Naturalizing

When I've purchased daffodils in the past so often the key word in selecting my choice was "naturalize".  But it's not just daffodils that naturalize.  Any perennial that puts out its share of seeds is going to naturalize as I've learned in the pond garden.  The two clumps of yellow iris I purchased now completely surround the pond.

  I have black-eyed susans growing where I didn't plant them.


 

And now the Joe Pye weed is naturalizing.



This is the first year that its done it in earnest.



 Other years there have been a shoot here and there that I would purposely transplant with no luck.  This year, new clumps are forming in other spots around the pond.  It's decision time: do I let it naturalize?  I had no choice with the cattails which I didn't plant.

They did that all on their own despite my attempts to stop them.  A willow tree has appeared that I consistently cut down to no

avail.  Then there is the ajuga.



I planted it to be a ground cover along the edge of the pond long before the irises took off.  Friday I discovered it had spread quite a bit under its layer of Japanese stilt grass.  But then I had intended that it naturalize.

Here's one last plant growing in the glen garden.  I've left it there undisturbed because I like the looks of it. 

 I didn't plant it.  Who did?  Nature naturalized.

The Pond Garden

The pond is full after a day of rain on Tuesday.  It's been mulched (not by me!) and is looking good.  It won't be long before it's rimmed in yellow but that will have to be another posting.

Let me walk you around the pond.

Oops.  Wrong photo.  That was when it was frozen which wasn't so very long ago.

Here's the view from the garage.

Under my study window are these lovely hosts.

So many blooms are preparing to open.

Here's one that has.

Looking across the pond to the house.  That's my study window.

Where are those croaking frogs?

Come back another day and I'll walk you through the other gardens.

Mourning Doves

Today was a cold blustery day.  Strong winds made it feel so much colder than it was and these mourning doves chose to congregate under the bird feeder this morning and early into the afternoon.  Some of them napped in the sun using their coloring to hide from any soaring hawks.

This one chose to sit on the frozen pond.

In the afternoon more had gathered.

Below the gold fish are just visible through the ice.

Joining Wild Bird Wednesday &  Our World Tuesday

They're Back!

Just a few minutes ago I sat down at my desk to look at emails and caught a sound. Was it my laptop? No.  It was outside so I looked out to the pond and realized that the frogs have come out of hibernation, probably from the mud in the bottom of the pond.  They were announcing to the neighborhood that they were back and raring to go for another spring.

One of many frogs showing off.

Photo taken through the window so not very clear.

 Once I stepped outside the frogs all dove under.  They must have thought I was a heron. You can see the pond is filled with stray leaves.  The irises also need a major trimming, I know.  It's on the spring to do list.

I had hoped to clean out the loose leaves that accumulated in the pond after trimming the cat tails and knew I needed to do it before the frogs started laying eggs.  Now I know I need to do it in the next days or I will have to disturb the eggs.  Today should be the day except I'm recovering from a terrible cold and have expended all my energy for today vacuuming and mopping floors.  Time to put my feet up and drink something good and hot.