What was the Robin thinking?

I had to go out and get a picture of the nest a robin has built in my sons' clubhouse, but while I was out there I could not resist taking a few pictures of the spring bulbs again. The light was just right- and the tulips are just opening up. The daffs are still going strong.

The love muscari!

Pink hyacinth at peak!

And the tulips, so strong!
Apricot Impression

Another Darwin variety 'Daydream'

Red Impression

And here's the robin's nest- in the seat of my kid's tricycle! Silly bird. My youngest already broke one of the eggs, but we've been trying very, very hard to leave them alone. I wonder how long until they hatch? We move in less than a month... anyone know?

Happy Spring!

Decision and Blooms

Been up at night wrecking my brain with garden ideas for the rental house. I have a journal I keep in my bed (my husband is already living in Minnesota, so the journal lives in his spot with a stack of magazines and books), and as I'm falling asleep I sketch ideas. One key decision keeps me from finalizing a design for my new garden beds: plant in waves of color or contrast?

The roses are the main component in color choice- and I work from there. Eiether I plant all my similra hued roses in cluster creating the effect of drifts of color through the garden, or plant them all close to complementary colors creating a chaotic effect of masses of color from a distance.

Every night the differen ideas win, and every morning I change my mind.

This morning I'm focused on the drifts of color idea. I see 3-4 purplish roses from a distance (including Heirloom, Purple Passion), next to 3-4 yellows (including Golden Celebration, Carefree Sunshine), next to 3-4 reds (including Proud Land, Scarlet Knight, Europeana...) and so on. With one big mass of all the sunset-hued roses I have (including Dream Come True, Playboy, Disneyland, Chicago Peace, Christopher Marlowe, Morden Fireglow, and more... ). Wow, I have a lot of sunset-hued roses. Haha!

Part of the fun of gardening is playing with these ideas, and I feel lucky to get to pick every thing up and move it around in a whole new position... in a whole new yard.

Meanwhile, my Clivia is blooming. This is from my grandmother's garden in southern California, and spends winters in it's big blue pot in my basement under the shoplights. When the blooms come (March/April) it moves upstairs and lives in my dining room window.

Happy Gardening!

Spring Bulbs: Early Show

Finally a variety of blooms to share!
Fritilaria

Daffodils:

'Delft Blue' Hyacinth

'Ice Follies' daffodils are a new favorite!

Look at those ruffles. Love it!

Pale pink hyacinth is also wonderful.

Happy Spring!

Hyacinth Indoors

I set this bouquet of hyacinth on my coffee table in the setting sun. Perfection.
As the sun set, the flowers looked bluer.

Happy gardening!

Snow on Spring Flowers

We are under a blanket of the fluffy stuff here in Southern Wisconsin this morning. I ran out to get a few shots of the poor spring bloomers sagging under heavy, wet, snow. This Hyacinth looks so sad. A slushy droplet of water hangs from this forsythia bloom. The daffs look ashamed. It's kinda funny.

This one is shaking her head... why mother nature? Why?

The Tolleymore Spruce, however looks right at home.

As does this threadleaf cypress.

The ranunculus are wishing they weren't left outside overnight.

Happy Spring, everyone!

Hot Colors!

Having a gloomy, rainy, and cold weekend here in southern Wisconsin. EDIT: IT SNOWED HERE FOR TWO HOURS! Saw snow falling in the town we are moving to in Minnesota. I've been under the weather, and spending a lot of time with my blank garden journal and my gardening books and magazines, planning the garden I will planting at our rental house! The house we've signed a lease with has flower beds all around the backyard that need cleaning up, according to the landlord, and he doesn't mind if I rip up some grass and make my own beds, too. There a veggie bed there, too. I could not be more thrilled!! i know I'll have to show some restraint, but atleast I get to keep my plants. My focus right now has been designing combinations. I have a lot of color in my garden- from echinacea, dahlias, clematis, roses, lilies... lots of different hues. I thought I'd brighten our winterish day with some HOT colors from last years garden.

And this visions Astible isn't actually "hot," but it is definately electric!

Happy gardening!

Another Succulent Planter

I couldn't help it. I made another whimsical succulent planter. I've had this basket for years, and tried tons of different plants it in- including geraniums, lobelia, and other succulents. All did okay, but none looked too fabulous because it's such a small container that hold very little water. Daily watering is almost essential with one like this- unless of course it's filled with drought tolerant succulents. I've been breaking down some of my smaller containers and putting succulents together. Easier to move that way. Theo broke the feet off this little cherub and I could not part with her. I'm hoping the succulents cover up here lack of feet soon. The only new things in here are the two rosette shaped succulents in front- both $1.99. Sedum 'angelina' is straight from the garden, as well as the hens and chicks. The pea vine in the right hand corner came from my mom's garden, and the white. The silvery graptopetalum in the bottom left hand corner is from my aunt's garden in California. It still feels pretty empty, so I may add some more hens and chicks.

Happy gardening!

New Fairy Garden

I've shared my love for fairy gardens before here and here. This week I made a new one. I used a container I've had forever- found for $3 at Farm and Fleet years ago, used as toad/frog pond last year, and now the plugs have been removed and it can drain. I took some stuff from my now overcrowded wagon fairy garden and moved it into here. And I added this gazebo for $12 from the local garden center that just started carrying fairy stuff. I've had the rosemary topiary for years now, and I thought it worked perfectly as a "tree." The creeping wire vine was in my bathroom for years, and now can scale the side of the arbor and provide shade for the fairies. The two cacti came from a CVS pharmacy for $1.99, and the rest of the succulents came from random containers, and my outdoor garden. I moved this bench , watering can, shovel and these pots from the other fairy garden, where many of them were duplicates I found at yard sales in sets. The bunny is from Farm and Fleet kid's toy section. My son Ben also created his own succulent garden! He picked out these two cacti, and added the sea shell from his Grandma.

Happy gardening!