Foliage and stuff.

It's 63 degrees at 10am. There will be no rain at least for the next week. This morning I found two squirrels digging in my potager where I had planted squash and bean seeds yesterday. One has no hair on its tail. The owls were after it yesterday evening. I'm hoping they achieve their goal soon.

The foliage tour begins in the basement. I stuck cuttings of my red camellia, black & blue salvia, Mystic Spires salvia, Russian sage, and White Profusion Butterfly bush. It's probably too early for the camellias, but the growth on the others were nice and firm. If I'm successful with the japonicas, I'll be taking another walk through the neighborhood early one morning next week.



Artemesia.



Hosta



This variegated weigela was rooted last spring. I plan to root several more very soon. I love the foliage. The white flowers are just an added bonus.



Wine & Roses weigela is more wine than roses at the moment.



Larkspur, Dame's Rocket, and a yellow climbing rose named Golden Showers at the perennial bed arbor.



Golden Jubilee, red clover, Bloody Dock, irises, and lots of weeds.



Proving that plants are forgiving things, the oakleaf hydrangea looks the best it ever has. I took a cutting yesterday. It may be too early. This one has buds at the ends of the two main stalks.



Eastern Redbud loves you too.



Ginkgo. Grown from seed, these were tossed late last spring when I figured there would be no germination. I noticed I missed another when I dug them out this winter and moved them before they leafed out. All three are doing well. The bright yellow foliage will be welcomed in the gully over the next 20 years as they mature. I'm learning patience.



Virginia creeper has latched onto the dead oak tree. It's over now.



While scouting for plants to pinch, I found this little gem. The first rudbeckia bloom of the year. R. triloba.



I saved the best for last. My favorite foliage of all comes in the form of gigantic trees that ring the backyard. The undergrowth has filled in. To compensate for the lack of foliage in winter, I've spread evergreens along the edge. Leyland Cypress, arborvitae, and soon, Foster Holly will provide enclosure and privacy in the years to come. I made a promise to one Leyland yesterday. No more moving. Maybe.

Not All Mondays Are Bad

It's 61 degrees and sunny this morning. The time change yesterday means that I am waking up an hour later than my normal time. As it stands now, I don't set an alarm. I go to bed around 11pm and wake up about 7, 7:30am. Only thing is, my body doesn't realize that the government changed the time on it. It will take a few days to adjust.

Another work day today. I hope to have the site ready to paint by the end of the day today. The buildings are nearly done. I strayed off schedule a little this weekend thanks to the nice weather. Rain is in the forecast for several days this week. That will make working inside a lot more tolerable.

I added a few things to the blog last night. What can I say, I couldn't sleep. First, I took a cue from a fellow 'seed scatterer' for the "About My Garden" blurb. I find myself reading blogs without knowing where they are located. I also added an aerial photograph taken from the county's GIS website. I labeled all the gardens according to the simple names I gave them last month. If you click on the image, you can see a larger image. The photo was taken in 2005, so some of the trees have been removed since then. Finally, I changed the blogroll a bit. I keep finding blogs that I like and the list was getting really long. So only the 10 most recently updated blogs on the list are shown.

It's almost time to head downstairs for "work". I need to finish my coffee first. I might even have a second cup.

10:02am - Took a stroll through the perennial bed this morning to finish my coffee. The squirrels have discovered the crocus bulbs. And the daffodils. It won't be long now before they realize that there is a whole buffet of bulbs out there, some even I haven't seen yet. White Cat disappeared several weeks ago. Something tells me she got lost in the snow. Looks like it's time for me to invite another stray into the yard.