Spring Eve.

One more day til Spring is officially here and the peach tree is starting to bloom.





The white daffs in my own garden are standing tall too.



My camellia.



Dame's Rocket, wintersown in December 2008, is sending up flower stalks.



Even She Who Will Not Walk On Grass made it outside yesterday.



And would you take a look at this forecast. Just incredible. No freezing temperatures for at least the next 10 days.



It's 43 degrees and clear.

Color Shift

The color in the backyard has shifted to the North.



I've got an idea about the garden "gate".



The lone deep purple castor bean is finally beginning to bloom. I have no hopes of seed from this plant.



And someone is determined to stay in bed all day.



It's sunny and 54 degrees. The morning low was 39. A heavy dew is covering everything. The high today should reach the mid 70s again.

11:36am - It's 64 degrees and warming quickly. The arbor in the perennial bed has been cleared of dead vines. The trellis on the chimney got cleaned too. While cleaning the gutters, I realized I had my camera in my pocket. So now, for something completely different...

click to embiggen.

The meadow garden just got a whole lot bigger.

3:31pm - I cleaned the bird feeders and refilled them with fresh seed.



I made a wire arbor from the grapevine trellis for the backyard gateway.



I moved a couple of birdhouses to better locations, further from another.



I sowed some seeds from Cornus florida and Calycanthus floridus. I topped them with sand. I can't remember why, but I've read it's good to do.



I took apart the leafblower, again. One bolt had wriggled lose and it would not start due to lack of compression. I got it all back together again and collected a sack of leaves from Larry's yard. I spread them beneath the thundercloud plum. It needs a new fan/blade. It's not shredding like it should. I need to remember to avoid the sticks and twigs. I also cleaned the bird bath.

All in all, it's been a simply stunning day as I pay no attention to the trim that needs to be caulked and painted.



The chickadees have already found the feeders. The doves will be along shortly.

Tough Love, Tenderness, and the Shakes

It's 61 degrees, cloudy, muggy, and I've got the shakes. Almost every picture I took this morning as I walked through the yard with my first cup of coffee came out blurry. Maybe it's the excitement of spring. I'm betting it's the caffeine.

Last evening I closed the hoophouse not sure what kind of weather we would have this morning. As I opened it this morning, I looked over all the plants that spent the winter inside with me. Some began their lives as cuttings. Others were started from seed. They're still tender plants not fully adjusted to sunlight. I've got a white shade cloth draped over the hoops to protect them from the sun.

Other plants in the yard get no special treatment. Some are looking really rough these days. A couple weeks ago they were covered by snow. Now the blazing sun and 70 degree temperatures have them all confused. Just wait until the final freeze comes along in a couple of weeks. Spring isn't here to stay just yet. I don't care what the weatherman says.

In the hoophouse, there are tomatoes.


More tomatoes, datura, and pineapple sage.


Castor Bean Plant, Yvonne's Salvia, petunias raised from seed, and other rooted cuttings.


In the garden, the Golden Jubilee is changing color. A white daffodil is about to open. A hyacinth(?) is blooming.


The peonies from Virginia are rising up out of the dirt.


The azaleas had a hard winter. They bloomed last fall. I doubt they'll bloom this spring.


The hunter on the prowl. Precious thing she is, Daomai (dow-may: Chinese for 'bad luck'), usually stays on the concrete. Something drew her attention in the yard this morning.








That tiny plant in the yard behind her is a Magnolia Grandiflora. Last spring I found a branch that had rooted from one of the larger trees outback. I stuck it in the hole that an old clothesline post came out of. It put out only a couple of leaves last year. I hope to see some real growth on it this year.

I was planning to use some of my photos for Wordless Wednesday. They were too blurry to tell a decent story. I'm going to have another cup of coffee and get to work.

edit: I forgot to mention the "Golden Shower" climbing rose I picked up yesterday at the Dollar General store here in town. I went in looking for cheap annual seeds to fill in bare spots in the garden this summer. I spent $6 and came home with 6 packs of seeds and a rose bush.

7:24pm - 75 degrees and raining. The radar shows just a sprinkle really, but I'll take it. I opened the hoophouse to let the plants enjoy it.