Holiday Weekend Begins

When I looked at our rain gauge Friday morning it showed over 1.5" of rain (from Monday-Thursday). 

If your Garden Gnome comes inside to sleep because he is cold...that's another sign of a gray, rainy week!

The rain has enhanced the meadow grasses...

...they are festooned with droplets.

Beauty in the common-place.

Another sign of 1.5" of rain! 

This little guy's fur was soaking-wet.

And this little guy had to shake the rain off his feathers. 

The Violet-Green Swallows though are undeterred by the weather.

Nest building continues apace!

Chippy Friday

I feel the need for another Chicken in my pot coop.

This is Meme's Quilts "Rooster".

Thursday was cold and gray - and it rained buckets.

Tom-Cat and I are hoping for much improved weather today.

It would make for better Chipmunk Observation.

This guy wins the Fat Cheeks Award..

Bigger still...

...and a side view of another 'munk!

He's got some serious cheeks too~

They are darned cute and make for good Cat Television - Live Action!

I'll end today with one of the last good clumps of wild Iris.

So pretty! 

Unfortunately the day ended with Tom-Cat killing and eating the head of a Chipmunk.

My Part is Done

I got inspired yesterday and designed a peacock to place a top the Drawn Thread's "Button Tree".  I also changed the color of the two birds at the base from cream to red.  Now I need to get this to my Aunt so that she can attach bird buttons to the branches.  I'm anxious to see what it looks like when she has done her part. 

We are going through a period of gray, rainy days.  Tuesday and Wednesday left about 0.75" of rain.  Not much rain yesterday, but a cold, blustery day.  Today the rain is to return once again.  Padma suggests it might be a good day for a long Cat Nap.

While he is sleeping we can look at some birds...  

My latest Quail count - five couples.  It will be interesting to see if they all nest and how many hatchlings each pair has. 

I've counted as many as ten male Evening Grosbeaks.  They seem to mostly be paired up with a female companion. 

I think they are such handsome birds and they have a happy "chirr" as they talk to one another.

The Scrub Jays are paired up too.  In a month or so we'll be all about baby birds around here. 

Solomon took his brother's advise - Cat Nap Time!

Chicken Walk

I haven't done very well this month filling my coop with chickens.  Back on the 12th of May I wrote that I was going to begin The Stitching Shed's "Chicken Sampler".  In fact I finally started it last night.  I do like the bright colors, and I'll have nine chickens for my coop when I'm done.

It's a Gray Rainy Wednesday.  This week let's take a Virtual Walk.

The blossoms are spent on the Grand Hound's Tongue (Cynoglossum grande), bur that does not mean that plant is still not interesting.  Take a look at the lovely seed pots that are forming.

I'm cheating as this is a scene from about a week ago.  The Oregon Blue Iris (Iris tenax) have about finished up; but I like to remember the lavender swales in the otherwise green meadows that we had earlier in the month.  

Side by side, an Iris and an Elegant Cat's Ear (Calochortus elegans).

Hmm...I think this is Sweet Woodruff (Galium odoratum) - it must have escaped from someone's garden.

The shrub, Cascara (Rhamnus purshiana) does not have a very showy blossom.  It does, however, have pretty ridged leaves.

Along with Buttercups, the Large Leaved Avens (Geum macrophyllum) provide bright yellow accents to Spring's green. 

I found this plant in the moist deep shade.  It is called Siberian Miner's Lettuce (Claytonia sibirica).  I've read that they are commonly used as salad greens, but I don't know of anyone who has ever eaten them.

Our native Red Columbine (Aquilegia formosa) is now in bloom.  I learned at the Mount Pisgah Wildflower Festival that this columbine is dependant solely on one pollinator - the Hummingbird! 

I found this plant in the deep shade.  I think it is a native Trailing Blackberry (Rubus ursinus).  I'll try to remember to go back later in the summer and see if there are berries.  

Hairy Vetch (Vicia villosa) is native to Europe.  It is used by some organic gardeners as a winter cover crop.  As with all legumes it is a nitrogen-fixer.

I mentioned Buttercups, and here is the Creeping Buttercup (Ranunculus repens), a pretty non-native plant that grows in moist places. 

The Northern Inside Out Flower (Vancouveria hexandra) is in full bloom in the deep shade of the forest.

And so too is the Thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus).  In the Summer it produces small red soft berries.

We only have four kinds of ferns in our area.  Sword Ferns, Bracken Ferns, Licorice Ferns, and Lady Ferns.  We don't have many Lady Ferns (Athyrium filix-femina) which is a shame as they have very pretty large airy fronds.  I keep hoping to find some Deer Ferns or Maidenhair Ferns, but so far I've been out of luck.  

And now you can see how the Corn Lily (Veratrum californicum) got its name.  The plants are getting tall and soon will spout large white tassels.

I love the bright, fresh green of the new leaves on our Oregon White Oaks (Quercus garryana).

Spring time is a busy time for everyone!

I recommend that everyone take a moment or two just to look and savor all that is Spring!



Collaborative Stitching & Garden Necessities

This is the Drawn Thread's "". My Aunt Sandie won this cross stitch at a Button Club meeting.  The design calls for a star atop the tree and two fat white birds at the base.  I am going to stitch two red birds at the base and attempt to design a bird to rest atop the tree.  Sandie will them embellish the tree with an assortment of "Bird Buttons" from her extensive collection.  I'll post a 'finished' picture when our collaboration is complete.    

The weather has turned, and the rain has returned.  An gray day will not stop me from joining the Garden Party over at an Oregon Cottage.

I put together a list of my Garden's Work Horses - The Dirty Dozen.

1. Small Greenhouse
My lean-to greenhouse is very small - 75 inches long, 26 inches wide, 63 inches tall at the front, and 77 inches tall at the back.  Though small it qualifies as a true Work Horse.  I have three plastic racks inside and was able to over winter close to 4 dozen plants.  In cool springs it acts as a holding area for 'hot weather' starts like peppers and tomatoes. 

2. Garden Cart
I bought my garden cart several years ago.  I was certain I'd use it, but I truly had no idea just how often.  The large tires and flat bed combine to make moving heavy loads easy.  I load up containers and flats of plants, I truck potted plants to the Front Porch and Back Patio, I haul plastic trugs of garden debris to the compost pile.  I use it constantly and continually during the gardening year.

3. Plastic Trugs
Strong, flexible, easy to carry - I load 'em up with garden tools, soil, rocks, Winter Squash...

4. Work Station
I'm embarrassed to show this picture of my potting bench.  It's a Mess in Progress!  I use an old picnic table that belonged to an elderly neighbor, Dorothy McBeth.  She was the type of Country Gardener who never bought a plant - her old fashion garden of roses and lilacs and forsythia were all gifts - cuttings from fellow gardeners.  She and her husband had two vegetable gardens - the largest one started circa 1940.  70 years later, my sister uses the same space as her Dahlia Garden - that's Heirloom Gardening!         

5. Nitrile Gloves
For most of my gardening life, I gardened  'bare-handed'.  I could not stand the restriction of gloves.  Then came along Nitrile gloves - they are so flexible!  I'm a believer.

6. and 7. Trowel and Clippers

I've had my trowel and clippers for years now - good tools last.

8. Assorted Pots and Containers

I like both clay and glazed pots.  Over the years I've amassed quite the collection.  I think the container is an important part of the presentation of the newly potted plant.

9. Potting Soil / Mulch
Asking a plant to live happily in the confines of a pot requires that the gardener do all that she can to provide a Happy Home.  I think it is worth investing in 'good' potting soil.  And as the soil in pots tends to dry out quickly, I use a mulch like fine hemlock bark to top dress my containers.   

10. Osmocote 
Back to the theme of providing the plant a Happy Home.  I don't like to mess with liquid fertilizers.  I prefer a time release fertilizer like Osmocote.  In the Spring as I set out my container plants I trim them up, refresh the soil, and add the time release fertilizer to keep them happy for the next several months.  

11. Whimsy
In my book, no garden should be without whimsy.  I received this large metal Grasshopper for my birthday and I will site him somewhere on the Front Porch - place of pride.  

12. Garden Helpers
Lastly, how could I garden without the companionship of my trusty Garden Helpers?  My Mom, my Dad, my sister, and my Outdoor Cat Crew all help to make playing with plants fun!