This And That

Hell-o everyone.  I hope you are all enjoying this time of year as much as I am.  We've raked up a ton of oak leaves this week, so the shade beds are running over with good, free mulch.  We've also put out several yards of pine bark mulch.  I planted my vegetable garden...string beans, peppers, cucumbers, several varieties of squash, carrots, radishes, okra, etc.  I sat out my tomatoes that I started from seed, and also some Romaine.

I planted 21 tomato plants in all, some in boxes along the fenced garden, a few inside the fenced area, and the rest in a new garden area.

This is what they looked like a few weeks ago.  I don't know that they're any better than buying plants uptown, but it's just a satisfying feeling growing them from seed.

Onions, tomatoes in the background, and my new Passion Vine on the inside of the garden.  

Romaine

I love saving seeds from the garden, like this okra...it's been hanging in my garden shop since last fall.  It only takes one pod to plant an entire garden.  This is the 'Cow Horn' variety.

So, I'm saving flowers for a later post...today is birds again.  There are a pair of Osprey building a nest on my neighbor's antennae, when chicks arrive I'll post a photo.

The other cool thing happening now is we have two pairs of  Wood Ducks nesting in our boxes.  These two were roaming around the yard, looking all pretty.

Spring 2013, before I was blogging, we got to see the little ones emerge from this box.  The next three photos were taken in 2013, with my old camera.  They nest here every year, but we have never been lucky enough to see them come out again.  My husband just happened to be in the yard when the mother flew in and called her chicks out.  I grabbed my camera and was lucky just to see the last one bailing out of the box.  The whole thing only lasted five minutes, so you can see why the event can easily be missed.  

2013 Photo

2013 Photo

Beating a hasty retreat to the water with her ten ducklings.

2013 Photo

And away they go...

This is the box the other pair uses.

He is so perfect...he looks like a decoy.

Gray Catbird, male.

Female

Face off.

Goldfinch

Last one, I promise -  Brown Thrasher.

Happy gardening during this most lovely time of year.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day ~ March 2016 ~ Central Florida

Spring is wondrous!  Even though we're still five days away from the official first day of spring, my garden is awakening from it's winter slumber. 

Pink Crinum Lily

My roses were pruned very hard four weeks ago, so most are just setting buds now.  Belinda's Dream is one of the few that are blooming now, she's to the left in photo...

Yangtze Daylilies have already begun, they're an early season bloomer - too early, as I haven't gotten all the foliage cleaned up yet.

This past Saturday was the Master Gardener's Spring festival for our area.  My daughter bought me this lovely Passion Vine, I'm hoping it hosts lots of butterflies.

Here's a couple other roses just beginning to bloom, first , Iceberg Climber on top of the gazebo...

Next, a little drift rose.  I believe next month will be the 'WOW' time for the roses in my gardens. 

First Gerbera Daisy of the year.

Also, the first Desert Rose bloom.

I have a six Saucer Magnolias (M. x soulangeana) on the property,  most blooming right now.  Two are a different variety and are just beginning to color up.

These begonias are a favorite of mine, the flowers will eventually be carried on stems ranging from 12 to 18 inches.  

Lots of Impatiens roaming around the shade beds.

Plans for tomorrow are to finish planting the vegetable garden and plant a cutting garden - mostly Zinnias, Tithonia, and Coneflower.  I wish you all beautiful blooms, and a wondrous spring.  To enjoy blooms from around the world, visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

Signs Of Spring

Hell-o everyone!  You're probably a gardener if you're reading this, so I'll make it short and sweet, because there's always one more thing to get done this time of year.  Spring is the busiest, but most enchanting time of the year, in the garden.  Love it, love it, love it!  I've got just a few things popping up and coming out...

Crinum,  this pink is always he first one to bloom.

Saucer Magnolias are just starting to show off...

I have this in several areas in the garden, but I need a plant ID.

Azaleas have been the slowpoke of the garden this year...

Serissa foetida, when I bought her years ago...now renamed Serissa japonica.  She's not one of those 'in your face' beauties, but she's a favorite shrub of mine.

Dahlberg Daisy thrives on neglect, reseeds everywhere.

'Belinda's Dream' rose is getting ready to pop...

Sage is just starting...

Turks cap has bloomed for what seems like forever...fine with me!

Toad Lily is reappearing in all the shade gardens, signs of spring.

Eastern Bluebirds are choosing their birdhouse now for their first brood.  This birdhouse has been used by them for several years.

Bluebirds typically have two or three broods a year.  Survival rate must be good, because we have an abundance of them...

This is not a great picture, but they're beauties nonetheless.  Cedar Waxwings love the berries from our 'East Palatka' Holly tree, but our resident Mockingbirds don't share well.

Cardinals are content to just sit...I could not be a Cardinal!

Marion County Master Gardeners' spring festival is happening this weekend.  There's always a great selection of plants that you'll never see in the big box stores, some homegrown.   Last year I passed up some 'Wendy's Wish' Salvia, and it was gone when I went back to the booth - this year, I'm grabbing it first time around.  I hope you're all enjoying your gardens and anticipating great things for spring.