Thursday, May 10, 2018

Around our Garden



Spring races along happily in May.  The ever growing plants fill in the empty landscape with green.  The warmer temperatures speed up the growth of all the plants and blossoms.  A down side, if there is one, is all the pollen that covers everything in sight.  If you have allergies this can be quite an issue.  Our sweet grandson, that lives with us, mows the lawn.  This year he has had quite a problem with all the pollen.  Lot's of watery eyes and sneezing fits follow him.  He insists that the mowing be his job and continues with the task.


The Viburnum blossoms light up the back fence.



The bunnies are in abundance in our yard.  Did you know if you see an angle cut on a stem, it was eaten by a bunny.  I wonder how I know this?




The Red or Eastern Columbine is a native wildflower that is pollinated by hummingbirds and butterflies.  I got the seed of this wildflower from a friend's garden many years ago.  The genus name is Aquilegia that comes from the Latin meaning "an eagle" referring to the eagle's claw shape of the petals.  Native Americans used this plant to treat many ailments.


The Lily of the Valley plant is one of the sweetest blossoms of Spring.  I've picked many bouquets to fill and bring inside to enjoy.  These beauties are often seen in bridal bouquets.  


This is a Native non-invasive honeysuckle shrub.  It is not the vine that can be a problem in your landscape.  In the fall it is beautiful with red berries.  Unfortunately it has no fragrance like the invasive honeysuckle vine.


It's fun to enjoy the Spring mild temperatures from the out of doors.


If I remember to bring my camera, sometimes the birds will pose for a photo.  We often have purple finch visit the feeder.


This chickadee was singing so loudly.  I think she wanted us to move on as she wanted to feed her baby.


I pretty much know all of the birds that frequent our garden.  This beautiful Indigo Bunting absolutely made my day with his appearance! 

I hope you are seeing life outside your windows this Spring.  Even if you are not an outdoor person, do check out the beauty that surrounds your home.  It's really quite amazing.  Have you seen anything unusual in your garden this year?  I'd love to know. 






28 comments:

  1. Spring is the best time, as all flowers sprout everything, but also worst for them who have pollen allergy.. My poly hubby has pollen allergy, and he suffers a lot if he forget take medicine..

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    1. Krishna, I'm sorry to hear your hubby has allergies. This year was particularly bad with an over abundance of pollen. There's a price to pay for flowering trees and flowers. ♥

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  2. I enjoyed seeing the beauty of your garden. For us, spring is almost over and this is the fine line of nice weather and green grass and abundant flowering of things before intense heat arrives and things are not quite so beautiful. But we'll enjoy what we have each day. Hope you have a nice weekend and a good mother's day!

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    1. It won't be long before we both have that intense heat, Dotsie. I'm trying to spend as much time as I can outside before I feel forced in to air conditioning! Have a nice Mother's Day! ♥

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  3. How funny to see those bunnies in your yard, Martha Ellen. I see them sometimes at the trail and they are scared and scurry away from the people passing by. The Lily of the Valley is so pretty, and reminds me of my niece, Lillie. Wow, look at that Indigo bird - he is a beauty! That is so nice of your grandson to mow your lawn. Yes, I try to visit nature almost every day - it is so calming. I really enjoyed your post today, Martha Ellen, as the flowers get to me every time. And that is a great picture of the bunny.

    Happy Mother's Day, dear friend. I hope you have a beautiful day.

    ~Sheri

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    1. Sheri, I sometimes (not intentionally) come upon a bunny and scare him off. I'm so glad you are able to enjoy nature. Our world is amazing, isn't it?
      Happy Mother's Day to you, sweet friend! I hope your day is full of joy! ♥

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  4. Nothing as lush and lovely as yours. No birds to speak of. The parsley that I planted last summer came up this spring. That really is unusual.

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    1. Pretty soon you will be enjoying all the lushness in your neck of the woods. I'm glad your parsley returned. My rosemary didn't make a come back this year, so I had to plant another. Have a wonderful Mother's Day, Vee! ♥

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  5. What lovely photos!
    You captured the essence of spring perfectly.
    Love that blue bird!

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    1. I was so excited to see that Indigo Bunting, Billie Jo. Yes, I love birds! Have a happy Mother's Day! ♥

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  6. I always love to see the blossoming world through your eyes, Martha Ellen! So many beautiful things in your yard! I have thoroughly enjoyed spring this year, perhaps because it stayed cooler longer? Even with the cooler temperatures, things continued to bloom and the yard became more beautiful every day. The former owner was a gardener like you, and we are enjoying the fruits of her labors.

    What a thrill to see that indigo bunting in your yard! I love having the rabbits too!

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    1. It must be lovely to discover what the former owner of the Pineapple House planted, Cheryl. This spring has really been joyous. Hopefully our summer will be enjoyable as well, though the heat and humidity is surely coming!
      Have a lovely Mother's Day, my friend. ♥

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  7. Your "snowball tree" is gorgeous! I have one but it's gotten "shaded out" from a holly tree and now isn't blooming. I need to get that holly cut down. You sure do have lots of wonderful flowers in your garden! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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    1. The shade really affects the plants, doesn't it? We have another "snowball" on the side that really only blossoms lightly because of the lack of sunshine. We have a lot of trees so it is always an issue for me.
      I hope you enjoy a nice Mother's Day, Teresa. ♥

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  8. There is something wondrous about spring, as we watch everything coming back to life after the long winter months. It's so uplifting, the bright sunshine, the warmer days, and colour everywhere we turn in our gardens.

    I love walking along the coast path and smell air pungent with wild honeysuckle. I don't know if that means it is invasive, but out there, no one can mind at all with all that space to grow. That, and the gorse, and a bluebell wood, and a cowslip bank. Beauty and fragrance galore!

    ~~~Waving~~~From Across the Pond~~~Deb in Wales xoxo

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    1. Deb, your coastal path sounds glorious. I hope it calls your name soon! One of the many things about Britain is your lovely hedgerows of plants and animals! There is nothing quite like the fragrance of honeysuckle. We used to have quite a crop of it growing on a fence that joins our property. Even though it was invasive the sweet smell was intoxicating.
      Have a lovely weekend, my friend! xoxo ♥

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  9. Seeing your flowering shrub makes me happy! The bunnies are always cute to see -but not so cute with what they do to our gardens! I love bird watching especially if I can be outdoors and hear them tweeting away! What a special treat seeing the Indigo Bunting! We haven’t quite hit the pollen season but it will start soon and everyone will suffer a bit from it. Dan finds that using his neti pot after a long exposure to pollen helps him a great deal. Even a simple saline spray to irrigate the nasal passages helps.
    Best wishes to you for a lovely Mother’s Day!

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    1. Thank you, Liz. I've heard great reviews on the neti pot. Samuel took an antihistamine and that helped him a lot! The pollen is much better now, though we still see tons of it on our roof. I was hoping we would get rain to wash it off last evening, but it eluded us.
      I know you are enjoying Spring coming to your neck of the woods! Have a nice Mother's Day, my friend! ♥

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  10. What a joy to take a little tour around your beautiful garden. Such a delight to read that your Grandson still does the lawn for you despite his allergies.

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    1. We are so lucky to have Samuel living with us while he goes to college. He's a really a fine young man, if I say so myself! I hope you have a lovely weekend. ♥

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  11. Your garden is beautiful! I am sure your family (and the birds) enjoy it immensely. Your grandson is doing a wonderful job with the mowing, and certainly deserves an extra pat on the back! All of our nesting boxes for the blue birds seem to be occupied. The parents are quite busy coming and going to feed their hungry little families.

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    1. How wonderful you have blue birds nesting! It's so exciting to observe nature, isn't it? Our grandson is a hardworking young man that we are very proud to have in our home. I hope your weekend is enjoyed observing nature. ♥

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  12. How beautiful your garden is. Those pesky rabbits will eat up everything you have. Your rabbit is a big one and he's been hanging around awhile. He knows where the getting is good.
    How does one keep down the invasive species of honeysuckle like I have growing on the rock near my creek. I am so tired of fighting it. Any ideas are welcome on getting rid of it.
    An indigo bunting, I have not seen one in ages, what a beauty.
    Wishing you a Wonderful Mother's Day,
    betsy

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    1. Thank you, Betsy. The bunny has a friend as well and I'm sure we will be seeing more little bunnies in the future! Lol
      We hand pulled honeysuckle for years and years along our fence line! I really don't like using poisons so it took a long time to get rid of it! A property that joins ours has a chain link fence that we had to cut its huge limbs growing and weaving through the fence. That stuff is hard to get rid of!
      Have a great Mother's Day, my friend. ♥

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  13. Oh how splendid to take a visit around your gardens and to see your pretty birdies! That Indigo Bunting is breathtaking!!! WOW!

    Hugs!!!

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    1. It's nice to have you visit, Michele. I hope you enjoy a wonderful Mother's Day! ♥

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  14. Dear Martha Ellen ...
    What a delightful garden view ... It's a teat to see so many little bird... and I've never seen an Indigo Bunting .... such an interesting name( ha ha) ... He really quite unique ... I do enjoy seeing the finches at the feeders and revel in the happy song of the chickadees ....We also have a few woodpeckers.... It seems our bunny population is at an all time low ... so it's a rarity to see them, even in the forest areas. As the flowers bloom so do the allergies... so I keep most of the beautifully scented blossoms outdoors... although sometimes I sneak them into the house and suffer( ha ha) ... just for sheer beauty . ...Lily-of-the-valley is again a sentimental all time favorite... I do love all those Victorian flowers...Thank You for sharing , my sweet friend... Please Do ..ENJOY your week...Hugs

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    1. Zaa, I really love the birds and have feeding stations and bird baths to lure them to our garden. We occasionally see the migrating bird and catch glimpses. The indigo bunting stayed long enough to get his photo taken! I hope you enjoy a wonderful week, my friend. ♥

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