Baton Rouge Garden Blog

oh my achin' back

2006-03-18T22:12:00.000-06:00

It's always the same in spring...I get too anxious to get things done and over-exert myself. I really should hire a yard boy...someone to do the heavy lifting.

Today I moved the 4 very large Lorapetalum bushes from the front yard back behind the short fence around the pool garden. They were much too large for the front, growing up higher than the roof line. Lovely in bloom, but much too big. In the back, they will make a great screen for the chain link fence and the neighbor's yard. The color looks good, and they will like the extra sun, I think. I'm a little worried about the soil -- they've been used to growing in great loamy garden soil and they're going to be in clay back there. They didn't come up with much of a root ball, so I hope they survive the shock of moving. I cut about half the foliage off to make them less top-heavy and so they have less system to support. We'll see.

I also moved the clump of Butterfly Iris from the front to the side in front of the kitchen window. I thinned it out and tried to create a curve, but frankly it looks odd right now. I added some LA iris to either side of the window to try to give it some depth, but it still looks out of proportion or something. Not sure what's wrong, but I'll have to keep working on it.

I put in 5 dwarf Bottlebrush shrubs in the front where the Lorapetalum was. They look so tiny right now, but they are supposed to grow 3' tall and 5' tall -- if they like the location. I just hope they have as much sun as they need. I think I'll add something less permanent like Pentas to fill in the space -- it looks so bare!

I've also added a bunch of salvias to the garden at the end of the driveway. And today I got a "Rattle-box" Cassia tree for that location too. It's outstanding in bloom and I think the orange will be a great counterpoint to the blue salvias at its feet.

The salvia list is:
Salvia Coccinea "Snow Nymph"
Salvia Coccinea "Coral Nymph"
Salvia Coccinea "Lady in Red"
Salvia Leucantha "Mexican Bush Sage"
Salvia Leucantha "Waverly"
Salvia Guarantica "Black and Blue"
Salvia "Lipstick"
Salvia "Evolution"
Salvia Guarantica "Anise Sage"
Salvia "Blue Angel"
Salvia "Indigo Spires"

More lifers...

2005-09-25T22:11:00.000-05:00

Birds, that is.

Saw many birds for the first time recently...

I've seen postings of sightings of Magnificent Frigatebird in the area...it's normally a seabird, so this is unusual. I saw one myself yesterday at LSU lakes and caught it on video. It looks so graceful in flight, and more than a little bit like a pteradactyl...very cool...

Click here to watch 'Mfrigate'

Went down to the Miss. River today and met another birder who pointed out the differences between the barn, bank, and rough-winged swallows that were flying over the river and immediate bank. He also showed me the spotted sandpiper and female blue grosbeak. We saw laughing gulls that had been blown inland by the storm, making their way back down the river. He had just seen a pair of brown pelicans as well, doing the same thing...

I filmed a female blackbird, black-crowned night heron, and tri-colored heron today...am trying to post the videos and am having trouble...but will keep trying...

Bird blog 09-10-05

2005-09-10T13:26:00.000-05:00

Trying to get back to normal... dared to ditch the blackberry and go look for a new birding location...

Went to Port Hudson state park today. It's about 25 miles north of BTR. They must have had some damage since only one of their 3 trails are open...but at least they are open, not like all the parks to the east.

Saw several white-eyed vireos. I think I managed to get a short video of one -- they are never still and their movements seem very random. I heard eastern towhees telling us to "drink your TEEEAAAA" but I didn't see one. Of course I didn't realize at the time what I was looking for, and that would have really helped...

I believe I saw a pair of cuckoos! I saw them fly a few times and they were directly above me...very slender, long shape with a buffy color underneath. Unfortunately after that point they were foraging in the dense foliage of a tall oak and I could not get a picture. But I'm checking them off my life list :-) Also saw what I think was a nuthatch, tiny little bird. Another lifer.

I saw one raptor flying above me. Slightly different shape from what I'm used to. I videod it but I doubt I'll have enough resolution to tell what it is.

I also caught a couple of chipmunks on video! I know that doesn't sound like a big deal, but they're not supposed to live here! The area just north of BR is an topological anamoly...a little bit of the Appalachians in our own back yard, complete with hills! We get plants and animals in that area that don't live for hundreds of miles in any direction till you get to the mountains.

Woodpeckers of all kinds abounded...I could hear them more than see them. Saw cardinal after cardinal. Plenty of chickadees and titmice.

The day started out cool, but heated up pretty quickly. I'm ready for summer to be over :-)

After the storm...

2005-09-10T12:15:00.000-05:00

Hurricane Katrina will go down in infamy. The destruction she has wreaked is wide spread and devastating. We in Baton Rouge were on the "easy" side of the storm, and even then it was a scary experience! BTR and surrounding area had lots of tree damage, lots of power outage, but little rain so no flooding. You've all seen New Orleans and the MS gulf coast on the news ad nauseum so I won't go into that. We feel fortunate to have escaped the worst of it. Worried for our neighbors to the east. Frustrated and sometimes angry with the layers of government. Amazed at the reliency of the survivors. Irritated with the national press. Impressed with the local press. In awe of the search and rescue folks. Thankful our friends and family are safe.

Before the storm started I took down most of my birdfeeders, thinking the birds were all going to be "sheltering" themselves. For some reason I left the hummingbird feeders up. Amazingly enough, the hummers visited the feeders all through the storm! And the other birds found the seed I had dumped out and "snacked" all day. It was quite amazing to see them all out and about while the wind is gusting and trees are whipping around. I took some video of the hummers. Click on the link to the right to get to the video page.

Now we're into the recovery period. Busy, busy at work, helping state agencies resume their telecom services, which of course can't happen til the water is gone and the power is restored. Some have moved operations temporarily, but many have to provide service to their constituency wherever they are.

Fairview-Riverside State Park

2005-08-27T21:56:00.000-05:00

This state park was featuring a beginner bird-watching session today so I made my way. The park is about an hour drive, just off the interstate and very easy to find. The Tchefuncte river is very wide right there and there is a marina close by and very large boats passing through!

Lori the park ranger was our guide. Our group was small, 8 people total. She gave us some background and told us what we might expect. No sooner did she mention the pileated woodpecker when it appeared! Every one was thrilled. We saw downy woodpeckers, red-headed WP, titmice, cardinals, a raptor of some sort, great egret, and eastern blue-birds. We also saw something that could have been a warbler or vireo, but didn't get a good enough look. It was a fun outing! No nature trails at this park though.

I got a great video of the pileated woodpecker, so be sure to check it out...

2005-08-27T21:54:00.000-05:00

Red-head dropped in for a snack

2005-08-27T21:43:00.000-05:00

Sentinel

2005-08-27T21:39:00.000-05:00

peek-a-boo!

2005-08-27T21:35:00.000-05:00

He's in duck heaven, isn't he??

2005-08-27T21:32:00.000-05:00

Snowy egrets hanging out

2005-08-27T21:24:00.000-05:00

Great egret fishing in university lake in the evening...

2005-08-22T20:05:00.000-05:00

HA! PROOF that I have more than one!

2005-08-22T20:04:00.000-05:00

Nothin' wrong with me, standing in a bush in the dark, taking pics of birds with a flash...

a walk in the woods...

2005-08-22T06:51:00.000-05:00

Last weekend I went north and walked in the Felicianas...near St. Francisville. Visited Cat Island for the first time. Saw the largest bald cypress tree in North America. Very cool. I had my video camera with me...will have to create a still pic for posting here.

This weekend I went east to Tickfaw State Park. Haven't been in a while and then only once, so it was disconcerting to realize as I was driving there that I didn't have the directions! Thank goodness for cellphones and the internet -- Thanks, Sue!

The park has several improved trails (boardwalk, gravel) over acres and acres of woods. I picked the bottomland hardwood trail because it goes near the river. Saw a great blue heron fly over. Saw signs of rooting near several fallen logs and wondered about wild pigs...and then later was completely surprised by a mama pig as she snorted VERY loudly and rushed off into the brush with at least two little ones. Fortunately I was on the boardwalk at that point -- I wonder what the protocol is if one encounters a wild pig face to face on the ground! That saying "they are more scared of you than you of them" comes to mind...and I certainly hope it's true! Videod a prothonotary warbler (funny name, pretty bird) and another that someone now tells me is a white-eyed vireo. Funny how much all those little warbler birds look alike. Saw a hummingbird in the wild! That sounds odd because even the ones that visit feeders are all technically "wild" but seeing one at your house and seeing one in the woods is different somehow. As I was leaving (driving) I saw buzzards on the side of the road...not an unusual sight...but I stopped to video and saw there were 30 or 40 of them there...black vultures. Quite a creepy sight! The funny thing was that when I taped them my car radio was playing and somehow in the playback they look like they're dancing :-)

Look for the link to videos on the menu on the right hand side. Enjoy!

2005-07-15T19:51:00.000-05:00

Birdie having a real bad day -- caught in the "squirrel proof" bird feeder

2005-07-13T22:22:00.000-05:00

Woops! This little gal found herself in quite a pickle! no harm done though...

2005-07-07T20:49:00.000-05:00

Pretty perky little lady

2005-07-07T20:43:00.000-05:00

Strange bird caught flying over the house last week...

It's the weirdest thing...

2005-07-04T22:56:00.000-05:00

We've lived in this house for about 8 and a half years...there is a park at the end of the street, which I've been to a number of times. It has an activity building, a baseball field, a playground, and tennis courts. Today I decided to follow the back edge of the park where it butts up the woods to see what I could see in the way of bird life...and lo and behold, the park goes on forever! Well, not technically forever, but it goes for blocks and blocks and there is another playground at the back. Not to mention trails that go into the woods! All this time, it's been right here and I never knew it. Saw a few birds that don't normally come to the yard, so I'll be back again to check it out! What fun...

I've been trying out something new...birding videos. Check out the link on the right side of the blog page. It will take you to another site where I have my videos. Videos tend to be large files so you will need a broadband connection to download and watch them. Enjoy!

Happy 4th!

2005-06-30T21:08:00.000-05:00

She's back!

2005-06-30T21:03:00.000-05:00

Volunteerblack oil sunflower planted by the birds and squirrels :-)

2005-06-30T21:02:00.000-05:00

Inkblot test or chinese parasol tree? :-)

2005-06-30T21:01:00.000-05:00

Wild trumpet vine, loaded with nectar (notice the ants!)

2005-06-30T21:00:00.000-05:00

Black and Blue salvia. hummers are supposed to love it! I know I do!

2005-06-30T20:58:00.000-05:00

One of the most perfectly white flowers you will ever see...Texas star hibiscus

Birdwatching...

2005-06-27T20:18:00.000-05:00

So lately I've spent more time watching birds than watching the flowers grow. Bear with me, I'm sure it's a passing phase. But let me rant about the birds for a minute...

Went for a nature walk yesterday to an area outside of St. Francisville, Mary Ann Brown Nature Preserve. It was really great! Just a couple of miles of trails, nothing too strenuous, but still got that Appalachian foothill look and feel. It wasn't too too hot and I did hear some of the large bugs (deerflies, etc) but they didn't bother me much. What was great was the birds! The trees are very tall, mature forest for the most part (the exception are the fairly new stands of pines). One can hear the birds all around and constantly...but they are very hard to see! I did spot a summer tanager (a redbird that's not a cardinal) and a red-bellied woodpecker and a pretty pretty yellow bird that I think was a prothonotary warbler (at least that's what I'm taking credit for).

Been spending quite a bit of time observing in the back yard as well. I do seem to have the same collection of birds that come every day. I think I've identied everything. Had a minute of excitement when I saw the juvenile red-headed woodpecker..couldn't find him in any of the books at first so thought I had something really special! And he's no less specail for not being rare :-)

Added a dripping element to the birdbath to try to attract comers, and it seems to work! Hadn't seen any birds using the baths at all but yesterday I saw a blue jay and a cardinal drinking. No one daring to wade in yet :-)

Guess that's all for now. Check back again for birds and blooms...

2005-06-25T16:06:00.000-05:00

Little garden friend

2005-06-25T16:04:00.000-05:00

I'll give you a dollar if you can find all the squirrels in this picture

2005-06-25T16:02:00.001-05:00

No wonder my birdfeeders stay empty!

2005-06-25T16:02:00.000-05:00

What're you lookin' at, lady?

2005-06-25T16:01:00.001-05:00

Mrs. Cardinal makes a house call

2005-06-25T16:01:00.000-05:00

This one's for you, Dad :-)

2005-06-25T16:00:00.000-05:00

An exotic backyard visitor (HA!)

2005-06-25T15:59:00.000-05:00

Baby red-headed woodpecker...who knew?!?

2005-06-25T15:56:00.000-05:00

Hummer dance! They're back!

2005-06-25T15:55:00.000-05:00

Chickadee enjoying a safflower seed

2005-06-19T09:20:00.000-05:00

House finch or purple finch??

2005-06-19T09:16:00.000-05:00

Rampant sweet potato vine!

2005-06-19T09:15:00.000-05:00

Double-orange day-lily

Birdwatching update...

2005-06-11T07:38:00.000-05:00

Well, the squirrels disposed of the sock feeder the first day. Tore the sock off the string so it lay on the ground in the muck and rain most of the day. I think I will invest in a thistle feeder and maybe they'll lose interest. It's not like they eat the thistle!

They do however, eat the black sunflower seeds. The squirrels will sit inside the new hanging platform feeder and munch out. I've had to replenish each morning. Trying to decide if it's worth it. The cardinals also like that feeder. I've seen cardinals, a wren, and a carolina chickadee at the safflower feeder. That seed is going much more slowly though, so I don't think they like it much. Conspicuously absent are the sparrows! They won't visit the feeders at all with just BOSS and safflower.

The suet feeder has received some attention around the edges, but it looks more like teeth marks than beak marks, so I think it too has been found by the squirrels. They're not going to town on it though, so maybe it's not a favorite.

I came home the other day to find my squirrel proof hopper feeder WIDE OPEN and the shepherd's hook it hangs on all askew. Somehow the little buggers opened the lock on the back and pushed the top back and must have just been sittin inside gorging themselves. Righted everything, make sure I latched it tight and we'll see if they can do it again!

2005-06-06T22:11:00.000-05:00

All of the ponds were beautiful, photos do not do them justice

2005-06-06T22:09:00.000-05:00

Also met these guys on the pond tour, busy misbehaving. They ripped the seam and were de-stuffing this cushion...

2005-06-06T22:07:00.000-05:00

The stars of the pond tour

Bird-watching update

2005-06-06T19:17:00.000-05:00

I was inspired by one of the houses on the pond tour yesterday ...not to add a pond...I already have one of those and I couldn't possibly compete with any of them at my present location. I was inspired by her bird-feeders. Her yard was not that big, crowded with plants and ponds and outdoor rooms and feeders! I think she had 15 feeders around, and all of them seemed to be in use by the birds and squirrels. They were all busy eating and didn't much care that visitors were wandering in and out!

So I added a suet feeder, a thistle sock feeder, two platform feeders and I hung up my purchase from the day lily festival, a stained glass birdhouse/feeder (platform style). I put safflower seeds in two of the feeders and black oil sunflower seeds in one. No birds had touched them before I left this morning. When I got home cardinals and blue jays were visiting the feeder with the BOSS. Didn't look like the safflowers had much been disturbed. Guess they'll only eat them if nothing else is offered?? I will watch and learn.

Big rains the past few days, and hot weather for early June. You just melt if you spend any time outside and try to do anything physical. The veggie garden is producing tomatoes (stink bugs have found me), and cucumbers, and squash (my volunteer got a bad case of mildew, so I removed most of its leaves), and carrots. Have planted two small rows of purple hull peas and am going to succession plant if they sprout--the seeds are at least a year old and are not germinating well. Weeds are coming on strong!! I will have to Round-up in the back and around the flagstones by the pool to keep things in check. Especially bad under the bird feeders, have to find a solution for that. Might have a small crop of sunflowers though :-)

I'll look to see if I have any new pics to post. Til next time...

2005-05-27T11:42:00.000-05:00

Native passionflower. Gotta love it

2005-05-27T11:41:00.000-05:00

And another...

2005-05-27T11:40:00.000-05:00

Another variation on the daylily theme

2005-05-27T11:39:00.000-05:00

Hard to capture the color of this beauty (daylily)

2005-05-27T11:36:00.000-05:00

Wonderful garden collage

2005-05-27T11:28:00.000-05:00

Turk's cap waiting for a hummer to love it

2005-05-27T11:27:00.000-05:00

Dutchman's pipe flowering vine. Beautiful flowers last but a day

2005-05-22T22:10:00.000-05:00

Extreme closeup of an extreme flower

2005-05-22T22:09:00.000-05:00

words fail me... passionflower!

2005-05-22T22:06:00.000-05:00

Sparrow squabble

2005-05-22T22:05:00.000-05:00

Spying on sparrows at the birdfeeder

2005-05-22T21:50:00.000-05:00

These daylilies smell wonderful!

2005-05-22T21:49:00.000-05:00

Canopy over the pool :-)

2005-05-22T21:48:00.000-05:00

This was SUPPOSED to be my cucumber patch! Who let in the squash??

2005-05-22T21:47:00.000-05:00

Giant rudbekia - over 6 feet tall!

2005-05-22T21:45:00.000-05:00

Go bees, pollinate those cukes!

2005-05-22T21:44:00.000-05:00

Thornless rasberries - they'll be ripe soon, but the birds never leave any for me!

2005-05-22T21:42:00.000-05:00

Coral Honeysuckle -- for the hummers!

2005-05-22T21:40:00.000-05:00

Bat Face Cuphea

2005-05-22T21:36:00.000-05:00

Closeup of hummer favorite - red salvia

2005-05-22T21:35:00.000-05:00

Tangerine bulbine

2005-05-22T21:29:00.000-05:00

Snow poppy

2005-05-22T21:28:00.000-05:00

New addition to deck planters - philodendron

2005-05-22T21:22:00.000-05:00

Outstanding day lily!

2005-05-15T20:40:00.000-05:00

Cry Baby Tree

2005-05-15T11:10:00.000-05:00

Exclamation point provided by lovely clematis blossom

2005-05-15T11:09:00.000-05:00

Gaura framed by lorapetalum

2005-05-15T11:08:00.000-05:00

Gorgeous daylily!

Plant finds...

2005-05-15T09:52:00.000-05:00

I haven't documented my finds at the annual Mother's Day plant sale, so I'd best do that first. I've planted everything (only took me a week--whaddya want??) so I'm using the labeled pots to remember what I bought and I'll try to remember where I put it.

One of the new things they started this year at the sale was a lagniappe deal (for those of you not familiar with the word, "lagniappe" is a "little something extra") -- buy 5 plants at $5 or more and get a $5 plant free. I picked out 10 plants and then *had* to get two more :-)

I picked out a couple of pink Firespike (Odontonema callistachyum) and placed them on either side of the front door. They will get eastern exposure, morning to midday sun, and they like a bit more shade then most and should produce flowers that the hummers will like. I have a red Firespike in the backyard by the pond under the crepe myrtle and it seems happy with the location.

Planted Climbing Shell Vine (Phaseolus giganteus) on the trellis at the end of the driveway in the full sun. Description says it has 1.5" purple snail-like blooms. I've never grown it before so we'll see how it comes out. I had hoped to find another variety of passion flower, but no such luck this year.

Cuphea "Flamingo Pink" went in by the pink porterweed to the left of the front door. It's the same flower as the cigar plant cuphea but in a pink and purple color. Pretty. Hope it'll get enough sun with the eastern exposure. The Cuphea "Candy Corn" has the same shape flower, only it's about twice as large. It went in the back near the other red/yellow/orange hummer flowers in the full sun.

Salvia microphylla "Hot Lips" went into the back veggie border garden in full sun. It's got a neat flower--typical salvia shape but it's outlined with white so looks like lipstick.

Also got a variegated salvia Salvia Nipponica "Fuji Snow" that is supposed to bloom white in the late summer and early fall. It has variegated foliage which is unusual for a salvia. Put it in the back in the veggie border too.

Tangerine bulbine has small straplike leaves and a flower spike about a foot tall with orange and yellow flowers that grow in a cluster. I put it over by the cape honeysuckle -- should get almost full sun in the summer.

Red lobelia went near the pond. It can tolerate some shade and likes it moist. Should attract the hummers as well.

(On a side note, I've been sitting outside here for about an hour and haven't seen any sign of the hummer today. I hope all the party bustle didn't scare them off! Come back little hummers! We are being visited by bluejays today--probably not that unusual but the first time I've seen them since I started paying attention.)

Two snow poppy plants also went in near the pond. They have neat round leaves -- almost water lily like that have the same water beading properties as the lotus. They don't like sun, so I hope it's a shady enough spot for them. They will spread by runner, but shouldn't be a problem in that location.

Orange Lantern abutilon went in at the back of the border behind the Cape Honeysuckle. It should get tall (6 ft) and bloom most of the year with the orange belllike blossoms. Again - a hummer favorite! Are you getting a theme?

Found a great new plant place too. PlantTech on Airline highway is actually a wholesale place for the trade, but is open to the public. They seem sort of impatient with us public folks, but obviously we're not their main source of income. Got two large split leaf philodendrons for $10 apiece. Found a 3gal coral honeysuckle for $12. Coule of gallon pots for $4 apiece. And last but not least, a red Japanese maple for $30!! I'm so excited! Gotta find a pot for it today. I will keep it in a pot for the time being until we move to our next house...

All for now! My battery is running low and I don't want to lose all this before I post it.

Pics coming soon...

2005-05-08T21:07:00.000-05:00

Great shot of beautiful water canna!

2005-05-08T21:06:00.000-05:00

Another LA iris - unusually small flower, but lots of detail!

2005-05-08T21:04:00.000-05:00

Oxalis - who could call that a weed? :-)

2005-05-01T16:54:00.000-05:00

Squirrel-proof birdfeeder :-)

2005-05-01T16:52:00.000-05:00

Ma and Pa Cardinal

2005-05-01T16:51:00.000-05:00

Who me? I didn't do it!!

2005-05-01T16:50:00.001-05:00

My hummer! Anyone know what kind??

2005-05-01T16:50:00.000-05:00

friendly neighborhood redhead

Saw a hummer today!!!

2005-04-23T21:30:00.000-05:00

I am so excited...finally saw a hummingbird visit the backyard today! It checked out the salvia and the cigar plant then headed across the pool to the feeder....I thought. But it spent most of its time at the yellow LA iris and ignored the feeders altogether! I didn't have my camera close by so didn't get a pic. Hope it finds its way back!

Bought another hummingbird plant today -- Cape Honeysuckle. It has a wisteria like leaf pattern and bright red tubular flowers. I took out both the remaining hawthorne shrubs. Just decided that I'd rather do something more fun...and I knew they'd grow too much and start blocking the other plants. That big one was tough to get out, let me tell ya! Got the LA iris that I bought the other day into the ground. One is a pale pink with lavendar highlights. Another is a light purple. And I can't remember the third...I'll have to check the tag if I kept it! Otherwise, it'll just be a surprise. I set some irises aside to share with a friend at work, and mixed up the rest so that when they bloom, there will be two or three colors at once.

Put in a large agapanthus in place of the hawthorne next to the arbor. I think it'll look great with its blue blooms and spiky foliage up against the large leaves and bright magenta flowers of the rose mallow.

Also bought 400 more pounds of flagstone. ::groan:: I wanted to fill in the areas that the hawthorne came out of, and it looks good. I am DONE buying flagstone. I'll just have to fill the rest in with plants!!!

Bought some things for the front tomorrow so will post pics of that when I'm done.

The weather is ABSOLUTELY SUPERB! Sunny but cool, a little breezy, low humidity. ::sigh:: I wish it'd stay like this for another month!

2005-04-23T21:27:00.000-05:00

superbly purple LA iris

2005-04-23T21:22:00.000-05:00

Another garden friend...as long as he doesn't eat my fish...

2005-04-23T21:13:00.000-05:00

Mauve LA Iris

It still gets dark too early....

2005-04-21T21:40:00.000-05:00

Not enough minutes in the day on those work days :-)

Planted a flat of impatiens and a flat of Pink Splash in the front. I'll add pics when they fill in a little bit--looks sparse now.

Found some moonflower seeds from last year...soaked them overnight...well, about 36 hours actually...and a couple of them started sprouting already! Planted a couple around every trellis and at the base of one of the plant hooks.

Potted up a container for the front under the ligustrum..."Jungle Gold" impatiens, "Golden Globes" lysimachia, and "Creeping Jenny" lysimachia...should be a special combination.

If anyone recognizes that red-stemmed ginger, please let me know the name of it. I hope I have it planted in good light for it...

Funny thing happened this morning. At least I think it's funny....Phoebe the kitty-cat wasn't so amused. I was taking plants pics in the back around the pool. I stepped back to get a better angle, didn't realize Phoebe was right behind me. Stepped on her foot, she squawked, I jumped, she jumped..right into the pool! Kersplash! She got the ladder very quickly...didn't even go under all the way. But man was she unhappy when she finally got out! I went to get her a towel, but she wasn't having any of that. All of this excitement put me behind schedule, so I got in a rush and forgot to change out of my clogs! Good thing they're black, but looked a little odd with my business suit :-) Only had to attend one meeting wearing them, so not as bad as it could have been!

2005-04-21T21:38:00.000-05:00

Baby tomatoes :-)

2005-04-21T21:37:00.000-05:00

Tomatoes are about out of control!

2005-04-21T21:36:00.000-05:00

Tomatoes are doing ALL RIGHT!

2005-04-21T21:34:00.000-05:00

Indigo in bloom

2005-04-21T21:33:00.000-05:00

"Mardi Gras" louisiana iris

2005-04-21T21:32:00.001-05:00

Gingers...anyone know the name of the red-stemmed one on the right?

2005-04-21T21:32:00.000-05:00

Early shot of containers...looking forward to even more color

2005-04-21T21:30:00.000-05:00

two-tone petunias!

2005-04-21T21:27:00.000-05:00

Bouquet of "Belinda's Dream" roses

2005-04-21T21:25:00.000-05:00

Momma caterpillar and baby caterpillar

2005-04-21T21:19:00.000-05:00

just restin'...

2005-04-21T21:18:00.000-05:00

Purple iris...passalong from Margaret

What's blooming....

2005-04-18T21:19:00.000-05:00

As far as perennials and shrubs go...in my yard I'm getting color from...roses (all of them! ) iris (Louisiana and otherwise), homestead purple verbena, Stella d'Oro daylilies, indigo, clematis, oxalis, and weigela. Hmmm, it seems like that ought to be a longer list, but that's all I can think of!

I've been buying and planting too...let's see:
Containers:
Manettia Cordifolia "Jean Davis", Lady in Red Salvia, New Look Red Pentas, Alternanthera 'snowball', Easy Wave Petunia (lilac and lavendar), Lysimachia 'Goldi', Angelonia Angelmist 'Lavendar stripe', Oregano gold, Jungle Gold impatiens, Lysimachia Procumbens
Golden Globes', Cuphea 'Bat Face', Salvia 'blue Victoria'

In the garden:
Rosa Montana (coral vine), Salvia 'Red Van Houttei', Salvia Madrensis, Cypress Vine, Salvia bicolor, Salvia 'Diablo', Salvia Guarantica 'Anise Sage', Salvia 'Black and Blue', 3 new colors of Louisiana iris, 2 new types of ginger.

Local botannical garden had a plant swap Saturday...first time I've participated. I took 11 plants and 6 types of seeds and I was entitled to the same. Unfortunately I couldn't find an even swap -- left with some gingers and seeds for purple hyacinth vine, jicama, and larkspur.

Second phase of the garden tour on Sunday...great yards! And I forgot my camera, darnit! The first garden was made for hummingbirds...tons of salvia and abutilon and every kind of red tubular flower you can think of. I've been adding plants for hummers to my yard too, and it was nice to confirm my choices. No hummers yet tho!

Also bought 3 new ferns...Chain fern, Japanese painted fern, and Autumn fern. I'll add pictures soon.

We had fresh peas and carrots last night for dinner--it was a treat :-)

2005-04-11T16:17:00.000-05:00

Now he's got his eye on me!