Big Day!

Today is significant for a couple of reasons -

#1. It's my dear husband's 60th birthday, which is enough in itself a cause for celebration,

but then there's......

#2. He has finally, after many long, tiring days, finished planting 60 acres of field corn. Phew!

Plowing was started on April 15th. Then came rock picking...a job no one in their right mind likes. Before the corn planting began 8 days ago, he planted 10 acres of oats and new seeding (grass for hay).

Yesterday, while planting, he had a pleasant surprise....

The Killdeer is a bird that lays its eggs in fields, and these often become casualties when field work begins. While slowly driving the tractor along, watching the row, he saw a flash of color - a female Killdeer with wings and tail fanned into a circle, protecting her eggs. The brave little mother didn't fly away until the tractor had almost passed her. Hubby climbed off the tractor to inspect the eggs, and thankfully, the wheels had missed them.

Back at the house a little later, he told me about finding the eggs and suggested it might be a good opportunity for photos. Well yes! And here are the eggs, amazingly intact. This field had been dragged in the morning and it's truly a miracle the eggs survived that!

Have any of you ever looked for a Killdeer nest? As you can see in this photo, they're so well camouflaged that it's almost impossible to spot them.

I couldn't get a good shot of the mom or dad at that time because they try to lure you from the nest by calling shrilly and flying away. They also do the broken wing thing...running away while dragging a wing, but I didn't see that this time.

Later I rode on the tractor with my husband, at his suggestion, camera in hand, and while the bird will fly away from a person who is on foot, she stays put on the eggs when the tractor approaches. We drove to within a few feet and I took several photos, after which we backed away and left the poor, vigilant little mommy alone. Click any of these photos to enlarge for detail if you'd like.

Here's Hubby dragging a plowed field...

....and here's our good friend, Nancy, disking. She used to have her own farm and still loves to do field work. She finds riding around on a tractor relaxing...when it's not too bumpy, which some of these fields were, leaving her 'all shook up' by the end of the day :)

It's so lovely to see the trees green again.

The Canadian geese like to feed in the fields ....

.....and down by the river, but I only saw a couple of muskrats swimming there this day because the geese were over in another field. Oh, and we saw a beaver swimming in the creek as we came across the culvert! That was a happy surprise! He flipped underwater and disappeared into the culvert when he saw us, so I wasn't quick enough to get a photo. I keep hoping to see him again, but so far no luck.

I explored the river and stalked the geese while Hubby plowed.

It's very pretty down there.

I found some geese over by a little creek.

On and on Hubby plodded, hour after hour, day after day. He couldn't get the old 4-row planter fixed without waiting for expensive parts to come from overseas, so he used the 2-row planter, which of course took twice as long....

.....but today he finally finished! Oh happy day!

Finishing up with a couple of shots of the view looking past our front yard, taken with the zoom lens from up on the shale bed over by that first field I showed you.

Those red leaved trees are the crab apples on our front lawn, which are just about finished blooming now, unfortunately.

Happy big six-0 dear Hubby!

You deserve a rest!

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - May 2008

Green is the dominant color here in our spring garden, and what a welcome change it is after the monochromatic tones of winter.

Plenty of things are blooming outside for this May Bloom Day, but perhaps the most exciting of all for me is seeing blooms on the crabapples. They're not a mass of blossoms, but last year we had none at all, so any amount is welcome.

They make a lovely bright spot against the greens of the hills and hedgerow across the road.

The red leaves make it hard to distinguish the 'red' blossoms....

.......so we need to walk closer for a better look at these gorgeous flowers.

My gardening friend, Marie, gave us this lovely little crabapple with softer pink blossoms. It's done well since being planted last summer, and is blooming profusely. Isn't it pretty? I'm tickled pink with it

At the base of the biggest crab, in the little fence garden, the forget-me-nots are proclaiming "Spring!" There are whites mixed with the blues, but I've yet to find a pink.

Do dandelions count for Bloom Day? We certainly have plenty! Our lawn is a sea of yellow between mowings, and even though the bright yellow weeds quickly pop back up after being mowed off, I like to see their cheery pom pom faces.

On Monday I noticed the first purple Iris had opened behind the fringed tulips.

Hello there!

When I came home from work today 4 more blooms had opened!

Here's the lovely Rasberry Blast Petunia basket I bought last Sunday with my Mother's Day money from my son and his family.

The Bleeding Hearts (Dicentra) are looking brighter and are beginning to open more of their beautiful chain-of-hearts blossoms. The smaller bush in front of the big one still has branches bent to the ground from that recent hard frost, but it's looking much better and is also opening new blooms.

Exquisitely shaped pink and white hearts!

The white bush is always a little later to start, but here's the first bloom.

Forget-me-nots are at their feet.

And Arabis (Rock Cress) shares this garden too.

Brunnera 'Jack Frost' is blooming with tiny blue forget-me-not look-alike flowers. I planted this last summer. Aren't those leaves gorgeous?

Pulmonaria (Lungwort) is a passalong from Marie, also planted last summer. I love the combination of pink and blue blossoms and the lovely spotted leaves.

This creeping Phlox was given to me by my son and his wife last summer. I thought it was a different color to the one I already have, but it looks the same. Nevermind, now I have it in the front garden as well as the back.

Aren't these Delta Beaconsfield pansies gorgeous?

Vinca Minor makes a pretty ground cover.

Lamium spreads well as a ground cover too, and also looks pretty mixed with other plants in a container.

These creamy white tulips bloom a little later than most of the others.

There's a clump of bright blue grape hyacinths (muscari) close by.

This close-up shows the lilac in the photo above is budding. It won't be long before we'll be enjoying the wonderful scent of the lilac bushes.

Here are the Van Eijk tulips again, with Johnny-jump-ups behind them.

These little guys jump up all over the place!
I eventually become ruthless and pull a lot of them out to make room for some annuals and perhaps a few new perennials, but their early color is a welcome sight, and who doesn't love volunteers?

The beautiful red tulips are still looking good.

See the yellow at the base of the blooms? I love these tulips!

But I don't think I've ever met a tulip I didn't love

This is one of my favorite photos. The peony bush is growing in leaps and bounds. It's always the most vigorous of all the peonies.

This lonely little double daffodil is one-of-a-kind where there used to be a clump.....

.....and this sweet pale pink tulip is close by. Both are lone survivors from long-ago plantings.

The Abutilon grew very nicely during the winter in the warmth of the house, and has just begun to bloom again. It will be planted outside again soon. I haven't quite decided whether it'll go in a container or a garden.

I was pleased to successfully overwinter this lovely trailing Nemesia, and will plant it in a mixed container soon.

Well, that's more than enough blooms for Bloom Day! Now I'll be able to catch up on everyone else's offerings for May. See you soon!

You'll find more Bloom Day posts over at Carol's May Dreams Gardens blog.

Tulip Time

I hope those of you who are mothers had a perfectly wonderful Mother's Day yesterday.

Mine was peaceful and pleasant, with phone calls from each of our three children, and conversations with our 2 grandsons. I love hearing those sweet little voices on the phone.

On Saturday afternoon I paid a visit to my favorite nursery and bought some plants with my Mother's Day money from our son and his wife and the boys. They know the way to my heart is through flowers :) I came home with a hanging basket of 'Supertunia Rasberry Blast' Petunias (by Proven Winners) and a few other plants. The RB Petunias did extremely well for me last year, so I wanted to try a repeat performance.

Yes Annie, the tulips are blooming like mad, and we've had some sunny days, but the temperatures have been much cooler than our 2 weeks of summery weather in April. We actually reverted back to winter temps for a while there, and felt rather put out by the return of the cold. After the warmth it's very hard to go back, even though we know that here in NY we should expect spring to behave in this manner.

These are Red Emporers

These beautiful purplish pink tulip blooms last longer than most.

They have a white fringe on the edges.

A tiny white spider decided this one made a good home.

Triumph - Negrita

Mixed Darwin Hybrids planted several years ago.

I love the purples mixed with the yellows.

Darwin Hybrid - Van Eijk

Tulips and Grape Hyacinths (Muscari) in the pale morning light.

Planted many years ago, these lovely reds are still going strong.

My husband planted some tulips in his vegetable garden so that we could cut bouquets for church. These are kaufmanniana. They were the very first tulips to bloom.....early birds!

Darwin Hybrid - Oxford

Triumph - Negrita

Back to the flower gardens now......morning dew on a glorious pink bloom (click to enlarge for detail).

Afternoon light on this little group.

Spectacular color to finish the show!

Look who arrived yesterday! What a wonderful Mother's Day gift - the hummingbirds are back after 8 long months!

Spring days are very busy, with the gardens needing so much of my time, and the lawn growing an inch a day when we have a little rain (or so it seems). I'm sorry that I haven't been around to visit much lately. Hopefully I'll catch up with you all soon. You're in my thoughts and I'm anxious to see what you're up to! Thanks so much for your very welcome comments. Each one is very much appreciated.

I hope you're enjoying your gardens as much as I am!

Spring Pastels

Seasonal temperatures returned this past week, and we've had some much-needed rain, but the chilly temps are hard to take after almost 2 weeks of summery days during April. Today was a little warmer with temps in the low sixties (approximately 16ºC), but rain is falling again tonight and the chill is back.

The treasured hyacinths are finished blooming now and a lot of the daffodils have faded, but some are still holding up. The dry weather took its toll on the spring bulbs, shortening their bloom time.

Tulips are blooming now, and hopefully the rain will help them put on a good show.

Last week was a change of pace as I was helping out at my favorite plant nursery for a couple of days. Oh joy, what a treat to be back among the plants and fellow planters, smelling the petunias and talking gardens! I was also back to working at school after the week of Spring Break.

We had 2 hard frosts on Wednesday and Thursday night and here's what the Bleeding Hearts (Dicentra) looked like afterward. This is the first time I've seen them knocked down so brutally by freezing temps, and they're still bent to the ground. I'm truly hoping they'll recover and bloom as beautifully as they did last year.

But this post is about spring pastels, so no more talk of frost.....

Let's concentrate on the sunshine of the previous week.....

....and imagine the wonderful perfume of the hyacinths!

Delightful pinks.....

....and glorious blues!

Remember Max, the accident prone kitten? She's now a house cat, along with Jasmine, the cat who likes to think she's in charge. When we discovered that Max is a little lady we changed her name to Maxine...but somehow it just didn't fit, so now she's "Molly".

On a very sad note, our sweet little Kaspurr was run over in our driveway last week by the

truck bringing fertilizer. Alas, some of our cats are not very clever about moving when vehicles use the driveway. They think it's their own personal space, and seem to have no concept of the danger involved. It can be quite embarrassing to have to run out and chase them out of the way when people drive in and out. I'm sure the truck driver felt very sad about it. Although he didn't stop at the house to tell me about the accident, he did carry him over to the workshop out of the driveway.

Kaspurr was so named because he loved to be cuddled, and would purr with a very loud motor at the slightest encouragement. He is sadly missed.

This is called the Lilac Garden because there's an old lilac bush to the left which is not in the photo.

I can't resist posting a few more daffodil shots.

And here more hyacinths are tucked under the bright umbrella of the daffs.

The Iris are preparing to take over the show shortly.

Oh, who's that? Why it's our little buddy, Cirrel the Squirrel, who still shows up occasionally. Hi Cirrel! Are you enjoying the show?

I think he is :)

I certainly am!

Here are the pinks just before the end. We'll have to wait a whole year to see them again.

But now the tulips take over....

.....with still a few daffs to keep them company.

.....as well as the little grape hyacinths.

There are a couple of double daffs.....

......and the happy, smiling faces......

.......of the dear pansies.

A couple of long shots.....

....of the front yard.

And look who else is wearing their yellow coats! The American goldfinches have been serenading us with their sweet songs.

One of the first tulips to open her lovely cup-shaped flower. I've hardly seen them open because of all the clouds we've had this past week. Perhaps tomorrow afternoon they'll open in the sunshine that our weatherman has predicted.

My dear husband mowed the lawn today for the first time this year.....and the dandelions are beginning to pop up!

Since I missed wishing you a happy May Day, I'll wish you a happy Sunday instead, and a good week ahead.

A Host of Golden Daffodils - Spring '08

On April 16th - the day after Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - our daffodils began to open in profusion! They gracefully gave me three open blooms for Bloom Day, but waited until the next day to begin their big "Welcome Spring" show. Since then they've wowed us with their sheer exuberance!

You can well imagine how clogged my poor hard drive is with hundreds of daffodil photos, after a long, color-starved winter.

I took photos in the morning light......

.....and in the warm glow of the afternoon sun.

Always with a kitty helper.....

......or three. That's Cleo (on the left), Jasmine and Kaspurr, being just a little too helpful.

There's a lone pink hyacinth in the rose and clematis garden, and more blooming gaily in other gardens, but I'll show you those next time.

Here's a cheerful white clump growing over by the vegetable garden, where once a compost pile sat. I tossed them on the pile years ago, thinking they were beyond saving, but the hardy little bulbs grew and bloomed, continuing to delight us each spring.

And in the front yard, golden yellow against an azure sky.

We've had summer-like weather for the past week, with temperatures in the mid 80's ( approximately 29ºC). I've been out working in the gardens whenever possible, and soaking up that wonderful, warm sunshine.

The small blue blooms of Scilla blend well with the bright yellow daffs.

I couldn't leave out the last of the crocus.

These lovely pale beauties have finished blooming now.....

.....but they certainly deserve to be included, after putting on such a pretty show!

Down by the road the fence garden is doing its share.....

.....providing plenty of bright yellow bouquets for the house, and church on Sunday.

I love the mix of white with the yellows. The large yellow daffs are King Alfred, but I don't know the names of the others. I planted them years ago and don't remember the names now.

There are a couple of clumps of these old fashioned doubles.

And here you can see the iris are growing nicely, getting ready for their turn to shine.

And the Cutleaf Maple is beginning to leaf out.

This poem was a favorite of my father, and has always been one of mine too.

"Daffodils"
William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils,

Beside the lake, beneath the trees

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the Milky Way,

They stretched in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced, but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee

A poet could not but be gay

In such a jocund company

I gazed -and gazed -but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought.
For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills

And dances with the daffodils.

BBG - Banzai Museum & Japanese Garden

Continuing with our tour of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.....here we are in the C.V. Starr Bonsai Museum, which is the oldest collection of dwarfed, potted trees in the United States.

These miniature trees and shrubs are amazing.

Some of the trees in the collection are well over a century old.

Text panels introduce the history of bonsai and explain culture and care. It's a little too labor intensive for me to want to try, but it would certainly be a fascinating hobby.

Now we've left the Conservatory behind and are strolling around the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden. These Higan and Weeping Higan cherry trees are in full bloom now, but we were a couple of weeks too early to see them casting the reflections of their beautiful blooms in the pond.

This link shows a map of which cherries are now in bloom.

And

Here's a link to a site on Flickr where people are collectively posting photos of the cherry blossoms at BBG. It's well worth a look.

On the hill above the bridge, hidden behind the trees to the left of the photo, is a Shinto Shrine which I neglected to take a photo of (hard to believe, I know), but if you'd like to see it you can take a peek at Flatbush Gardener's photos of it here.

Several turtles were enjoying a bask in the warm sunshine. The morning's brisk wind calmed half way through the day, and gave us a lovely, mild afternoon.

This lovely shrub is Japanese Pieris.

'White Cascade'.....

......and 'Dorothy Wyckoff'

The Yoshino Cherry was one of the few that were in bloom.

It has a slight fragrance.

The bright vermilion Torii signifies the presence of the shrine tucked away in the pine grove up on the hill.

We enjoyed watching the mallard ducks having a grand time on the pond.....

......and the colorful koi,

.........which were as big as the ducks!

.....and such vibrant colors!

All in all it was a wonderful day, spent in a glorious setting, with delightful company. Who could ask for anything more?

Thanks to all who helped name plants in the other 2 BBG posts. It's amazing what one can find out in Blogland, where there are so many willing helpers :)

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - April '08

At last I have outdoor blooms to show for this month's GBBD!

We've been blessed with bright sunshine today, and I've been out doing a bit of clean-up work in the garden. A jacket is needed to stay warm in the cold wind that just won't quit, but it sure is good to feel the sun on my shoulders and breathe the fresh air!

The grass is greening up quickly now, and we'll be getting out the lawn mower sooner than we want to, I'm sure.

The dainty Snowdrops (Galanthus) are blooming their heads off....

......and the bees are having a ball!

Crocuses are opening their pretty faces to the sunshine.

There are 2 varieties of purple here. The flowers in the foreground are almost twice as big as the cute little blooms in back.

Bees are busy here as well.

A few large whites.....

......and some purple and white striped are scattered in other gardens.

The golden yellows......