by the way it has already put a finger or two of a runner out into the garden bed. Ajuga's a nice ground cover that plays fairly well with others. I like the idea of a little colony of them filling in some of the space between other plants, particularly around the various bulbs I've already planted.

Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, I also spotted one of the neighborhood cats perched on the roof of the neighboring house. I imagine it must've been nice and warm up there as the sun worked its way through some clouds lingering from the weekend.


This single cream- colored daffodil has also appeared alongside the house by the old hyacinths and the money plant.

It was nodding on the breeze quite a bit this morning, which I offer by way of explanation that the photo isn't more sharply focussed.

Right nearby, the bleeding heart has reached a height of about two feet or so, and lots of sprays of those special blossoms have sprung out on all sides now.


Outside the restaurant, the single pink tulip I photographed last week has a number of companions now, who were all on their best show this afternoon as the bright sunshine returned.



By this point in the afternoon (around 4 pm), our temperatures had climbed back up into the high 50s...with a forecast/promise of cracking into the 60s tomorrow.


Across the path, a quartet of red tulips added to the show.


I was at work a bit later than I'd anticipated, but I still got out in time to catch this terrific sunset at Skaket Beach, before making my way home for the evening stroll around the Hood with My Girl.

By the way, I did get to the Brewster in Bloom parade on Sunday, and it was awfully fun, if you are a fan of parades(which I am). I'm working on a presentation of some of that for you all, but it's taking a little longer than anticipated. Soon...

Catching Up

Whoops...it's been a few days since the last blogging. Which isn't to say that there hasn't been garden activity...in fact, Tuesday was nothing but! But it was such a full garden day, that it really sapped me.

Plus, work is busier this time of year and we are approaching the end of the traditional TV show season, so a number of my favorites are holding my attention as we race toward season finales. ("HEROES": best show on television, "LOST": finally paying some story dividends for my three years of attention, "HOUSEWIVES": always fun...)

Tuesday, as I mentioned, was a day devoted to the garden. It was a pleasant day, with cool breezes in the morning. I added a few more seedlings: dianthus (pink and assorted colors) and some snapdragons (yellow, red and pink this year...well, so far, anyhow...) here and there, imagining the pretty pictures they'll make a month or so from now.

I also transplanted some white daffodils (about to bloom; i know, not the best time to transplant, but I always forget when they're done, so now they've been relocated...and it looks like they'll be blooming shortly anyway...so nyah...).

There was also a large clump of what I had come to suspect were alliums too overgrown for blooming. They were crowded up too close to a promising clump of peonies which have not yet bloomed for me--they had to go somewhere else.

Digging them up confirmed their identity, or at least their general family, with the whole back garden smelling of onions for a while. I divided them and replanted in assorted locations, and we'll see what comes of that. I'm hoping for some flowering variety to whom I've not yet been introduced, but anything's possible.

I was giving all that a final watering in, when it started to rain. I had a feeling it was only going to be a passing shower, so I continued on with the hose and indeed, it passed pretty quickly and in a very short time, the sun was shining once again...and all before I was done watering.

During a lunch break inside, I heard a large bird noise outside the window, and glanced out to see a crow in this evergreen bush, where the cardinals had apparently built a nest. The crow's head was tilted back and I could see something white in his beak, which I assumed was probably a cardinal's egg. No photo of that dramatic moment, but here's the scene of the attack.

I felt kind of bad for a few minutes. Those cardinals have been trying real hard for a few years now to find the right place, and it seemed like they were making strides this year. Of course, just a week or so ago, I watched as a mob of crows dive-bombed a hawk or an eagle who was raiding one of their nests...so you know, it's just the Natural Way of Things, I suppose.

After lunch I decided to begin tackling the newest bed in the back garden, being built/dug out around the "foxglove factory." You can see the foxglove forming rows amongst emerging grasses here.

I started by digging in the rock border, then tearing out the grass clumps, being careful to work in between foxglove and some raspberry plants.

There was also some poison ivy vines, which I unwittingly ripped out bare-handed, only recognizing them when it was too late, as they are only barely leafing out. (On that front, I may have a tiny isolated patch or two of rash, which I'm being careful about, but I seem mostly to have dodged that bullet...whew...)

There was also a brief "Sopranos" moment when my digging uncovered this old glove, posed here with one of those foxglove plants.

My recent toilings in other parts of this old garden had revealed a large patch of lily of the valley, and I began transplanting them into the cleared areas, along with a few of the larger, "extra" hosta plants from the garden at the back of the house, which is on my list for renovation later in the season. I also left a space for a bleeding heart which should be arriving shortly.

Eventually, this was the result of my efforts.

Still plenty of grass and Lord-knows-what-else to be dug out, but it's nice to have a project I have begun which I can now return to, making a little more progress with each visit.

In a short time, it'll be cleared out and ready for transplanting of other things...such as some of our irises, who I suspect would love a little more sun. I envision a path of stepping stones weaving through this area, ending at the base of the apple tree (which is off-camera to the right).

Here was the view from our side porch at the end of a long hard day.

We've had a few thunderstorms pass near us this week, and spritzes of rain here and there. Now we're actually getting a nice soaking of rain, which was long overdue. The temperature's dropped off to 45 though, so brrrr...or at least I thought so, until I heard tell of some Adirondack snow showers yesterday.

Here's the first columbine to form a flower, and it's our second blue one (yay!! We've had only one of this color previously...so my seeding efforts are bearing fruit...a ha ha...), nestled against some wonderful ferns.

In the driveway garden, this pretty blue spire has come quietly into bloom. I know there's another name for it which is escaping me. Just now my tired mind is only coming up with "carpet bugle", which may be the name of a different, related variety. I'm sure it will occur to me after some much needed sleep.

Ajuga, that's what it's called!

The back garden at dusk, looking quite tidy and inviting. You can't pick them out easily here, but as I took this, there were a pair of robins as well as a pair of catbirds wandering the paths and leap-flying across the beds, no doubt finding all manner of yummy eats...but hopefully not all the flower seeds I've spread/planted this past week!!