Birds nest discoveries!

What a beautiful Seattle weekend for some outdoor discoveries and what greater place than your own backyard! For weeks now my little bird lover and I have been watching a chickadee family build a nest in one of our lopsided Cypresses, busily scurrying around with twigs, moss anything they can find to create a safe place for their soon to be chicks. Really, what screams springtime more than sweet singing birds happily nesting! Sorry no pic's unless you want a blur...lol!

It's amazing how these sweet little birds have become part of our every day routine. For weeks now we wake to their joyful little tweets and watch them flit around while we eat breakfast.

During our Sunday morning garden wander, we discovered with great sadness that their nest had been attacked. The nest had been pawed at and was found laying on the ground next to the Cypress. What happened? And are our two little feathered friends OK? With uncertainty of their safety and if they had yet even laid eggs (oh boy had we been waiting in anticipation for that day to come). My little bird lover, through tears, was able to salvage the nest and we placed it back in the tree just in case they were to return...fingers were crossed!

Today when we woke we noticed even more birds in our yard, giving us hope that this is still a safe place for our feathered friends. While on another quick garden wander before school, with great joy, we found an egg in the nest, happy days!! We could not believe it!! had it been there all along and we just never saw it? Did they really come back or is it another birds egg? Oh we are so so beyond happy, our neighbors must of thought we we were high from the giddy laughter that was coming from our yard! And on top of that we found a new nest hidden in the branches of another Cypress, we are crossing our fingers and hope to post photos soon of a happy little tweeter.

I am so happy they returned, check out my past post on  Tips for attracting birds to your backyard

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Frozen in time....Seattle ice-storm 2012

We have all heard the story of the boy who cried wolf...You know the one where the weatherman cries..."the snow storm of the century is coming" only to then get 2inches of snow 3yrs in a row. Needless to say, we all have grow tired of his false predictions and our trust in the wild claims is non-existent!
On Tuesday with barely any snow sticking to the roads, we were told of a wild and crazy snow storm to hit Seattle that night. This year dubbed "Snow-mageddon" with tongues planted firmly in cheeks we all said...ah ha sure! The schools were closed in advance and we all laughed at the overreaction...yet again!

Then to our surprise, Wednesday morning we awoke to find 6inches of soft fluffy snow! Wow, weatherman finally got it right! Off to sled and enjoy the gorgeous winter weather. Gulp! Now if that wasn't bad enough, we were then told to "brace" for the biggest ice-storm Seattle has seen in over 30yrs. What do we do? The weatherman actually was right last time, could he be two for two? No, surely not! So we return to our old-ways of disbelief and believe its another Seattle overreaction!

This time we woke to another inch of snow, so we thought. It was actually an inch and a half of ice! Weatherman was right yet again, I will never doubt again!! (well until next time) The trees were weighed down with the freezing weight that clung to every branch. My poor plants, my poor plum tree, a tree I have no problem walking under, now its limbs hang only a few inches from the ground. It is quite a site out there, I only wish I could capture the coating of ice that is over everything. So with camera in and hand and wrapped inside a plastic bag (ie, fancy waterproof technology) I was able to snap some pics. It feels like you are seeing everything with double vision.

My little helper showing just how close to the ground the plum tree branches are...yikes!

As I type this the snow is now falling once again, gone is the fun winter wonderland of snowball fights and sledding. Now its an icy freeze that has frozen my garden in time and they are predicting more...

My Jasmine seen here covered in a solid layer of ice, wishing I had of covered them in burlap!

 

Hedges of Dwarf Boxus and Hebees protected mainly by snow. 

The unprotected parts entombed in ice-cubes or dripping with icicles. 

 

The branches and new tiny shoots of the plum tree, as if dipped in glass!

 I thought my eyes were going funny with this picture, its like seeing double vision due to the layer of ice.

 Ahh sweet sweet Magnolia, frozen in time as if a curse has been placed on you!

Stay safe and warm my treasured tree! Maybe I should've brought it inside...hehe

Cascading branches of the Pussy-willow. You can see the thin branch with the added weight of the ice.

Very tentacle like.

Hydrangea in bud, crossing my fingers for this years bloom and safe longevity.

With more snow and ice in tonight's for forecast, it is now really scaring me in regards to the safety of my plants. What do I do? Is there anything I can do? What do you do when ice/snow threaten your plants with sheer weight? Do you try and shake it off? leave it alone to protect from the freeze? I am really at a loss and am "bracing" myself for the worst still to come...losing plants!!

Buds, please don't bloom to quickly!

So much in my garden at the moment is luscious green and budding! Besides the roses and hydrangeas all other flowers are still wrapped tightly in their buds hiding, maybe from all this rain? One thing I am grateful for, is all this waiting has made me appreciate the beauty to be found in a bud, the moment before they burst open and the bloom steals the spot light....

The bud of a Star Jasmine (Confederate Jasmine) I love the curl of this bud, its unlike any other I have seen. The swirl of the tip with the soon to be petals and the fragrant smell that is already lingering. This is one of my "thought dead" Jasmine that survived after a brutal winter, making these buds a happy sight indeed.

This plant keeps coming back every year, one of those plants I don't remember ever planting and just appeared one day by surprise. These little buds are so soft and velvety and form in little clusters at the tips of its long stems. It fits into the scheme of things pretty well, gorgeous bunches of small purple blooms growing right next to my lavender, peonies and hydrangeas its a very pretty patch in my back garden.
However, does anyone know what it is called?

Endless summer Mop-head Hydrangea, these blooms will be huge once in bloom spanning the size of a dinner plate. But these little tinny buds remind me of a pin cushion, so beautiful and round contrasting against the jagged spiky leaves. Oh the excitement to see what color this one will bring. Last year this particular plant bloomed in all shades of blues and pinks as if it couldn't make up its mind, an indecisive plant I love it!

Again another mystery plant that I do not remember planting? It has appeared in my garden for the last 3 yrs and returns only to have spread further through the garden bed, I do love it! The gorgeous little round buds first appear in July with a late summer show and is usually the last flower in the garden in early fall. The buds appear on long thin stems bursting with one or two on a plant. The flowers themselves are quite "art nouveau" looking, something you would see in a 1920's art work...beautiful!

Finally my snap-dragon is just now blooming! With spring come and gone, this flower is a little slow to wake up this year. It has been frozen in bud stage for two months and I was wondering if it would ever pop its flowers. I am so excited to see the petals now finally emerging....the blooms are coming!!

I loved the walk through my garden appreciated the different buds, they are all so unique and beautiful in their own ways, I am looking forward to discovering more. 

Are there any unique looking buds that you have growing? I am loving the bud stage!

Boundless gardening

bound·less (bound'l's) adj. Being without boundaries or limits; infinite.

I'm not really sure if my lawn is invading the garden blooms or if my garden is spreading amongst the grass? Either way my perennial garden beds have been without boarders for quite sometime. Call it the lazy gardener in me, but I love the look of a free moving, cottage garden. Everything is intermingling and living happily together taking a path all of its own. I love watching the growing plants decide where the garden edge shall be. I love that my garden is taking an organic form spilling out into the lawn however and where-ever it feels.

My back fence garden, the plants are loving the room to grow. By allowing the plants to roam, I am also decreasing my lawn space by up to a foot every year. Gone are the straight lines, replaced with curves decided by the plants.

When we first purchased this house, (I wish I had some before photos of the garden) the garden beds were meticulous, all trimmed and perfect, straight lines everywhere and spacing you could measure by. Most of the plants were shaped and constrained to take an un-natural shape. Don't get me wrong, I love manicured gardens, but honestly that is too much work for me...lol! And as I soon found out, this garden wasn't digging the formal look, it had a life of its own. It wanted to grow and explore, who was I to stifle a growing garden from its own freedom of movement.
So with loving pruning and nurturing soil, I let it do its thing....

 Here I have English ivy, candy tufts and box hedge all living harmoniously together, spilling out over the sidewalk in an a natural flow.

Here in Seattle, we really haven't seen much sun yet this year. But there is no doubt about all the rain, it sure makes everything grow! The grass grew so long in a week we had to set the mower to 4 so not to cut off over a 3rd. This was also a great time to get out there and pull the weeds from the sodden ground, makes for easy weed pulling. It was also an eye opener to see just how much my garden had spread out into my lawn, at least a foot maybe more since last year, lots of grass was pulled from the beds. I am excited to see how much everything has grown and that my lawn footprint is reducing every year.

I love seeing the different foliage's intertwine like this. On the left I have the prickles of a heather against the variegated leaf (Anyone know what its called?) mixed with the maple shape of this gorgeous perennial that graces the garden with its big broad leaves and sweet long-stemmed blooms.

On the right, growing at the base of my cherry tree a hydrangea and a peony enjoying close quarters. Can't wait to see the blooms and I love how the Hydrangea is helping support the Peony.

Wisteria & lazy days

There is nothing I enjoy more in Spring than blooming Wisteria. Now that I am back from a wonderfully relaxing ocean break with some girlfriends, I feel refreshed and delighted to get back to blogging and also to be welcomed home to this....

 I apologize now for the Iphone pics ;)

This is the first week of Wisteria blooms and it is definitely making for one lazy gardener. The tools are down, the gloves are tossed and the galoshes kicked off. Its now time for Lounging out on my well loved stone patio under a canopy of bursting, deliciously fragrant blooms. Surrounded by the lushness of the garden beyond in my own perfect little retreat. Now all I need is a tall glass of iced-tea (ok wine) and a few new gardening magazines (and maybe a clean house to ease the lazy-day guilt!)...Ahhh total springtime bliss! Its days like this I really do live for, that make you stop with the rushing of responsibility and enjoy the simple things.

Looking up from my lazy spot on the patio...ahhh bliss!

About my wisteria....
I have 3 different types of Wisteria, 5 plants in total. Chinese wisteria vines (Wisteria sinensis) slowest growing out of the three, Japanese wisteria vines (Wisteria floribunda) the one I have on back trellis is by far the largest of the lot and lastly the American wisteria vines (Wisteria frutescens).
All nearly ten years old and very well established. Four are trained to climb and snake through my large trellis that covers the back patio. I also have another one out the front that covers the small trellis above the garage door. It has taken to both shade and sun locations, I find the sunnier the spot the earlier the blooms.

Japanese wisteria vines (Wisteria floribunda) always the first to bloom

One thing I have learnt though, is that Wisteria roots love to spread and are rather invasive. They have grown under the stone patio which has now formed huge cracks. (I like to call this shabby chic character as to stay positive about one of my fave plants) They have a pretty aggressive root system, so move away from foundations, even concrete is not safe!

I like to give my wisteria a good cut back every few years, it actually loves it and is all the more thicker the next year. It is an extremely fast grower and puts out tentacle like branches, that will literally start climbing up anything it reaches. We had one start to climb our drain pipe last year, it was easiest to remove while still green and limber, but once it reaches about 1/2 in in diameter it becomes woody and not supple, making its wrapping and weaving branches hard to pull out of where ever it has started to twist around. The vines will also over time, mesh together to create one thick super vine. So really train it where you want it and cut back what you don't. I am constantly cutting it back through summer.

Here is a mesh of 5 different vines slowly becoming one, its huge!

Wisteria have to be one of the easiest plants to grow from cuttings, just cut of a new shoot that it sends up from the ground near the main trunk and poke it in a pot of soil, sprout the roots and voila a baby Wisteria plant. I cut these shoots back as soon as I see them, if not they will grow to be upwards of 10ft and will start growing around anything. We went on vacation last year and in two weeks it had twisted shooters all around my patio furniture...crazy!

They truly are the lazy day plant, when the sun is shinning and when the warm breeze blows the perfume your way, all I want to do is lay down and enjoy a Nana nap. One of my favorite simple joys of spring!

I am giggling, as this went from a Wordless Wednesday post to a short little study on the plant. Guess I had more to say than I realized...lol!

Some other great posts on growing Wisteria
http://www.greenzonelife.com/climbing-plants/wisteria.html
http://ewainthegarden.blogspot.com - Beautiful Wisteria eye-candy
http://tinaramsey.blogspot.com - In the Garden blog, Building a Wisteria Arbor
http://www.michigangardener.com  - Great info on Wisteria basics

Wordless Wednesday...Foliage follies

The under-rated, the given, the backdrop to the scene stealing blooms. Color, beauty, whimsy, pattern, shape are just some of the stunning attributes foliage can bring to a garden! I say steal the spotlight back foliage, you are striking all on your own....

 

 

 

 

Springs report card.....

Spring time Blooms are without a doubt one of the best treats of the year. The visuals, the fragrance, the feel...really a treat for all the senses! Sure the yard is an always evolving process and there's mostly always something growing, challenging and wowing us! But as a gardener (a nothing to fancy, type of gardener) Spring is when the truth is revealed with my gardening work from the previous garden season....in a big bold bursting kind of way! 
I was out enjoying my yard the other day when i thought, what if my garden could write a report card on me, what would it say? I kind of see this time of year, when the garden is in full bloom, like a progress-report on my efforts and skill as a gardener. Am I doing this gardening thing right? Did I tend to those plants correctly? what lived over winter, what is healthy? Its a time of reward, for the fruits of my labor! A time of discovery, elation and sometimes even sadness! But all in all, its the time of year when a lot of hard work pays off, with a beautiful garden to soak in and enjoy!

So while working with mother nature, (yes I am throwing her under the bus this year, as she is guilty as charged for a number of deaths. Thanks frosts and bitter cold!) This is what we were able to work on together, to keep alive and enjoy in all its beauty this Spring. Here's my report card......

Love my pear tree! It is still yet to produce fruit though and as it was planted by the previous owner I have no idea what type of pear tree it is, oh the mystery! These blossoms are one of my favorites to see as well as one of the first to bud for the season. I really could spend all day photographing its blooms, just beautiful!

My Bing-cherry tree, easily the most bloom filled plant I have. With a huge wind it scatters a spring snow fall across my yard. This year it's full of blooms, I am crossing my fingers it was pollinated by its boyfriend next door and will be full of fruit come summer! I am realizing with this tree though, it's getting huge and I may need to trim it up come January.

Agh, the name of this plant above has just escaped my mind! Anyway, I cut this plant back hard in Jan when it lays dormant. It was starting to thin out and thought a trim may produce a thicker growth...voila! Its now gorgeous and bushy, It must of loved the hard cut back, its thriving and budding. This has been a wonderful plant for attracting hummers and butterflies to the yard too. The small pink trumpet shaped flowers will last well in to summer...how rewarding! I'll try and remember the name by the time I'm finished typing...hopefully!

Here are more of my blooms that have helped me feel fulfilled as a gardener, bringing with them great reward! Beautiful blooms I didn't kill and have managed to keep alive!

So all in all I don't think I am doing to badly on my report card if I am to be scored by my happy blooms! I think I get an A for effort and an A for attendance!

However here are some of my report cards F's for this year.... 3 Confederate Jasmine, a Coastal Rosemary, 2 mop-head Hydrangeas, a few boxus hedges, 2 Italian cypresses and a laurel...so sad!! But happy too, as now I am off to find new blooms to put in their places...woo hoo!!! 
Hope you enjoyed my report card and seeing what is blooming in my garden this spring

Everythings coming up Fuchsias

Don't you just love, when you go to clean out last years hanging baskets (yes, the ones I neglected to clear out last fall...oops) only to discover a wonderful surprise! See it was a good thing I let them be...whoo hoo Procrastination pays off!

(source)

Last year I had two beautiful hanging baskets planted out with stunning Fuchsia "Dark Eyes" starts. A deep red and purple double bloom that was "meant to be" very full and heavy with cascades of hanging flowers. They did just ok over the summer and then died pretty early in the fall...good bye Fuchsias! I don't think they liked the spot I had them in, west afternoon sun and I'm sure the vacation away in which they didn't get watered didn't help either...oops again!
So I thought, to my surprise, these once dead(?) plants, could they really be returning for another go? But wait, look! What are those little green shoots I see, trying to push through the dead debris? Oh my heart skipped a beat. Look what I found....

A little tidy up and voila! I uncovered 5 healthy little starts. Now I have a Fuchsia basket ready for hanging and second chance of blooms! This year I promise to find a nice shady spot for you with a constant supply of water which you love.

Also, on Fuchsia train of thought....Being Mothers day weekend, I had the fortunate blessing of being able to drag my loving family around a nursery with me. Today we explored "Flower World" up in Woodenville WA. Amazing! Amazing! The place is huge and the grounds are stunning. I had fun with my camera too, but will save most of my pics for another post. However, here are some beautiful Fuchsias I am adding to my "plant's most wanted" file...

Fuchsia 'Dimples', a bushy trailer with an abundance of small double flowers.

 Fuchsia "Pinks Gallore" or "Powder puff" either way another double bloom beauty

 Fuchsia "Heidi Ann" double bloom, although it was really full and juicy, I'd say a triple bloom...beautiful!

Fuchsia 'Voodoo', a bushy, very-heavy-blooming hybrid with large, fully double flowers. These looked hand dipped in purple paint...stunning!

I love my Fuchsias and can't wait to see how my "second chance basket" goes...will keep you posted!