May Showers and May Flowers

Grape hyacinths and first daffodils blooming May 15, 2014

Wow! Where to start! May is always such a busy month, what with getting the flower beds cleaned up and ready for a new season of growing, as well as moving perennials, planting new ones, starting seedlings and buying and planting annuals.  I do LOVE this whole job, though! :)

The perennials are growing quickly, Monkshood, Delphiniums, Lupines, Maltese Cross, Bleeding Heart, Day lilies. My tiger lilies are about 6 inches tall now and most of the oriental lilies are up. I sprayed all of them with Bobbex to deter the deer, rabbits and rodents from munching on them.

Day liles, lupines and bleeding heart are bursting with life

My Peonies have shoots now, but are so slow in coming up, in comparison to our friend Janet whose peonies are already setting buds! ( Her peonies are so huge, but she says she wishes she had less of them. I told her I would gladly help her move some of them in the fall and take a digging or two as they are obviously so healthy!)


May15- Rosebushes
Unwrapped and cleaned mulch from around the rose bushes in my flower beds.
Note to self: this fall make sure you use PEAT MOSS around the rose bushes, not compost which packed down far too much. There was a lot of winter kill to my rose bushes this year. Had to trim back all branches serenely except for my Morden Ruby which seems to have fared the best.

The John Davis rose bush in my Angel bed looks completely dead. A good place to put my new Morden Belle rosebush or the Turbo subzero rose (which is growing vigorously in its new pot in my greenhouse.)

My Winnipeg Parks is feebly attempting to send out new shoots from the roots, not the first time this has been the case. I'm glad it survived, but I wonder if a different location would help it to grow better.  (This is a good time of year to dig them up and transplant…)

The Morden rose bushes in my Stackstone bed all have shoots starting on what little healthy branches they do have left and once I add fertilizer they should do well. I like to scratch Blood and Bone Meal  around the soil under the rose bushes. Then fertilize them occasionally with Miracle Grow. ( High nitrogen- the first number - for growth)


I planted my seedling Cosmos in my rock garden bed and some purple (store bought) Verbina.  Verbina are worry-free annuals that well, bloom all summer and our pesky resident Marmot doesn't care for them.
 Also planted some rocket mix snapdragons (one of my favourite flowers) in my triangular bed as well as trimming the very scraggly False Spirea there.

Pear blossoms

Wild Saskatoon shrubs are all blooming now.

Fruit Blossoms
YAY! Our ornamental pear tree is in full bloom now with beautiful fat white blossoms all over it.

The wild Saskatoon shrubs are also blooming now. and the apple blossoms are not far behind. Usually this all happens in the space of 2 weeks, but with early spring being so snowy and cold this year, it is all happening almost at once! Even the plum shrubs are opening their blooms and they barely even have any leaves yet! I noticed that my lilacs are setting their blossoms as well and I love when they all finally pop open and their scent regales us whenever we are nearby.

Rhubarb with vegetable garden behind

Flowerbeds
Did a lot of clean up on the shade side of my stackstone bed. It seems the False Dragonhead perennial is attempting a takeover of that bed! It surreptitiously sends roots out all over the bed, popping up new little Dragonheads. They are actually quite nice once they bloom in August,  tall stems with light blue little flower spikes.  Keeping them in check is essential.

I planted a nice 'Little Rocket' Ligularia which potentially will get spikes of bright yellow blossoms which look spectacular against the dark leaves. I also planted a pretty Spiderwort which already has some little light bloom blossoms.  The Lambs Ears in that bed are starting to grow now and it looks like my Heuchera is still alive there as well. I see evidence of tiny brown leaves sprouting.

Winter is a distant memory, for now….

Birds came Back- April 28, 2014

So happy that the Tree Swallows have returned! They arrived on April 28, a full 5 days sooner than last year! Did not expect that, since we are having such a late spring. We looked out that morning and there they were, about a dozen swallows swooping around feeding on those pesky mosquitoes of which we have a mega amount; (due to all the standing water on the tree side of the berm at the lake shore nearby.)

Tree Swallow surveying the yard

We have the nest camera all set up again so we can watch them building their nest, laying their eggs and once hatched, feeding their young! :)

So pleasing to hear the bird song out in the yard again.  I love sitting out on the balcony in the morning, drinking up the sunshine, along with my morning cup of coffee and listening to the joyful sound of the birds.

Swallow checking out the bird house near the pond

The robins have been here for a number of weeks already and it's interesting to sit on the deck and watch the nest building going on in the yard below. The bird 'real estate' around here is quite popular and is showing so much activity right now. :)

Swallows love to sit on top of trees or poles to get a good vantage point. This one is sitting on the stake next to our little apple tree.

The House Wrens and the Gold Finches took a couple of weeks longer to show up again. We started seeing and hearing them a few days ago (about the 24th of May.)

American Gold Finches- Bright yellow and black male with yellow and mottled brown female.

2 Gold Finches sitting in bare saskatoon branches

A pair of Tree Swallows has claimed the nest outside the back door as usual. I wish I could tell if it's the same pair each year or maybe their off spring, as that particular birdhouse is always the first one chosen.  It seems that a pair of swallows will zero in on it as soon as they arrive.

Favourite bird house

That's also the birdhouse where we set up the nest camera so that works in our favour. It's fun to be able to watch that whole nesting process on our own living room TV.  She has been gathering dried grass and feathers for over a week now and diligently creating a soft masterpiece. Male and female Tree Swallows look identical unlike most birds, so I can rarely tell which one it is which.

Photo of Swallows nest via nest cam May 24/14

Not sure why swallows love white feathers but they are quite prized by them. I pulled a few white duck feathers from my pillow last week and let them float onto the grass in the back. She spotted them right away!


The birds are especially at risk right now as they land on the ground looking for their nest material. We try and keeps the cats indoors in the early part of the day to prevent any predation.  If I see any of the cats stalking around the bird houses, I go out and bring them inside or chase them away.   Simba, our very friendly 2 year old orange male cat was quite surprised the first time he saw me running towards him with the broom after I spotted him jumping in the air at the swooping birds. :)

Robin looking for breakfast.

We have a number of robins on our property this year and I love to wake up to their cheery song in the morning. A female robin (obviously inexperienced) has built a nest on a lower branch in one of the spruce trees next to our driveway near the road. She laid 4 beautiful blue eggs in it, but it is right at eye level when we walk or drive by.  I fear that a predator will notice the nest, especially once the babies have hatched and I fear for their survival. I am tempted to get a ladder and move that nest up to a higher branch, but I'm afraid that mother robin might abandon the nest altogether then.

4 beautiful robin eggs in the nest at the end of the driveway.

House Sparrow has claimed 1 of the 2 the birdhouses on our telephone pole. 

May 28 am: Our nest cam showed the first Tree Swallow egg was laid in the nest. Saw them mating yesterday so we were expecting something soon.

We also have been receiving regular visits at out feeders from some red winged blackbirds. The female sometimes accompanies him. She is a very dull looking brown compared to the male but her profile is exactly the same. 

During the winter we had a number of interesting winged visitors at our feeders:

Pileated Woodpecker

 Northern Flicker on the suet block on left, House Sparrows, Black-capped Chickadees and a Downey Woodpecker on tree branches.

Nuthatch climbing head first down the tree trunk

Flocks of Bohemian Waxwings were here for weeks on end in the winter as usual. Did not manage to get a photo of them, though. They always seemed to know that I was trying to photograph them and they would swiftly leave the treetops enmass and flock elsewhere.

May 2- Sprouting Seedlings and Yard Work

And the winner is…. Cosmos!!!     They are the first seedlings up 4 days after planting. :)

As of May 2, one pot of Lavatara has started to germinate (my collected seeds) and also the bachelor buttons (my seeds).

May 1-  Happy May Day!
It was a beautiful, sunny warm day, ideal to be outside.  I raked some of the sunflower seeds and husks (plus dead grass) out of the lawn under the bird feeder. So many weeds growing there! I need to spread some grass seeds there and start watering or wait for the rain/ snow that is forecast for tomorrow and the next day to provide moisture.  :(

I raked the lawn around my Angel bed and along the south side of the long perennial bed since it was shaded. (Too hot to work in the sun that day: +21C!

We cleaned out most of the dead leaves, twigs and maple tree seeds from the drained pond. Then I refilled it, clipped off the dead stalks of last years pond plants and put the plants back into the pond as it was filling up.
Darn chilly weather is forecast for the next 5 days, with sub-zero temperatures for over night, so it's still too soon to put the goldfish out….   Thankfully I do have someone who wants some of my goldfish so I don't have to over-populate or small pond.
We have over-wintered 22 gold fish in 2 tanks in the house, 8 large, 10 medium sized and 4 tiny (last years babies).  I'm going to give 8 goldfish away leaving us 14. The 4 tiniest ones can stay in the tank inside for now and serve as back-ups if anything happens to the other 10 fish in the pond over the summer... (like night herons visiting the pond for lunch as happened last year! )

I clipped the huge day lily by the pond and noticed that the wild rose stems there have some black growth on them. Last year and the year before they had rust… Maybe I should just cut them right to the ground.

Other things showing signs of life:
Besides tulips, the daffodils are up in my stackstone bed. The Hollyhocks are starting, as are the bellflowers along the side of the house (like weeds!) and of course daisies.

Top of the rock garden shows some small sedums growing and the Blue Sage perennials there are starting to come. My Autumn Joy sedums are showing signs of life in the lower rock garden.

The Monkshood and Jacob's Ladder perennials are sprouting in my Angel bed. Lots of spring clean up still needed in that bed; (fallen Karl Forester Grass stems).

Little by little, it's all starting to look green now and I'm so excited about another season of gardening!

My Greenhouse is Full!

My Greenhouse is full!
I finally found the time (what with holidaying, Easter weekend visitors, Guild meetings and other obligations) to start planting my tomato and squash seeds in the greenhouse on April 25 (2014).

I washed about 100 small pots the day before and then I got busy and I planted 50 pots of seeds!

Tomatoes:
4 pots of Lemon Boys seeds (Produces sweet yellow tomatoes)
3pots of Early Girls seeds (my favourite as they always grow fast)
5 pots of Black Krim (strange looking dark purpley heirlooms)
4 pots of Purple Russians (also heirloom tomatoes, odd colour and shape)
2 pots of Tumblers (Love their tiny fruit!)
3 pots of New Zealand tomatoes (Only 1 plant survived last year, with no fruit to speak of, but I'm willing to try again…)

Unfortunately I must have forgotten to collect Early Girl Seeds in the fall of 2013. My super-diligent husband picked ALL the tomatoes off ALL the plants one day in anticipation of frost.  I had no way of knowing exactly which tomatoes were Early Girls, but I did have some seeds left from 2012 to plant…)

Squashes:
 4 Pots Spaghetti Squash seeds (one of our favourites!)
4 pots of Butternut Squash seeds
3 pots of Acorn Squash
1 pot yellow zucchini
1 pot green zucchini

Each pot has 2 or 3 seeds in it so we'll see how many actually sprout and live to become a viable fruit-bearing plant.  Last year I gave away tomato and squash plants to numerous friends and neighbours since I had so many. (Trying to keep it to a reasonable number this year :)

Also:
1pot catnip seeds
1 pot dill seeds

Flowers:
1 pot calendulas (my own seeds)
2 pots marigolds (Red Durangos- own seeds)
2 pots Bachelor Buttons/ Blue Cornflowers- 1 own seeds, 1 package seeds)
2 Cosmos- both package seeds
2 lavatara- both own seeds
2 Sweet pea pots- 1 Cupani package, 1 Cuthbertson  package, 1 mix of both )
2 Morning Glories seeds (package)
2 nasturtiums- (mixed colours- package)
1 pot oriental poppies seeds (own seeds)
3 pots castor beans


Store bought plants so far:
1 medium sized tumber tomato plant ( with flowers already!)
1 red oriental poppy (not sure yet where it'll go…)
2 Monard/ Bee balms
1 rose bush called "Turbo" (super hardy, zone 3/  Probably will dig up some irises next to the house and plant it there…)

The spring weather has been quite chilly at night so we have to turn the greenhouse heater on and some days leave it on until late morning! No wonder things are reluctant to germinate… :(

Spring Has Finally Sprung!

It seems like this Spring has been a long time in coming. Old Man Winter got a grip on us early last fall here in the western prairies and then hung on relentlessly for far too long. Truthfully, I do remember experiencing longer winters when we lived in northern Manitoba, but even now the weather is unseasonable cool…

Tulips are up in the flower bed next to the house.

My perennials are slowing inching their way above the ground. The tulips in the bed next to the house are about 6 inches tall now (15 cm) which is wonderful to see! That bed has been free of snow for several weeks and the shelter from the house encourages the first sprouts to appear. 

Hollyhocks are sprouting in the same bed as the tulips

Happily we had a warm sunny Easter weekend which melted most of the snow off the rest of my garden beds.

Snow is mostly gone off my flower beds now.

The daffodils have started sprouting in my stack stone  bed as well. Time to get out the Bobbex spray to discourage the deer and rodents from munching on them.  The rose bushes are still wrapped up in burlap and will stay that way for a couple more weeks till  the temperature stops going below 0 C at night.

Grape hyacinth, tiny but wonderful to see!

The hardy white Ox Eye daisies are growing already as well. They almost seem to start turning green beneath the snow.

The perennial beds in the middle of the yard need to be cleaned up once they get a chance to dry. The Karl Forrester grass that I left standing in the fall has all fallen over flat. The nesting birds like to use it when building their nests, but so far we haven't seen any tree swallows or wrens,  just some house sparrows and Black Capped chickadees (my favourite little birds) which were here all winter. 

The robins have graced us with their presence again, though. Heard one cheerful fellow singing his heart out a few mornings ago. He seems to be camera shy, though. As soon as I tried to take his photo he disappeared and hasn't been back :(

In need of a clean up

The black Juncos  and the Red Winged Blackbirds are back now as well.  The Canada Geese have been back for over a month already and many of the ponds around here have ducks on them again in the last few days. Saw Mallard ducks, blue-winged teal, and buffleheads all paired up. Also a black duck with a white beak which I can't seem to find in my bird book. 

I love this time of year!!!

October has Arrived

Autumn is here without a doubt and October seemed to sneak up on us! Where has the summer gone?!

Fall beauty- Mountain Ash tree

September was a blurr in passing. Sadly, my mother passed away and we had to travel back to Manitoba for 2 weeks for the funeral service and to deal with all of her affairs. We packed up  and gave away most of her belongings and we vacated her apartment. It was all very sad and extremely stressful, but was necessary to do.  Now we can deal with the grieving.

Crabapple splendour

Now that it's October, the fall clean up is happening in earnest.  We had some frost in September, but luckily we had picked most of the tomatoes off the plants beforehand.  The garden is all rototilled now except for a few areas where there are still some carrots and some red beets.  I planted 2 iris plants there last week (which I have been caring for in pots all summer for my daughter from the garden in her old house,) into our vegetable plot temporarily.  She wants to plant them in her new garden next summer. I also planted, pot and all, a big Mojito mint which I want to keep. Because of the hard frost that we get here on the prairies, we can't keep anything alive outside all winter unless it is in the ground.

Cleaning up fall flower beds- ready to wrap burlap around the roses

For that reason, I also dug 4 raspberry dianthus plants out of my flower pots and found them homes in my flower beds. They are quite hardy and should make it through the winter to bloom again. I hate to let things die!

For that reason I also dug out 4 geranium plants, potted them, clipped them back and brought them inside to make a total of 7. The dahlia tops were black after the frost last week, so I dug the tubers up and left them out to dry overnight. Now they are in bags in the laundry room waiting for me to add some peat moss and put them away for the winter.  I have 2 big clumps of Firebirds (which bloom orange and yellow) and only 1 clump of red Thompson dahlias, which I have been over wintering for 11 years now.  Next year I plan on finding some additional exotic dahlia bulbs and growing a lot more. Starting them indoors and then transferring them to the greenhouse in early spring gives them a head start to bloom.

Chickadees getting ready for the cold weather.

The big winners of the "Gigantic category" in my graden were the cosmos! I have never grown them 6 feet tall before! They were covered in numerous blossoms and bloomed all summer in spit of the fact that I neglected to deadhead them. A gardeners dream!  Because I grew them from seed I was especially partial to them. I harvested some Cosmos seeds so I will try and grow them again next year.

Fall asters defying Jack Frost

One of the few things still blooming in the garden are my fall perennial asters. I'm so pleased with them... at last! They were so puny and half dead, barely growing at all for the first 3 years I had them. I moved them twice in the meantime, but finally found a spot where they would not only grow properly, but actually bloomed for the first time last year. Now they are looking really magnificent. Another added bonus: the deer don't like them! :)

With the colder weather we needed to drain our small pond for the winter. We rescued the goldfish out of the pond to bring into the house. Their new quarters, the 2 fish tanks in the laundry room, are very small compared to the freedom of swimming all summer in the pond. We hauled out every last goldfish that we had put in, (no casualties all summer- a first!) plus 4 tiny grey goldfish babies that managed to avoid getting eaten.

The fish had grown a lot and I don't want to overcrowd them in the small indoor tanks. It causes stress to the fish (causing disease), plus you have to clean the filters more often, I job I dislike. Rule of thumb is 1 inch (2.2 cm) of fish per gallon of water in a fish tank. My fish are close to double that amount...

So..... I took 4 big white goldfish (yes, I said white) and released them into our nearby lake!   They will likely become a meal for a big lake pike, but at least they have half a chance of survival. (The gold ones would be spotted too readily.) Now, imagine the surprise on the face of the ice fisherman who catches one of my goldfish this winter!!! :D



Next job:

Add leaves to the compost around the rose bushes, and wrap them snuggly in burlap and string. That should help to protect them from the coldest winter weather and allow them the chance to bloom again.

(I am up to 6 rose bushes now, 2 pink Morden Centennials (1 in my long perennial bed, west end), 1 Morden Ruby, 1 Morden Sunrise, 1 Winnipeg Parks, and my newest addition, 1 pink and white John Davis rose.  We will skip mentioning my huge Hansa rose and all the wild rose bushes that keep popping out all over the yard and flower beds.)

Angel bed -half trimmed; The tall grasses will be left till spring.

Patio Pests- Wasps and Ants

 We had company a few weeks ago and wanted to have a picnic out on the deck. We had put the food out on the patio table and were about to put the umbrella up when we discovered a big problem. WASPS! They had built a huge wasp nest inside our patio umbrella and they were very angry about being disturbed. They came buzzing out in a stormy cloud looking to do battle!

Fast-thinking husband grabbed the umbrella and threw it out on the back lawn as far away from the deck as he could manage, then he dumped the nest out of the umbrella and stomped on it. I don't know how he managed not to get stung! We all ran into the house for a while until things settled down...

The wasps continued to circle around the corner of the deck where the umbrella had been stored looking for their nest. Then they proceeded to start a new nest at the same spot in a metal waste bin. Determined or what!  Diligent husband put on his long sleeved coveralls and a cap and proceeded to put the can in a large black plastic bag. He tied it shut and left it out in the hot sun by the garage. We think they all got baked in there, although many of them had escaped earlier.

We made a wasp trap out of an empty 2 litre pop bottle. We just cut the bottom off about 6 inches tall (16 cm) and filled it with cocoa cola; Then put the top spout part in upside down. The wasps are attracted to the sweet drink instead of the food on your patio table. They crawl down the spout to the coke, but can't get back out so they drown.

We went to town the next day and bought a new fake wasp nest at the hardware store to hang in that corner of the deck. We also bought a wasp trap and some bait cubes to attract them to the trap if our homemade version isn't sufficient...

We have a lot of ant nests around our property and for once they were being a benefit. The ants found the squashed wasp trap on the back lawn in no time and they took care of all the wasp larva, carting them away (to their own nests as food, I guess.)  :)