My Spring Photo Gallery 2020

    We've had an unusual gardening spring this year in my neck of the woods. There were two unusually late frosts that effected some tree leaf outs & my ever blooming hydrangea. Regardless, nature recovers & moves right along! I thought I would share some photos from my garden; I have a camera now that draws me into the garden & says, "snap that - hurry!" Enjoy!

Bleeding Heart - still blooming strong!

Lungwort - Early spring must have!

Forget-me-Knots - spread the seeds after they finish blooming.

Hellebore - Lenten Rose - earliest bloom in my garden

Love a Lilac!

Lupine I grew from a friend's seeds! (4th year)

Amsonia - texture for days!

Baptisia - 'Twilite Prairie Blues'

Baptisia - Blue False Indigo - On my top 3 list!

Baptisia - 'Solar Flare Prairie Blues'

Mountain Laurel - State flower of PA

Rhododendron - A Pennsylvania staple

Exquisite azalea - plant those shrubs!

Columbine - spread those seeds when finished blooming!

Salvia 'May Night'-peaking now but blooms thru Nov!

Heuchera - 'Coral Bells'

Spiderwort - just starting to bloom!

Fragrant peony!

Peony - not as fragrant but vintage and fabulous!

Spring Must Go On ~ Blooms, Birds & Butterflies

      So here we are into our multiple week journey of staying-in-place. It is amazing that no matter how restricted we are for the greater good, nature still goes on & we are home to enjoy it!! When we go for our walks or just look out the window - spring is still happening gardening, nature loving readers! No virus or border restrictions will stop spring from going on right before our eyes..

        One of the most exciting spring happenings for me is the return of the Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds. Passing over borders & state lines, these fearless migrators can travel up to 23 miles in a single day! You know adversity is there to meet them on this journey and yet these tiny flying jewels soldier on & on. I know we all can too!! What a testament to determination. Below is the link to a migration map so you can follow their journey to you. Remember welcome them with a clean feeder with a mixture of 1 part sugar to 4 parts water. Extra can be stored in the fridge for a couple of weeks. Remember, no red dye needed. And to keep them here all summer perennial plantings like bee balm, trumpet flower, honeysuckle & coral bells are perfect . Any red annual flowers & red garden decor help draw them into your garden also. Order some red spray paint on-line & have fun with up cycling some tired plant hangers & the such! Have fun with it. Once hummingbirds are actively feeding, since you have time, you can hand feed them too. During this busy feeding time, just take the feeder down and stand with it in your hand holding it up. Be still & quiet & they will come to you. This might take some tries but so worth it! Up close & personal is the ultimate way to see these tiny jewels! 

Female Ruby-Throated on my bee balm - all summer long!

https://www.hummingbirdcentral.com/hummingbird-migration-spring-2020-map.htm

        Determination of spirit and instinct make the monarch butterfly a marvel to our own backyards in nature. The 4 generations of monarchs in one year from fall migration to Mexico & the their journey north well, volumes have been written! Not habitat loss nor weather conditions will keep them from their journey. It is in our DNA to be strong & weather the conditions, adjust to our new habitats & come out the other side too! In the meantime, you can check out the link below to follow the migration north & learn some interesting facts about these amazing butterflies. Planting annual zinnias & lantana, perennial butterfly bush & coneflowers will keep them in your garden all summer long.  Stay safe - stay put & enjoy your gardens!

https://journeynorth.org/monarchs

Gardening-In-Place

        So this gardener, for sure, thought her first blog of the season would be about spring and being grateful to get back out there digging & dreaming...

        Well it has turned into a whole lot more gratitude than I could ever have imagined. You see I had been writing this blog in my head for months. Now, there is so much more going on in the world that the gratitude's  are piling up. You see, last July I broke my foot & haven't been digging in the garden until today! Seems appropriate, the first full day of Spring & 75 degree temps here east coast. Sure I was appreciating my garden all summer & fall; sometimes the to do list keeps us from looking, smelling & enjoying... I was grateful all summer for timely rains that helped nourish the plants and annuals that I carefully planted in May. Today was so much more than my first dig.

        We have all been effected by Covid-19 and my prayers go out every night to everyone around the world. If we all do our part, individually, then collectively we will see this through sooner than later I hope & pray. So while sheltering-in-place, getting outside, even in the smallest of spaces is so important for our well being, our psyches. So if you are fortunate enough to have a place to dig up weeds, dream of summer plantings and perhaps have some spring bloomers right now to enjoy - well please garden-in-place!

        How did I know last June when I was tidying up my forget-me-knots that it would be a good idea to shake those seeded plants ALL OVER my front bed? Serendipity. Now I couldn't be more excited to see, instead of the usual 20 plants or so, to have triple that! Those flowers will be setting soon & will be elevating my mood with those delicate blue flowers for sure! (and every delivery person's too!) They are right alongside my hellebores which are happily emerging & blooming now like they love to do. The tete-a-tete dafs, hyacinths & crocuses are all in full bloom. Thanks to a warmer than usual winter here Zone 7, I can see that my lupines (planted from seeds from a like-minded gardening bestie) are so robust with their leaves that I may actually get blooms this year! These little things make me happy, keep me going, give me hope.

        So yes, I am grateful for this first warm day of spring & for finally being able to walk around my beds. Today, from my heart,  I am grateful for the health of those I love & the opportunity to garden-in-place! Happy Spring & keep healthy & safe gardening friends!