How Doth Your Garden Grow

The recent rains have made the garden explode, and now that the hot weather is here,  it's even lusher than ever.   The baddest news is that my hummingbirds have disappeared.  Where can they have gone?  No one has visited the feeder or perched on the trellis for a week or more.  Have to admit that I am distraught.

Meanwhile, on the suet feeder, scads of baby woodpeckers, chipmunks and the little red squirrel are gobbling up a dollar's worth of suet every day or two.  Greedy ones.

The clematis has been spectacular.  Maybe because I actually dosed everything with fertilizer this year.   

Here is the sneaky squirrel.  So cute.

The verbena, nasturtiums, sage, and marigolds are all doing well.  Chives went rampant this spring.  Garlic has long whatcha-ma-callums.  Can't think of the name.  Scapes!  That's it.  I planted nicotania instead of impatiens this year, and it looks good, but still no hummingbirds, sob!

How is your garden doing?  Don't forget to put out water for the critters as well as food.

Grapeshop

Golden Globes - Glorious Gardening!

Not awards, not oranges, but my orange rhododendum which has burst into bloom (a cliche but so apt) this week. The other good news in the garden is that for the first time in this house the iris is honoring us with a bloom--it's been moved 3 times, and now I guess the right spot has been determined so long as I keep it cultivated.

Beautiful (sorry no picture) special dogtooth violets also came to life this year. Basically, I think I only lost one columbine, but the wild orchid doesn't look like it will bloom. I need to sneak into the woods and transplant a few more to my woods.

No sign of the baby ducks. Hummingbird is back, after the newly planted red petunias. She'll have to wait a while for the rest of the garden to bloom. Speaking of blooms, my sage will go crazy in a week. Beaucoup blooms.

We have a cilantro fest. It reseeds itself like crazy. Love it. Love it.

I found the pot for the rosemary. Thought I broke it last fall when I couldn't find it. Must have been another pot. We had some of the rosemary on the bistro chicken (yum!) the past two nights. http://wardstreetbistro.typepad.com/wsb/2008/05/grilled-mustard.html

Do try this recipe.

I need to find a sunny spot for the phlox I dug up at the state hospital. I am an inveterate collector of plants in derelict locations.

Today we're going to Briggs Nursery, a choice garden destination, for the annual trip to buy plants. It makes me happy just to think about it. Obviously, a heart "too soon made glad."

http://www.briggsgarden.com/

Aloha,

Grapeshot