After work yesterday, I finally saw a MLB that I could swear was one. AN adult male, drinking like a little camel on the feeder out front. I couldn’t get a picture because I didn’t want to scare him, but I saw him, and that’s good enough! 

Not a MLB, but pretty. Salvia…’May Night’? 

It rained most of the weekend; so much that the yard was soup, and it was very muddy when I finally broke down and cleaned the goddamned hairy bittercress out of the cosmos bed. When I got it cleared out, I discovered that I had one seedling. One. I had saved some seeds, but not enough because they usually seed themselves everywhere, so I’ll have to supplement 544’s Bright Lights this year. I didn’t take a picture because it’s seeds sprinkled on soupy mud, but at least it’s done. I also seeded the Black Swallowtail bed with Golden Alexander and Florence fennel…for whatever that might be worth. There’s carrot and one tiny dill seedling already growing there. I threw a bunch of other seeds hither and yon, but of course, didn’t take pictures.

I had a good idea what was nomming the crap out of my coneflowers, and I caught one of them red-handed (black multi-footed?). From the looks of my flowers’ leaves, I do not predict a shortage of Silvery Checkerspot flutter-guys this year.

It’s a good thing I don’t worry too much about what colour a flower is because all four of these were labelled “Balmy Rose”. At least one of them is a very purple rose!

I may live to regret it, but at this point, I’m glad I put Virginia creeper around the bird pool. Hope it doesn’t choke out the pachysandra; this was just a few strings last year.

I moved the butterfly bush that hadn’t done all that well  (Black Knight?) tight up against one that had done better, the put the little New Jersey tea guys in together. I hope they do well!

Bebe Monarchs are growing. I didn’t count, but they’re still doing okay so far; the milkweed is growing faster than they can eat it (for now).

I took the afternoon off in hopes of getting the bed ready for the Flava honeysuckle. I knew it was going to rain, but decided it was worth a shot. I went to Buchheit for suet and fill dirt, then came home, grabbed a cereal bar by way of lunch, and got started. I forgot mulch, but I did get it finished in time! 20 minutes after I’d picked up the last of my tools, it started to rain. I was working on the brackets in the shelter of the patio, so it didn’t matter. I’d just finished the brackets (not painted yet) when the storm started in earnest and it was raining sideways, but again, it didn’t matter. It was like the universe wanted me to finish this. The brackets aren’t necessary until the plants start to climb, so I’ve got plenty of time to get them painted. 

So, now the front of our hoce looks like this. 

Before and after.

Tornado honeysuckle, just because it’s coming into bloom, and it’s pretty. 

I had to get sunflower seed at lunch, and I was going to get a couple of hanging pots to put out front. ‘Toonyas was my plan, but then, I saw these Calibrachoa, and had to have them! I had them in the office, and when B came in, he said, “It looks like spring threw up in the office.” 

I briefly considered putting them out back where I can see them, but they ended up out front. I’ll have to level the hooks when I’m done with the dirt work, but I like them. Why pick one colour when you can have them all? 😀

I trimmed the honeysuckle on E’s side of the fence, so I hadn’t much time, but I did wander around Parview, looking at stuff. Mostly weigela because they’re in full bloom. 

One of the re-bloomers. Forget which. 

‘Java Red’. Not red, but pretty. 

Another re-bloomer. Actually red, and not quite full yet. 

Nasturtium seeds are viable. At least the ones in the big pot. 

First of P’s bachelor’s buttons out front. 

J came and got the ugly juniper, too, and I mowed the grass where they’d been. I was awfully tired by bedtime! 

I went out at lunch and got brackets (B cut them so I can make them fit) and after work, I went to Buchheit and got my final choice: retaining wall blocks. I guessed at the number, and should I decide to cut the last one, it’ll be perfect. They’re just sitting there; I got paver base and sand, but didn’t have time to even start yesterday. 

I topped up the pond, and since I had the hose out anyway, I pressure washed the stupid algae off the rocks. Not perfect, but better. 

My Scarlet Pumpernickel seeds were viable after all. 

E got hold of J to take away the juniper, so of course I have to trim the honeysuckle on their side after work today. Still, I made progress! 

I accomplished little on Saturday because it was very cold and I was lazy. I moved the Miss Molly butterfly bush to the middle of the bed (too big where I had it stuck at the side) and planted three of the paradoxa coneflowers. Otherwise, I pulled some weeds. 

I  did discover that I have…tiny bebe Monarchs! Counted 14 without trying too hard. 

Yesterday was warmer, and I made up my mind to get rid of the ugly, overgrown juniper that had commandeered the front of our house. 

I was going to use my little chain saw, but it was early, and nobody wants to hear power tools at 0730 on Sunday morning, so I broke out the pruning saw and lopping shears. Goodbye, ugly thing. 

It looked like a tree, but to no one’s surprise (least of all, mine) it was actually two that they’d planted virtually atop one another. Hard to see in the mess, but one had a diameter of about 5″, and the other about 3″.

Much better. 

Except for the big pile of tree crap that I have to get rid of somehow. 

I’d  left the stumps long to make it easier to cut off at ground level with the chain saw, but after digging around the roots a bit, I thought perhaps I could do better. It took a lot of digging, and cutting some big roots, but I got it eventually. I thought I’d need to have P pull it out with Hot Rod, but I was able to do it myself. 

I tried both trellises, and decided that black looked best because of its shape. 

I still haven’t made up my mind about edging, but it’ll have to be grey. Tan looked weird even though it’s close to the brick. I also need brackets and masonry drill bits. 

I also mowed the lawn (where it matters) and did the laundry. Busy day! 

Not work, but pretty. I don’t have many this year, but I love blue flax flowers. 

Old lady’s clematis is happy. 

Canadian columbine is beautiful. 

This poor guy eclosed yesterday, but his wings are deformed. I can’t make myself kill a butterfly, so I made him some sugar water for now. I’ll get some baby food for him so he won’t starve. I doubt he’ll live long, though. Poor little thing. 

Expensive, but worth it if they live and grow. The guy who sells these seems really nice, and his packaging job was awesome; you’d never have know the plants were shipped at all. 

Ten Lonicera flava. Real ones, not fucking japonica sold as flava. 

Six Echinacea paradoxa; the only member of the genus that doesn’t have pink or purple flowers (they’ll be yellow), and two New Jersey tea. 

I got half a dozen pink Wave ‘toonyas because…reasons. 

I’ m very glad I put Jerusalem artichoke in Thug Lyfe. Last year, this was a 12″ clump! 

Of all the columbine cultivars, the wild ones will always be my favourite. 

Bachelors button seeds do not fuck around. Planted on Monday. 

Just some miscellaneous stuff that I’ve done after work, or seen after work, or whatever.

I bought some tuberous root begonias, intending to put them over by the pond, and a few little zinnias because bees.

Sweet William has started blooming. Just this one, and one white as of yesterday after work.

Zinnias ended up in the Bee Happy Bed. Catnip has not fared well there, but red bee balm has thrived. There’s also a little horsemint that I planted last year.

These rollers were three bucks at Aldi! I got a plastic one for Palmzilla at Walmart for ten, and thought that was cheap. I got four of these, and might get more; my plants aren’t getting smaller.

I went back and got impatiens when the begonias didn’t work over by the pond. I love these little pink dudes.

I bought more trellises at Aldi, too. Some I need now, some not yet, but ten bucks is goddamned cheap for a trellis of any size, so I got them while I could.

The begonias are pretty, but didn’t really work over by the pond, so they went at the edge of the patio, near Grey Stick.

Felt more like a hundred miles. I have few photos because even though I worked my arse off both Saturday and Sunday, it was nearly all seed planting, which looks like…dirt. A photo of dirt isn’t terribly interesting (though now that I think of it, I have done that before). Anyway…

Friday after work, I had little energy, but did manage to plant a few sweet alyssium around the Sweet Tea honeysuckle.

Saturday morning, I went down and cut two of the branches off the fallen tree (hoping to drag them up to where I can reach with my Grrrrl Chainsaw). My arms were so sore and I was shaking from having done that much hand-sawing (though that pruning saw kicks ass), which is why the photo is blurry, but I liked the morning sun, and I love Canadian Columbine!

Not that I did anything here; it’s just that the little dogwood stick looks so pretty. Even P noticed! It may be a stick now, and no picture does it justice, but it by-god flowered, and it will grow.

I had got four ‘Balmy Pink’ balm-of-bees to replace some that hadn’t made it through the winter. I planted those early Sunday morning…or Saturday. It’s all a blur of dirt, seeds, roots, and mulch. 🙂

I put the four Buddleia (dwarf) that I got last week along the fence line. I thought I’d bought all four “red” (as red as Buddleia gets), but one was lilac purple. Not that it really matters; I’m obviously not one of those people who stresses over whether flowers co-ordinate!

P mowed the lawn, but he couldn’t bring himself to mow my little field of clover, either. Photo doesn’t do it justice; I agree with P’s assessment that, “It looks like you should lie down in it.”

Didn’t do anything here, either, but the pachysandra and Virginia creeper look nice. Hope they stay that way.

Salvia ‘Vista Red’ went into the Bee Happy bed. It needed more colour.

I was poking around the hydrangea out front when it…meowed. I stood up to find this majestic bastard, looking like a jungle beast.

If P hadn’t noticed, they might have died, but three of the Black Swallowtail babies that finished their growing on carrot and fennel from the organic produce section of the grocery store eclosed. I had eight; two died trying to become chrysalises…es..es, three I released yesterday, and three are still in their sleeping bags. This one got photographed because his wings weren’t quite ready to fly; the other two took off just as soon as I opened my hands. Beautiful little creatures; I’m glad I raised them.

Spring is sprung, and being so, I have no time for sitting around anymore. Beds need cleaning out, plants need to be in the dirt, and so do seeds. Plus, the MLBs are back, and that means feeders, too. I also bought more bebe pine trees, though I didn’t have room for all 30 of them and gave about half of them to C. Anyway, I have catching up pitchers!

It didn’t take long to see results in the front flowerbed. Bachelor’s button is one, and the other is…I dunno. I have a lot of “I dunno” growing in the Bistro. 🙂

My wild phlox survived! Phlox, phlox, phlox…just because it’s fun to say. Also pretty.

Wild geranium, AKA cranesbill. I don’t like cultivated geranium, but I certainly like these. 

My little dogwoods have bracts this year. They’re still babies, but they made it through two winters, and they’re doing okay.

Last weekend (yes, it took two days), I finally did the fence line flowerbed. It’s a pain in the arse, but I had an assistant. The world’s worst assistant, but his heart’s in the right place. Only one of the dwarf butterfly bushes didn’t make it, and I accidentally uprooted another when I was weeding, so it’s iffy. I bought four more just to make sure I’ll have enough.

FWIW, I threw some Northern Sea Oats seeds by the pond. I still have lots left, so we’ll see how it goes. I took a picture of dirt because I want to remember when I planted them (last Sunday).

Found this little guy by the outside light. I don’t know what he is besides a longhorn, but after the long winter, I’ll take just about any bug I can get!

Dogwood bracts look even prettier in the sun.

I bought baby hedge clippers/grass cutters, and tried them out on one clump of that godforsaken maiden grass out front (can’t wait to replace that with something native). I discovered that even if I don’t like the grass, someone did; there was a little burrow right in the middle of the clump.

I don’t know why the picture is so blurry, but the Grey Sticks and the Cliffie Bush are leafing out early this year. They usually make me wait so long I’m nearly positive that they’re dead!

He’s still shy and wouldn’t let me close, but since I threw some of the jungle of frogbit from the 55g into the pond, I’ve seen S’Prize more often. As nearly as we (meaning C) can guess, it’s likely that he came here as an egg on a plant from her pond. I didn’t want fish, really, but he’s survived all this time without care because I had no idea he was there, so I have to admire him.

I was driving through the Buchheit parking lot when a flash of pink caught my eye. They were priced, but they had just come in and weren’t “officially” out for sale, so I had to reach high and dig a little, but I got them! It looked like they had a flat of a dozen, and half of those came home with me. The tag wasn’t helpful, but I think they might be ‘Florida Sweetheart’. Whatever they’re called, they’re fucking beautiful!

EDIT: I changed my mind; I think they might be ‘Fannie Munson’.