first true leaves

are out on my cardinal climber seedlings. They're not quite big enough, and it's too cold (got chilly this week) to plant them yet.

Which saddened me a little, because today I glimpsed a hummingbird on the deck, it flew by the window and paused a moment. Sad that I don't have many flowers to offer it. The black-and-blue salvia has grown quickly- its foliage two feet tall now! but not close to blooming. I think hummingbird will feed on the clary sage, the lilac, and maybe the columbine?

but those aren't many in my yard. The poor lilac only has one half of it blooming. The other side, bare stems. I am still not sure if deer have nipped it, or the neighbor's tree shades it too much, or the tree that was growing in its middle choked it some.

But it smells lovely as always.

days of grey

and drizzle, perfect for planting out the new stuff. I got all of them in the ground except the new england aster, and the solidago rugosa (below) which I gave away, as I realized it's in the goldenrod family and makes sprays of yellow flowers. Just not my favorite flower color.

Near the top of the second sideyard hill, where I'm trying to establish groups of flowering plants, I put the little brown-eyed susan on the side, uphill from the new daylilies.

Further downslope, the Liatris spicata.

Opposide side of those, flanking the gladiola bed, some obdient plants. I put a few near the garden in the backyard, too. Some of these not sure if I've spaced them out enough . . . 

Here's the top of that sideyard hill. I'm very pleased with the clary sage, it really stands out when nothing else is really blooming yet. That's older daylilies to the left of the pink clary, and turtlehead filling in between and behind. In front of them are the lyreleaf sage (shorter plants) and a bunch of volunteer violets. I also put in two or three coreopsis, but the foliage is so fine, can't hardly see them.

Here's a closeup of other coreopsis I planted on the first sideyard, near the steps.

In the back near the camellia, I put the late thoroughwort, or boneset.

These are the lady ferns, in where took out the small-leaved holly.

While doing all this, I found a small baby stinkin' hellebore on the second sideyard! It's probably too sunny for it there now, so I dug it up and moved to grow behind the lady ferns above. 

Also dug some sensitive ferns where they were encroaching on the walking space. Yanked out grass that always grows tall in this gap between the basketball hoop and the little patio, that I always have to cut by hand. Put them there. I think ferns will look nicer.

There's more pics and things to say, but another time.

woodpecker!

I was happy the other day to hear a catbird calling, and to see the wren poking through garden beds I had just cleared of weeds. The house finches joined them. But today was even better- I got a good sighting of this large woodpecker digging out one of our empty stumps. There's two in the yard that have been getting hollowed out, I wasn't sure which animal was working on it. Pileated woodpecker.

What a stunning bird. Difficult to get a photo becuase I didn't want to startle it away- these are from across the lawn. 

Video:

a few days ago

I saw the pink geranium opening its first flower, looked like a rosebud

now it's open completely

tired now

 after doing just three things outside. I cut out the small-leaved holly that grows under the big japanese one. I do like its small, neat and glossy leaves, but it has such an untidy shape- all leggy and sprawling, probably reaching for more light. I chopped it down to a bare trunk six inches, might make the effort to dig that out later if it regrows. I couldn't picture planting it anywhere else with the awkward shape it had.

 In its place under the japanese holly, I planted four lady ferns. They look so nice there. Will take a picture tomorrow.

Then pruned the row of viburnums. Still uncertain if I regret having planted the volunteers. I've kept all the younger ones clear of the fence- cutting out branches on the back side, there's actually enough space to stand back there. Hopefully this makes it easier to chop them out if I have to remove in future. My pruning job made it look a lot neater- an actual hedge now.

Earlier in the week, sitting outside after some work, I was admiring the light airiness of the spider azalea across the yard, moving in the breeze. Yesterday I looked and it wasn't as easy to see. It looked sparser. I walked over and yes, there were twig ends nipped off, fluff of foliage missing. I found deer droppings near the panicle hydrangea. I looked around the yard- the deer haven't once touched the young japanese maple hybrid on the second sideyard. They haven't eaten any of my transplanted forsythia scion, or the new growth on the younger euonymus shrubs. Just this plant right now. They had to taste something new? 

I got my husband to help me remove the fencing from around the japanese maple, and we moved it to surround the spider azalea. Sigh.

did stuff with houseplants

I've actually had this in mind for a long time. My tall, leggy dracanea in the corner I felt needed a larger pot, but it's behind a bunch of stuff so I have put off doing that for months. Yesterday moved the plant benches so my husband could access some cables, and then took the opportunity. Repotted the dracanea:

Yes it's almost touching the ceiling. Soon I will have to decide if I'm going to re-home it to someone who has higher ceilings, or take the risk of cutting and replanting the top. Doubtful if I would succeed with that.

Then I took it's old pot, and repotted the asparagus fern into that. 

It was quite root-bound, many circling the inside of the pot, and when I untangled, tons of those fat bulbs that store water hanging down

It's been looking rather pathetic lately, fronds only on one half of the pot, and they keep turning brown or yellow. I'm probably doing something amiss with the watering, or it needs better light, or more misting . . . 

But I hope it perks up from this

While I was in that corner, I saw my 'ponytail' succulent was looking bad, too- tons of withered, dropped-off leaves. I cut all the best pieces out, stripped the lower stems, dumped most of the soil and replaced with cactus mix, repotted anew the cuttings. I think I just forgot to water it too often, over the winter months.

And replanted into my zebrina pot, its cuttings I'd rooted in water over the past few weeks.

Next to pot up some coleus cuttings of my favorite.

today

I planted the new self-heal in a clay pot (having learned that it is related to mint, so I don't want it to spread in the ground)

and dug up a few swamp milkweeds from the first sideyard, moved them to the second where there's much more sun. In the spot I'm removing them from, the standard joe pye are all coming up where I shifted them very late in the year.

They're really puny compared to the common milkweed already starting to get established there. Need to weed more in this spot, and spread some mulch!

plant swap

was on the weekend. I took thirty-some plants, those pictured earlier: yellow salvias, echinacea, black-eyed susans, stonecrops, baby hellebores, the citronella cuttings, plus three young hollies and this one hickory sapling that grew out of a pot stored in my small greenhouse- must have been planted by a squirrel earlier in the season.

I brought home in return just over twenty plants. Most got hastily stuck in the greenhouse as I didn't have time to dig right away- this ostrich fern got planted immediately (it turned out to be one decent-sized plant and three much smaller ones)

making my little patch a bit fuller!

the rest had to wait. Some are still waiting. I did plant the two lyreleaf sage I got already

but most I am holding off on simply because a lot of these plants are new to me- I know which like sun and which prefer shade, but color and height and spread? I need to learn a bit about them. There's coreopsis rosea, Liatris spicata, a small herb called self-heal, Solidago rugosa 'fireworks', Little brown-eyed susan, one nasturtium and one (very small) New England aster. (I've tried to grow these asters myself from seed before, got small plants that disappeared soon after planting).

a plant called late thormwort (in the back here)- at least that's what the label says but maybe I'm misreading someone's handwriting. The internet suggests this is probably late thoroughwort, or boneset.

three or four obedient plants- which were bare root and badly wilted, but I stuck them in an empty pot of soil and watered well, they already perked up enough to poke through the wire shelf above

and two pots of 'Catherine Woodbury' daylilies, which I planted yesterday.

seedlings update

I think my seeds have all sprouted, that are going to. Didn't get any green onions from the older packet, but I have some that grew from ones I got at swap a few years ago. Only one half my summer savory tray germinated- the newer seed. So time to throw out the older packet of those as well.

Garlic chives- these are new to me! a gift from my older sister (we traded seeds last year)

My one fenugreek seedling keeled over and died, and I'm debating about starting more. All the rest are doing fine- dill, thyme and parsley (just emerged a day ago). No sign of sage yet, but if I remember correct those always take a while to get going. Basil I planted six or eight seeds, and only got three. So maybe that packet is getting old too, might have to sow twice as much as what I want next time.

The cardinal climber seedlings are looking grand. I just get a kick out of their angular shapes. These were fairly dusky and puplish when emerged, but I've learned that some plants do that to protect tender new leaves from strength of the sun. They're already greener now than in this photo.

I think it was the right choice, that I only did a few herbs this year. I've been pretty good lately with my regular activities (housework) but the carrying in/out of the house every day this week of seedlings plus my boston fern, potted geraniums in the basement, all the coleus cuttings and one stevia plant, has me tired and beat at the end of each day. When it dropped to just above freezing a few nights earlier this week, I preemptively brought in the bay laurel, figs and chives too. That was tiresome.

Can't quite handle three times as many young plants with all their particular needs right now.

in the garden space

tarragon is emerging

and winter savory is alive after all, but only just barely. I cut off a ton of dead stems.

I'm pleased with the sculpit- there's been plenty to eat from at least once a week.

Sorrel has grown in thick again- looks like the deer have quit invading my yard temporarily (I scattered the soap shavings and hair again). But I haven't eaten this plant this spring- I used to have it as a fresh green alongside a pork roast usually, and we just haven't had that often of late.

Rue is regrowing from a cutback I gave it a few weeks ago. The bricks on this little bed have gone all wonky, leaning and crooked and full of gaps. I wonder are the plant's roots pushing them outward, or did I just set them poorly the first time. Really need to get out there and dig them straight with a proper little gravel layer underneath.

Not in a garden bed- elsewhere on the edge of a perennial patch- my rhubarb finally got harvested! This is a day after I cut about a third of the stems, and made one small pie. It was so tasty. I got no picture, we ate it so fast.

indoor stuff

I forgot to mention, but over a month ago I got a few new houseplants from someone taking cuttings in the neighborhood. This is string of hearts plant. So small!

I've since cut it back to one leaf set on the single rooted stem, and pieced the rest out into three parts to root again in water.

This one I think is supposed to be 'Cebu blue' pothos. It's leaves aren't as elongated as I've seen in other pictures, so I'm not sure if that identity is correct?

Here's another not sure of anymore- this plant when my husband bought it for me, was labeled as a monstera deliciosa, or swiss cheese plant. Mine's doing better now it stays where there's more light. I thought the leaves would get a lot bigger, and have a more broad shape, but maybe it will do that when it matures.

I recently took a few cuttings of this begonia (which I can't remember the name of right now!) and cut back hard the 'black witchy' (or whatever it's called) one just visible behind it the upper right corner, kept most of that as cuttings for new plant 

My little 'frosty' begonia is doing better in its new location.

The pilea has gotten taller- I'm starting to think I should cut it back

No picture of my madagascar palm, which survived the winter in a warmer spot but didn't get enough light there, so the leaves are all very small (as short as the thorns!) Sad to say my crown of thorns plant is all dead. 

Upstairs, I noticed my goldfish plant has a few bare spots. Trimmed some stems that were growing crosswise each other, am trying to start them rooting in water. Before, I've just stuck the stems in the soil and they didn't seem to take. Maybe this will work better.