August Light House and March Hare

I got back on track with my Series Sunday, and began working on the border of Cottage Garden Samplings "September's Poppy".  Once again an interesting and entertaining border. The roiling waves beneath the lighthouse on the left are going to take a while to finish. I like the bunting on the upper right.

We've been a little chipmunk heavy lately, and another party wants to be heard...and seen.

I bring you

The Bunny Photography Session Portfolio

Who's that hiding in the tall grass?

Peek-a-boo!

It's a Basic Brown Brush Bunny.

Nibble

"What's up Doc?"

Coy bunny

Profile shot

Ears at attention

Looking thoughtful

When the Quail come to call.

Celebrating Sun Breaks

While it rained on and off on Saturday, we did have a few sun breaks much to the delight of the cats.

The weather allowed me to go outside and take a look at my front flowerbed.

Here's my patch of native Bleeding Heart (Dicentra formosa). The plant is two years old now and has spread to a square three feet wide.  It makes a great ground cover for a shaded area.  

I am finding it to be a bit aggressive!  It is eating up a columbine.

And is spreading toward my Pink Fawn Lilies (Erythronium revolutum).

I am floored by the numbers of bloom stocks the plant sent up this year.

Watching this plant the last couple of weeks, I thought it was a Columbia Lily though it was far too early for one to be growing.  As it turns out it is a Rice Lily (Fritillaria camschatcensis). I just bought two more so I'll have a little colony!  

This is a Red Osier Dogwood (Cornus sericea). It now lives in a cage as you can see the deer munched on it pretty hard and it is still recovering.  The red stems are pretty all year. The leaves turn red and orange in fall.  The flowers are small and very different than other native dogwoods. It is often found growing along stream banks, but I now think that my Mystery Plant of a few days ago is a large Osier Dogwood. They can grow to be 6'-18' tall.   

Near the base of the dogwood is my Columbia Lily - maybe.  I'll have to watch and see.  It needs to keep growing so the Bleeding Heart doesn't eat it up! 

As I mentioned I bought a couple more Shooting Stars (Dodecatheon hendersonii) and I already had one plant.  So once again, I'll have a small colony.

Here's what I'm striving for!  This lovely scene is repeated each spring in a neighbor's naturalized front yard.

And while this plant is not a native, Dicentra 'Gold Heart' has a huge wow-factor right now! 

The blooms are profuse, but it is the foliage that really give the plant a kick - especially in the dark shade.

My Small Flowered Trilliums (Trillium parviflorum) will not bloom this year. Plants need to be about 3 years old before the do.

But that's okay because my Trillium 'Volcano' is knocking my socks off!

I hope you enjoyed my early spring garden tour!

Yet Another Rainy Day

I said I was going to show off my little area with native plants.

But yesterday all it did was rain, rain harder, and then rain some more.

So no plant photos today.  

Parvati spent yesterday tucked away in a nook on the back patio on top of the clothes dryer vent.  Smart girl. 

Even with the rain, there was a line of Flickers waiting for their turn at the suet feeders. 

They have such a funny, wide-legged stance.

I think there were more Juncos than any other bird around.

Though the Jays came by too. Really, a drink at the bird bath with all the rain and puddles?

The quail showed up for lunch.

A couple of House Finches.

One guy is red, red, red while the other has only the slightest bit of color. 

I didn't see even one White-crowned Sparrow this winter.

Now that it is spring and they are supposed to be migrating to B.C., the N.W. Territories, the Yukon and Alaska, who should show up?

Nice to see you, even if it is just for a day or two!

Violets and Fuchsias and Native Plants

Design - "February's Violet"

Chart - "Love is in the Air"

Designer - Blackbird Designs

Fabric - 28 count Amber linen

Fibers - GAST & Crescent Colours - 2 strands over 2 threads

Started - 18 March 2014

Completed - 27 March 2014 

As I mentioned this was charted to be finished as a stocking which is w a y  beyond my skill set!  So I messed with the pattern a bit and made it rectangular. I was 'assisted' by a regular chorus of frogs - which was why this took 9 days to complete.  Oh well, it is spring - the frogs are singing away - it is to be expected right?

Speaking of spring...

It is not too early for the first plant sale of the growing year.

Last evening my mom, sister, and I headed over to the Eugene Garden Club.

The club hosted a plant sale with four local vendors as part of their annual fund raiser.

Oh but it was nice to see green leaves and spring color.

I was particularly taken with the plants Doak Creek Native Plant Nursery had for sale.

They even had our native Fawn Lilies for sale. 

Log Hose Plants had fuchsias...

...and foxgloves, and cool weather vegetables.

My mom bought 3 foxgloves, my sister bought some kale.

I bought 6 fuchsias, and four native plants.

Second from the right are two Shooting Stars (Dodecatheon hendersonii)

On the far right are two Rice Lilies or Chocolate Lilies (Fritillaria camschatcensis). I lost lots of my fuchsias this winter, so I'll need the replacements I purchased yesterday - and more still!

I've also started a small native plant area in a front flowerbed and I'll add the Shooting Stars and Rice Lilies plants to it.  I'll show photos of what I have already set out on Saturday.

A Host of Golden Daffodils

Design - "March"

Chart - "A Year in Flowers"

Designer - The Drawn Thread

Fabric - 30 count R & R Irish Creme linen

Fibers - DMC - 2 strands over 2 threads

Started - 25 March 2014

Completed - 25 March 2014

I bought this chart in January - it includes flowers for each of the twelve months. Since March truly is Daffodil Time in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, I thought it an appropriate stitch.

And speaking of daffodils, let's take a walk (and a drive) and see what's been blooming along the roadside.

The Long Tom Grange outside of Junction City, Oregon has a fund raiser each March.

It features a daffodil drive along Ferguson Road.    

Then at the Grange there is food including these monster cinnamon rolls!

And bouquets and bulbs for sale.

We have some nice stands of daffodils on our property.

This clump even has a native Trillium.  

My favorite, Passionale, is just opening up now.

We have planted out enough varieties, that there is something to please everyone.

About a mile from our house, neighbors have planted out daffodils on a hillside. 

They have spread and naturalized at the edge of an oak grove.

It's a nice gift to the neighborhood.  We all enjoy it each spring.

I hope you enjoyed this bit of Oregon Spring.