Go Sprouts!!

I feel like a soccer-mom cheering her children's team…

These are my kids that are still too young to go outside on their own…

But they're growing fast…

A bit more sunshine and then…

They'll be strong & ready to plant in some raised beds outside...

Unwelcome Guest ?

Don't get me wrong… I actually like bunnies…

I love seeing them hopping about, and we get lots of them here…


I especially love seeing them romp in my woods…


But bunnies & gardens don't mix… 


I've put up little bunny barriers around the most tempting morsels… 


Damage so far is limited to a brown patch in the lawn where this little fellow has decided he likes to nap… 


I guess if that's all the damage I get I've got nothing to gripe about…

Lila

Lila, my Lilac, has decided to do fine this year after all…

Her blooms continue to open, and she's putting on more leaves…

I guess I should stop fretting about her, but what's a garden-mommy to do when her children seem to be struggling…  Here's hoping for many happy blooming years to come!!

Rhoda & Dendra...

I was right!!  Rhoda is a twin, but not identical… and her sister Dendra has now shown herself…

Meet Rhoda (the redhead) & Dendra (the blond) my Rhododendron twins!!


Yes, of course there's a story…  


A few years back had been working on cleaning the "junk" plants out of the pit below my oak trees in front… one little ugly scraggly plant, when I pulled it up, had a pot-shaped clump of dirt attached… hmmm… so I replanted it in another spot in my garden to see what would result….


Two years ago I got my first bloom (a bright orange bunch) and discovered that this was a Rhododendron that had been struggling to live under the trees (just too much shade)… that was the only bloom the plant gave me until this year (yep, 1 bloom two years ago & nothing last year)…


This year I was delighted to see that I was going to get at least 7 blooms… I've been waiting for her to bloom again!!


The first 3 blooms to develop were bright orange, no surprise there, but then the next 4 were lighter… this had me puzzled because I thought this was just one plant!!


Closer inspection of my plant revealed two different main branches coming up out of the ground… and I started to suspect I had twins on my hands… and what do you know… I do have twins… a Redhead & a Blond!!


I had been calling my plant Rhoda, now I'm calling them Rhoda & Dendra (Rhoda-Dendra sounds kinda like Rhododendron)….


I'm a happy plant mommy of twin Rhododendron daughters!! :D

Amazing Lighting!!

Wow!!  For some reason the lighting this evening painted my woods & my gardens in the most gorgeous colors!!!  Here are some pictures that weren't too fuzzy, I didn't want to wreck the colors by using a flash so they're not perfect… Enjoy!!

 Large Oak Tree in the back…

 Woods in the back, with a path leading in…

 Garden & Mound in front…

 Again…

 This time with a tilt (oops)…

I think Rhoda (my Rhododendron) may have been keeping a secret from me… the blooms that haven't opened yet appear to be a different color… so I think Rhoda is actually 2 separate plants, with different colors, that just happened to come in the same pot… there do seem to be two sets of branches, with the two colors separated between the sets… I guess when the next blooms open we'll know for sure… If she is really twins what do I name her twin?

Lots happening the last couple days...

I'm amazed sometimes at just how much can transpire in just a couple days… In the last couple days I've made more headway in my Spring Cleanup, now the front gardens are complete - next will be on to the side gardens… Estimating I'm about 70% done, 58 bags of Cedar Mulch so far…

Yesterday I transplanted these two huge, previously indoor, plants into the garden… they seem to like their new homes (so far)…

Yesterday...

My Rhododendron started opening up a bloom yesterday, today it was open even more!!

Today...

We had heavy storm come through today… my low spot by my oak trees got a bit flooded… but it soaked in quickly...

My Lilac Blooms are Opening!!

Lilac… she's opening her blooms!!

Finally, my Lilac decided to start opening her blooms… what a special treat for May Day!!

My Tulips continue to open, and the Tulips & Daffodils are lovely today…

And they're opening more…

Another group photo (I just couldn't resist)…

Finally, my Phlox just had to get her say in today… well it is May Day after all…

Happy May Day!!  Hope your day is filled with beautiful blooms!!