Wing or Sprinter?

Snow is in the forecast for tonight. We have had below freezing temps overnight now for two nights so the hummingbird feeder has been removed for now so it doesn't freeze. The pond has had a nice skim of ice and the goldfish are slow to move.



As I refilled birdfeeders this morning I discovered that something liked the fact that I carefully marked where I recently planted astillbe along the glen edge. Every one of those were dug up along with one flowering fern bulb that was planted there too. The other flowering fern bulbs were not disturbed. Fortunately the astillbe were bare roots and I found them all to replant them (though not as well as the first time). I will have to check again to see if whatever is checking out my newly dug places will be back to dig them again. I wonder if it is the same critter that dug up the butterfly weed earlier in the week? I put chicken wire over that to protect it and may have to do the same with the astillbes.

I purchased some garden art on Friday. It's in two pieces. The top balances on the vertical piece so that when the wind blows it turns. I saw this in the garden at the bird store and asked where she had them in the store. She didn't. She'd had two of them and when they didn't sell she put one in her garden. She promptly sold the other one. She said she'd discount the one in the garden for me if I wanted it. I did. What do you think of it? Will it keep the deer away from the day lilies that are planted on that edge of the garden? I'll find out.

Spring in Two Parts

PART ONE: WELCOME DAFFODILS

I have daffodils planted in various parts of the garden: perennial garden, glen, front garden and down at the bottom of the driveway by the big rock. All of them are in different stages. But the first to bloom are in the perennial garden right outside our bedroom window. Even before the sun was up the buds were opening this morning. There are two kinds there: miniature (from a grocery store purchase last spring) and regular size. This is the second year for the regular ones so they have doubled in bloom quantity.

The miniature are on the far left above and by themselves below. You see I added the hyacinthe I got this year and will look forward to its blooming next spring.




PART TWO: INTRUDERS!

I could kick myself. On Saturday I had planned to spray Liquid Fence for the first time this growing season on the delectables that are favored in my garden. I put it off because it was so windy. Now I didn't go into the garden Sunday or Monday but I can see the perennial garden very easily and I would have noticed so the intruders came last night under the moonlight. They went for their regular fare: day lilies. The ones below had quite a bit of growth because they are against a stone wall. They even used their hooves to dig.

What I can't understand is why they ate the stella d'oro lilies which they never have touched in the past? I have quite a few of these that they found. They missed only two: one in the perennial garden and one in the front garden.

They haven't eaten crocuses before but all the purple ones are gone.

They even munched on the sedum,

and irises! Now I can understand eating irises when there's nothing else to eat but in spring time?

I've sprayed the Liquid Fence as of today and will likely do it again this weekend and weekly for the next month then go to monthly applications. Fortunately all the plants will recover and send up new leaves. No buds were taken. Those nasty intruders with the last name d-e-e-r.

Harvest Monday 2011

Here's my inaugural Harvest Monday post for the 2011 growing season. Check out other harvests at the host of Harvest Monday: Daphne's Dandelions.

I planted this spinach in the fall and it wintered over uncovered. With the spring temps it has filled out so it was time to have some.

Here's my harvest. Sorry no weight. I don't own a scale.

Here it is as a spinach salad. It made enough for both of us to have. Ingredients besides the spinach: turkey bacon, parmesan cheese, onions, with Marie's Caesar dressing. Delicious!

First Spring Plantings

I spent most of Saturday planting. Here's the vegetable garden before (above) and after (below) and what I planted.

Two types of lettuce (bibb and a young leaf mix) and Bloomsdale spinach were planted here. The lettuce in the foreground was a fall crop. I moved it from another bed to this one.

Snowpeas were planted in the trench method (see below). I add the sticks for them to grow on for support. Later I tried to cover the whole thing with a net so the turkey that a neighbor spotted won't find the seeds. The spinach in the bed is a fall sowing and doing nicely now.

I planted three kinds of onion sets: yellow, red and white. I placed them close because we eat lots of green onions so I'll thin them. After the photo I pushed the bulbs into the ground so just the tips were at soil line.