Rain, rain ~ where are you????

Things are really gettng dry and crunchy around here.  I have been watering twice a day just to keep my plants alive.  It's so dry that even my butterfly bushes are wilting and the weeds don't even want to grow.  It's so disappointing after having such a beautiful spring with my gardens and now things that normally last til the end of summer have already had it.  The grass ~ where there still is grass ~ is brown and crunches under my feet.  The temperatures have been in the high 90's w/ high humidity for several weeks now with no rain in sight.  Still... I enjoy spending time in my gardens, cutting back the dead plants, clipping the spent blooms, watering, watering, and watering.  I've been paying closer attention to the insects this year.  So many people in my area have seen insects that normally aren't around here.  I think it has something to do with all that snow we had this past winter.  I've been trying to identify an insect I saw today but haven't had any luck.  If anyone know... please fill me in.  It was so interested in me.  Just to put it's size in perspective ~ it is sitting on the hook of a plant hanger.  I don't know if it's a good bug or bad bug for my plants.  I'm hoping it's a good bug because it was kind of interesting to watch. 

 

Some other interesting insects that I've found hanging around.  The yellow jacket didn't have any wing :(  not that I like them but I felt kind of bad for it as it just crawled around instead of flying.  Lot's of fireflies and granddaddy longleggers out this year also.  The moth was kind of interesting too.  It's not a great picture of it but it was different.  I think it is a featherwing moth.  A patient I had recently told me she saw an IO moth in her garden.  If you've never heard of one, google it, it's amazing.  I'm going to keep my eyes open and hope that I see one also. 

This teenie tiny bee is on a flower the size of a dime. It's blue-eyed grass.This garden was combined from two gardens, three years ago. I started many of these plants from bare roots. This year it exploded! I just love spending time taking care of it!

This is my favorite annual ~ lantana!I started this garden about 3 years ago also.  It's actually planted in my neighbors yard.  It used to look like a brush pile.  It was full of thistle, leaves, and poison ivy.  As my neighbor sprayed the poison I asked him what his plans were for it.  He said..."whatever you want to do with it"  !!!  We could see this area from our living room window so I wanted to make it look nice!  I can't wait til the rest of the flowers are in full bloom!

Common whitetail male dragonfly.  It was willing to stop for a photo~op!

I'm not quite sure what's up w/ this cosmo.  It was started from seeds that I collected last fall.  The original plant was about 4' tall and the blossom was about 4" in diameter.  This "offspring" is only about 4" high and the blossom is only about the size of a nickle ~  absolutely adorable!Common whitetail female dragonfly.

I just can't seem to get enough of my gardens!  I take a walk around the yard every day just to see what's new ~ and there's always something new!  I have plenty to keep me busy in them too ~ weeding, deadheading, photographing, etc...  always something to do!

Close up beauty!

I am so captivated by the beauty hidden within the center of a flower.  I have been taking close up photos of flowers for awhile and am amazed at the intricate architecture of each individual type of flower.  Enjoy mine and get out and investigate some of your own flowers!

Awesome hummingbird story!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7xBLvMIBZU

Mid~spring time moments~

                                            

Finally~ the weather is getting nicer and I am able to go wandering through my yard just to enjoy the beautiful mid~spring flowerings!  This photo is of a Nora Barlow Columbine.  It's not the typical type of columbine that have tail shooting out the back of the bloom, although if you look close enough ~ a few of them do.  I planted these last spring but the didn't bloom ~ they are making up for it this year.  I have 6 of them and they are all gorgeous.  What a great addition to my gardens!  We've had quite a bit of rain lately and the flowers are just loving it.  They seem to have doubled in size within a few days!  It's exciting to see all the buds on some of my plants ~ daisies, black-eyed Susan's, lilies, etc... in a week or so they are going to explode w/ blooms!    Most of my perennials seemed to have survived the intense winter.  I did lose two of my favorite broom shrubs :( 

I will have to search the local nurseries to try to find a new one.  I looked forward to it blooming every spring.  I replaced it with a Dwarf Alberta Spruce that my sister gave me.  It should look nice there in front of my dining room window ~ especially at Christmas time ~ well, maybe in a few years.  I'm glad the hard part of the gardening is finished (mulching, raking, tilling, etc...), now it's just maintenance!  They hummingbirds have maid their trip back home too!  

As for all my winterizing of plants...  my geraniums didn't make it but my dahlias are starting to peek through the ground.  I planted the tubers about 3 weeks ago, so far so good.   I planted my vegetable garden on Mother's day weekend.  I planted Swiss chard, 3 different types of lettuce, Brussels sprouts, green beans, cucumbers and tomatoes.  The Brussels sprouts are a first for me this year.  Anyone have any tips for their success? 

~ enough playing on the computer ~ time to go wandering through my yard and then relaxing on the patio watching the birds!!!  Hope you have a great week ahead!

Hugs,

Jeni

Busy weekend ~ had a 21st birthday party for my daughter!  I spent 6 hours power washing my deck ~ exhausting but well worth the effort.  I had no idea how bad it was until I started but now it looks almost new!!!   I  power washed my front porch and sidewalks today ~ I love that thing! I also sprayed Seven for bugs on my hostas, sprayed a fungicide to hopefully prevent rust on my Hollyhocks, sprinkled Snail/Slug repellent, etc... My son, "step-daughter" and I went for a walk this evening and I came across a pink Columbine growing randomly along the road ~ of course I had to dig it up and transplant it in one of my flowerbeds!  I was sickened by all the trash along the road, so when I got home, I grabbed a trash bag and my "picker-uppers" and went back to clean up the trash.  I just don't understand why people feel the need to throw their trash out along a road instead of waiting until they get home.  My grandmother wrote a poem about polluters a long time ago, I wish I could remember it.  I do remember it said something about  "don't be a polutatic" and  "did you ever see a muskrat wear a beer can for a hat"! She was probably smiling at me from above, watching me clean up the beer cans along the road!   I ended my evening with a quite night on my patio with a glass of wine, listening to the water trickle on my little fountain, the birds chirping and the frogs singing ~ very peaceful! 

Spring chores completed!

I have spent the last few weekends trying to get my yard and gardens in shape!  I started early with the planting of annuals ~ keeping my fingers crossed that we don't get a frost.  I started early because I was planning a birthday picnic for my 21 (aargh) year old daughter this weekend.  I lucked out so far and the forecast show no signs of frost!!!  I have mulched all of my flowerbeds and actually had to re-mulch a couple of them that were  partially washed out  from the heavy downpours we had last week.  My other project for the picnic was to power wash my deck ~ what a chore but WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!!  I couldn't believe how much better it looks!  It had become discolored ~ almost a dark algae covered green/gray and now it looks brand new!  It took me about 6 hours total but it was well worth it.  As for my flowers... my perennials are coming up wonderfully ~ I don't think I lost any plants but I did lose my favorite shrub ~ my brooms.  I pulled one completely out and the other I trimmed all the dead off and am hoping the rest of it survives, but it doesn't look good.  I had taken a close up photo of it last spring and actually had it blown up and framed for in my living room ~ at least I have that to enjoy.  I don't have the heart to pull the other one out as long as there is green on it.  I purchased 14 flats and a few 6" pots of annuals and put them in planted and a few in the ground.  The planters turned out beautiful.  I even shared some of  them w/ friends.  I planted the dahlia tubers that I saved over the winter and 2 of the geraniums, hopefully they'll make it.  Now it's time to put this exhausted body to bed.  Have a great weekend!!!