Since I wasn't working out back this morning, I did take a few minutes to poke around at little closer to the house before getting ready for work.
Thanks to the latest wind and rain, I had the great pleasure of the site of ever-more oak leaves finally having left their branches and settled where I have already cleared their kind away two or three times. (The oak and I are not friends, especially much. At least not near garden beds, and I have to say the notion of hanging onto so many of one's dead leaves throughout the winter is both unattractive and ill-conceived. But what can you do?)
Lots going on here, though. Yellow primroses and blue grape hyacinths and violets (white and purple) are visibly blooming in the foreground. At the curve of the bed is a line of hostas, daylilies and irises, and there are assorted lilies and a few small clumps of ostrich fern behind.
In the center of the pic is a hydrangea, greening up nicely, but concealing a few more liles and some iris behind it in the process. Around them, in the back of the bed are some assorted bellflower seedlings, a few foxglove I've recently moved in, and a nice patch or two of yellow lamium. The pot at the back is filling in nicely with a red dianthus that blooms on and off throughout the summer.
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Further along the walk in that same bed is this terrific spray of Forget-Me-Nots, a stray recently transplanted from Mom's garden in Long Lake, where they are quite prolific.
I've transplanted them there a time or two, into different spots in the yard and they self-sow like crazy. How could you not love that in a flower so pretty?? It is my fond hope that they do just that here.
I'm guessing these guys will be in bloom by the end of the weekend...nicely appropos for our annual Celebration of Moms, don't you think?
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(I know all there is to know about...)The Waiting Game is also ongoing, as regards blooms in this bed in front of the house. There'll be plenty there, shortly...and I do love watching the daily growth, blooms or not. It's exciting in a quiet kind of way, as the anticipation builds.
There's also a certain level of suspense going on. I divided and transplanted a great many yellow daylilies throughout this large bed...and then planted some pineapple lily bulbs (something new to me, on the 2006 Experiments list)...but if the latter have already sent their leaves up (and I think they might've had to have done by now...), then they are quite identical to the daylilies. While I have my suspicions about Which are Which in that part of the bed, I'm not entirely sure. I shouldn't have to wait long, tho; these yellow daylilies are one of the earliest bloomers I've known. (Some of their brethren in the full sun of Out Back are already sporting tiny bud clusters!)
Anyway, there's plenty to look forward to here, with scads of shasta daisies, some nice big foxgloves, assorted roses (our long suffering Mr. Lincoln tea seems to be enjoying a grand rebirth this spring, after seeming previously as destined for the Afterlife as its ill-fated namesake), spiderwort, cranesbill, star of Bethlehem, a few globe allium, turk's cap lilies. Ah, what a summer it will be.
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In almost all of the gardens around the house, lily of the valley are a strong presence. No doubt, the rains which have just arrived this evening (and are to be our Weekend Guest) will coax them into scenting our lives in the week to come.
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Here's one of our views from the back corner of the house, looking through the trees out toward the meadow. Off screen to the left and as far off as the meadow are the back gardens and potting shed.
There is no shortage of wild activity at our place these days, with the squirrels acting all cute and couply, paired off, running up and down trees together, teaming up on bird feeders and likely daring one another to nibble the tulips when I'm not looking.
There seem to be more red-wing blackbirds around this year--including one sitting comfortably large on the feeder by the kitchen door. (This observation was confirmed tonight by a friend who isn't accustomed to seeing them at her place, where they are newly abundant.)
The chickadees are, of course, a regular presence...but I don't think I've seen as many tufted titmice (mouses?) this year. There are some, of course. Our pair of cardinals are mostly heard and not always seen. The mourning doves are around, but fairly skittish about me and the camera.
The other day I saw a large sized rabbit sprint off toward the woods on the pond fringe as I headed back towards to the garden area. I am no Farmer MacGregor, though--I think it's kind of cool to have them around--and am happy to share this wonderful bit of land with them.
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The fog was more noticeable as headed to work in Orleans, than it had been at home, and that was a condition that continued throughout the day. This evening the rain finally came after dark. While not especially heavy yet, it made driving home something to be done more gently, as there were assorted frogs hopping and mice and voles skittering across the road as I carefully made my way along the back roads.
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