Fall Plantings 2019

Hmmm...I knew I had been gone a while but.....6 years!  Not sure where I got to!

Sooo......I'm adding to my garden this year and in keeping with the original purpose of this blog, I want to keep track of what's growing.

 A few years ago I was down on Cape Cod in the Fall and fell in love with the ornamental grasses that they had at the resort.  I spoke with the gardener who happened to be on site and she told me where to buy them and that at this time of year they were on sale!    I bought 2.

Miscanthus Gracillimus

The one directly in front of the house is about 4 or 5 years old now.  The line of grasses to the right was just planted.

This years additions the the garden are......

Crème de la Crème Phlox (Super Sak^)®

Light:  Full Sun, Partial Shade

• Size:    #1 Plant

• Zone:  3-9

• Bloom Time:  Early to late summer

• Height:  30 - 36 inches

• Soil Requirement:  Well drained

• Planter Friendly

• Attract Bees

 

White Ladies Belgian Aster

• Light:  Full Sun

• Size:  #1 Plant

• Zone:  4-8

• Bloom Time: Late summer to first frost

• Height:  36 - 48 inches

• Soil Requirement:  Well drained

• Deer Resistant

• Planter Friendly

Birch Double Everblooming Hardy Geranium

• Light:  Full Sun, Partial Shade

• Size:  #1 Plant

• Zone:  4-9

• Bloom Time: Late spring to mid fall

• Height:  10 - 12 inches

• Soil Requirement:  Well drained, humus enriched

• Planter Friendly

• Attract Bees

 

Strawberry Candy Reblooming Daylily

• Light:  Full Sun, Partial Shade

• Size:  #1 Plant

• Zone:  3-9

• Bloom Time:  Early midseason (Early-Midsummer, and again in late summer to early fall)

• Height:  24 - 26 inches

• Soil Requirement:  Well drained

• Planter Friendly

Lupines Mixture

• Light:  Full Sun

• Size:  #1 Plant

• Zone:  3-8

• Bloom Time:  Late spring to early summer

• Height:  30 - 36 inches

• Soil Requirement:  Average (normal) to dry

• Deer Resistant

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  This is my fancy shmancy diagram of what went where.
  
  

  

  
  

  Click image to enlarge

Spring! Glorious Spring!

It’s been a loooooong time since I posted here!   Quite frankly life has taken a few twists and turns and my heart wasn’t into gardening for a while and then an injury last summer rendered me unable to get around but I am back and chomping at the bit to get out into the garden!  But that was then and this is now.

Let the seeding begin!   More specifically and in keeping with ye olde blog name, let the experimenting begin!

Some are new to me (ornamental grass for one) and others I’ve grown before (like snake gourds – see my Halloween snake from a few years ago here.)

I am so glad to be back and pray that my ankle will hold up because I’m raring to go!   Right now, I’m off to get dirt under my nails as the great outdoors beckons!  Yippee!!!!!

Crayolas?

Do you know what this is?

 

Or this…

How about this….

Now you get the idea.

This is what the Netherlands looks like in Spring!

Isn’t it awesome!

I think I need to update my bucket list to include a visit to the Netherlands in spring-time.

Happy & Sad–The Pug & I

Spring has sprung!  And that makes me ever so very very very very happy!  We went from a few feet of snow to nada in no time.  Lickety split!  I am amazed. 

Out most recent venture to the pond showed great promise. 

The snow was 99% gone.  That made for much easier walking.

A little color is starting to show.

Things are awakening.

What a wonderful time of year!

For anyone who has read any of my recent posts, you will know that I have posted about a pair of swans that we (the pug & I) see and feed at our favorite little spot.  We have been there twice over the past two weeks, and sadly, each time only one swan is there.  She (I think it's the female) seems very depressed.

Her head perked up when we arrived.  (Sorry for the picture quality – she was at quite distance.)

We weren’t of much interest though.

It wasn’t her mate so she quickly recoiled.  I am so sad.  I wonder where her mate is yet in my heart I prefer not to know.

To GPS or not GPS....that is the question.

When my oldest daughter was about 3 years old we were driving to a see a friend of mine and she was not familiar with the route.   At one point she asked what street we were on. I said that I did not know. She asked if we were lost. I replied that we were not lost and that I just knew how to get there. She wasn't falling for that. She pondered it for a moment and asked "Mom – how do you spell 'I am lost'?" Ah from the mouths of babes!



That brings me to yesterday. Last year I got a car that has a built-in GPS. I haven't used it much because I actually have a great sense of direction not to mention that I can be quite impatient with technology. Yesterday I was taking a drive to an unfamiliar area so I decided to give the GPS a try. The area was mostly small winding streets and Madame GPS and her orders were grating on my nerves. "Left turn in ¼ of a mile."……"Slight right at 200 feet"…… A fight broke out and I turned her OFF. I went with my gut instinct. This is what I found….

 Definitely a wrong turn somewhere!

Definitely a wrong turn. LOL!

At this point, with my proverbial tail between my legs, I admit defeat.  This time.  GPS to the rescue!

 

Snow Bugs?

I took the Pug for our weekly outing to the pond on Sunday to visit these guys.

Amazingly, I actually remembered to bring something to feed them this time.

Someone else enjoyed the Cheerios.......

.....but the swans did not approve!

It was too hard to walk around the pond today because of all the snow so after the quick trip down to feed the swans we headed back out.  I noticed that there were thousands of black dots all over the snow.

Upon closer inspection, I could see that the dots were hopping around.  Huh?  What are they?  Snow bugs?  I still don’t know but I am very curious.  Anyone?

Oh Sunny Day – The Pug & I (Plus 1!)

A beautiful sunny day and it’s about 40 degree.  Now that’s something to take advantage of at this time of year!   Time to get outside! 

In addition to the pug and I, we were joined by my daughter, Olivia.

We were pleasantly surprised to see that someone had cleared a path around the pond.  Strange…but good for us.

Elsa loves it here because she's free to run off leash.

You coming?

It was beautiful but the snow was soft and we were sinking every few feet.  Good thing I picked up some cheapie boots yesterday.  Thing is at this time of year, they only have really small sizes or really big sizes left.  I opted for kayak size – 11!

We weren’t the only ones making footprints on this sunny afternoon.

We had company!

The swans came right up to us as they are used to being fed by people.  Unfortunately we came in my daughter’s car today and my bread supply was back home in my car.

Hope you had a good day too!

Smart Kitty

I have two cats.   They are brother and sister yet incredibly different.    Smudgie (boy) is the man about town – always on an adventure.   His sister, Cally, is content to view the world from the bay window in my bedroom. 

It’s a great vantage point to view the bird feeders.   Plus warm and cozy.  Smart kitty!

Out & About – The Colors of January

When I started my blog a year or so ago my intention was to track my garden and outdoor shenanigans.  Nothing of much interest to anyone else.  Just for me.   I was OK with that.  The thing is that I am finding kindred spirits and find that I love to show what’s going on in my neck of the woods as much as I love seeing what’s going on everywhere else.

To the few who check in and read what I have to say and see my pictures, thank you but more importantly, thank you for sharing your world with me.

Without further ado, here’s what has happened in the last week in Massachusetts.

ANOTHER snow storm hit on January 12th and lasted all.day.long.  About 20”.

20 or so inches later…..

The troops arrived in droves the next day for clean up….and food!

Bird by bird, peck by peck, the crew was here to dig out the seed.

Within two days between the work crew and the sunshine, the seed was uncovered.

Oh!  Look!  A bird party!

A woodpecker, goldfinch and a bunch of bluebirds.

I  was thrilled to see bluebirds at this time of year.  Today I went to the seed shop and I was told that I was indeed lucky.  They do appear here and there in winter but not very frequently.  If you have the good fortune to have bluebirds you will notice that they tend to be in groups of 6-10.  That is their winter pattern.  Once the warmer weather comes they will become territorial and will only be found in pairs.  How lucky that they came upon my feeders!

When the winter doldrums hit, it is nice to see these flashes of color!

The Ups & Downs of W-I-N-T-E-R

This past week has been a crazy ride weather-wise.   This is what was outside my front door last week at this time….

  

It may have stopped us in our tracks but by the next day….

These troopers were lurking….with their sights on the feeders.

….and then she was alone but not for long.

A saucy little wren made an appearance.

r And took over the joint!

With very few food sources, that’s how it went for the rest of the day.  In & out.  Back & forth.

Here a Titmouse waits patiently for the Mourning Dove to finish.  How polite!

Over the course of the next few days I cleared the deck to get access to the feeders to refill them.  Now here’s the kicker…… exactly one week later, the temps have been hovering around 60 degrees for the past 3 days!    When it comes to weather, New England is a crazy place.

Same view!

The birds don’t seem affected one way or another.

Even when the garden is not alive ‘n kicking, we are still blessed by nature.

I hope you are blessed with wonderful things in 2011!

Happy New Year!