The garden has sprung to life in the last few weeks. These are some new Zinnia Pixie Sunshine plants that I received free in a seed order. I planted them in a pot on the deck and they are going to be a fantastic choice for a container.
Vegetables are growing like crazy.
Flowers are blooming in all corners in many shapes and sizes. These day lilies are amazingly beautiful in real life.
The colors of summer are amazing and I can’t get enough of my day lilies this year.
Even the weeds are so very pretty. This self-heal is growing up along my fence line among some wild grapes that have planted themselves. I’m not sure where they came from but they are nice and green so they will stay.
The first round of herbs are ready to be harvested. Pesto anyone?
There are surprising new varieties of plants like this coleus.
And what garden post would be complete without a photo of my cat?
Water always tastes better out of the bird bath in the rose garden….at least that is what Miss Cocoa tells me anyway. This was during another one of my early morning walks outside in the cool air. Miss Cocoa decided to accompany me as I wandered through the garden and observed the nuthatches and woodpeckers.
Hope you enjoyed my garden update. Next week, I will share some more from my butterfly garden.
“I know of nothing so deceptive as the appearance of the poppy buds, which, rough and hairy, droop so naturally that it seems as if their weight must compel the stem to bend; and yet, if we test it, we find the stem is as stiff as if made of steel wire.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 560
“The poppies shed their sepals when the flowers expand; they offer quantities of pollen to the bees, which are very fond of it. The seed capsule develops holes around the top, through which the seeds are shaken, a few at a time.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 562
Observations suggested in the Handbook of Nature Study:
Look at the bud of the poppy. How is it covered? How many sepals? Can you see where they unite? Is the stem bent because the bud is heavy? What happens to this crook in the stem when the flower opens? Does the crook always straighten out completely?
We used these suggestions to really look at our poppies that are planted in a pot on our back deck. I put the pot near our hummingbird feeder and I quite often see a bee or a hummer stop by for a little something as they go by.
I really do need to plant some more of these beautiful flowers in my garden next year.
If you are interested in using your garden as a nature study focus this summer, please consider using the Outdoor Hour Challenge Gardens and Flowering Plants Ebook. Here is a link for more information.
“She who opens her eyes and her heart nature-ward even once a week finds nature-study in the schoolroom a delight and an abiding joy….She finds, first of all, companionship with her children; and second, she finds that without planning or going on a far voyage, she has found health and strength” Handbook of Nature Study, page 3
One of the joys of writing this blog is that I can share with you my daily finds in my own backyard. As the years have rolled past, my own eyes have opened to the real beauty just waiting for me to notice.
Slowing down, I see my own yard with eyes that are full of appreciation for the colors, shapes, and the variety of life.
Sometimes I notice the birds…okay, almost every day I do that. Sometimes I notice the trees or the flowers or the insects. Gradually, I have learned to plan my garden to provide opportunities for future nature study for my children and myself.
Sometimes these plans work out very well and sometimes they are a bust. Last year’s milkweed crop was eaten by our Lovely Labrador, our pumpkins didn’t get bigger than my fist, and the corn was a joke. Sigh.
Each year I seem to get a little better at understanding our yard and its available light and space. Recently we removed two trees that were broken in the winter snow so there should be a little more sun in the back corner for our newly planted apple tree.
I am planting the milkweed in a pot and up on the deck so our Lovely Labrador will not make a snack of it. No corn planted this year but we added onions for the first time and they look great so far.
I think this is Spanish butterfly lavender or something like that….I really should make a record of each plant I add to the garden. It smells nice and the bees love it.
As summer sneaks up on us, remember to keep your eyes open for some beauty in your world. It might just be right under your nose. Take a little voyage out into your backyard. If you make a blog entry and leave me a comment, I will come peak into your garden.
Our world is waking up from a long winter’s nap and here are some of our signs of spring.
Dandelions are growing everywhere now in our backyard and even though they are in the lawn, they make me surprisingly happy. I refuse to call them weeds. I love to see them poking up in the cracks of our sidewalk and along the path to the garden. They are like little mini sunflowers in the springtime. If you have some dandelions in your yard, don’t miss the dandelion challenge in the new Spring Nature Study Ebook. You can also read all about dandelions in the Handbook of Nature Study.
There is also a nice big mullein growing in the backyard and I know from last year’s mullein that this is a plant that grows like crazy. We watched a mullein grow in our garden all summer long and it provided a great source of food for the bees, the hummingbirds, and then later the finches. This plant is listed as a weed in the Handbook of Nature Study too. I can’t imagine why.
These are the buds unfurling on my new apple tree. My dear husband brought this tree home and planted it just for me. How did he know I wanted to study the apple tree up close using the Handbook of Nature Study? We are going to be keeping track of its growth as part of the Spring Nature Study Series as well. Let’s hope the deer stay away from this tree and we can have a few apples in the fall.
We have a bush on the north side of our house that is blooming with these pretty white flowers. I do not know what the bush is called, but I think it is rather pretty.
We also took a few day trips this week….thanks to an early spring break and some glorious weather.
If you have never smelled daphne blooming before you have truly missed out on a springtime delight. We discovered a garden filled with daphne at one of our state parks. I think it something we would like to add to our home garden.
I was sitting under a tree waiting for the boys to meet up with me one afternoon and look who came to inspect. These Brewer’s blackbirds flew into the tree overhead and let me take their photo.
We visited a farm that has thousands of daffodils blooming this time of the year.
I decided that daffodils make me happy.
Once again, I had my son as a companion photographer.
Isn’t this a great color combination? I love the mix of daffodils and hyacinths in this garden.
One last sign of spring from our day trips…tulips. Wow! This one was really red and brilliantly colored.
I have really enjoyed reading everyone’s signs of spring this week. Thank you to all who have participated.
Today is the warmest day we have had so far this year. It is the kind of day that calls you outside to sit and observe the growing things around you.
I answered the call and sat in the backyard in the sun and soaked in the warmth from the sun, the sounds of birds from every direction, the smells of the garden which were mostly alyssum and lavender, and the colors of the plants, trees, and sky. A hummingbird even buzzed very close to my head just because I imagine he was curious to get a closer look at me.
I have been trying to notice the early spring flowers in our yard and I made note of how others in my life have been noting the blossoms as well. We completed this tour of the garden as part of our Winter Series Challenge #10.
Mr. A came inside yesterday to get me because he noticed that my tulips are blooming on the sunny side of the house. He didn’t know there were tulips planted there so he was surprised. My husband had picked up a inexpensive bag of bulbs from Home Depot and planted them here where we have some daffodils and jonquils already. What a burst of color!
Amanda commented on how sweet the jonquils smelled in the vase on the back of the kitchen sink. I love the way I forget where all my bulbs are hiding and it surprises me when they pop up and bloom in unexpected places. These are in the middle of Mr. A’s strawberry bed.
Many people I talked to this weekend were talking about the show of daffodils everywhere this week. If you haven’t done a study of the daffodil using the Handbook of Nature Study, I highly recommend it. We completed our study in 2008 and you can read about it HERE.
Mr. A was worried he would cut the grape hyacinths down when he mowed the lawn. Someone planted these bulbs a very long time ago and every year I enjoy them popping up in the front lawn. The purple of the hyacinths and the yellow of the dandelion makes a beautiful picture.
These bulbs are living in containers on my back deck. Every year I enjoy their blooms and then plant annuals over the top once they die back. I think these are daffodils and tulips.
The bulbs here that have sprouted up are not spring blooming but they are day lilies that will bloom later in the summer. I love the way the green leaves are curling around the rabbit and you can see my primroses in the background.
This day lily has a wonderful shape as it grows and I love the way the light was illuminating the edges. You can see my road runner yard art that my husband made me a few years ago in the background. He was inspired by a road runner we saw on a trip.
One last spot with bulbs to share this time. This bed of tulips I planted two falls ago and it is a complete bed of shades of purple. I am anxiously awaiting its blooms. There is a petunia blooming in the foreground.
Planting spring bulbs is something that comes with a promise. You make the effort to plant and you receive a gift back in the spring with blooming flowers with colors to refresh you after a long winter’s nap. Our think our Creator knew we would need something to look forward to during those cold winter days.
I have to note that I saw California poppies and lupine blooming alongside the freeway today. it is my absolute favorite color combination at this time of year…orange, purple, and green. It is a feast for the eyes.
I look forward to reading everyone else’s entries with their early spring flowers.
Outdoor Hour Challenge Winter Series Ebook
Early Spring Flowers
“The tulips blossom early, because they have food stored in the bulbs the year before, ready to use early in the spring….These observations may be made upon tulips in school gardens or bouquets.” Handbook of Nature Study, page 554
Inside Preparation Work:
This challenge is to learn a few things about spring flowers and then observe some up close.
Suggested sections in the Handbook of Nature Study:
The Crocus: pages 547-549 (make sure to note that it has corms, not bulbs)
The Daffodils and their Relatives: pages 549-552
The Tulip: pages 552-555
If you can look at real bulbs and observe and sketch them in your nature journal, take time to discuss and compare a bulb to a seed.
Outdoor Hour Time:
Spend your outdoor hour time this week looking for signs of spring bulbs or flowers. If you planted some bulbs in the fall, take a look for any new growth. You may have neighbors that have bulbs sprouting and blooming or there may be some at a near-by park. Many flower nurseries will have blossoming bulbs you can purchase and observe as well.
Follow Up Time:
Use a few of the suggestions from the Handbook of Nature Study (pages 548, 551, and 555) to study your spring flowering bulbs. You can record your observations on the notebook page from the Winter Nature Study ebook, a blank notebook page from the blog sidebar, or in your own nature journal.
Journal Suggestions:
Sketch the shape of your flower and record the number of petals.
Look for the different flower parts: stigma, petal, sepal, anther, stem, leaves. (See page 548, 551, and 554 of the Handbook for diagrams.)
Observe the flower’s colors.
Describe the stem’s shape and compare it to other flowers.
Study and sketch a flower bulb.
Watercolor drawings can be made of any of your early spring flowers.
I thought you might like a little tour of my early spring garden since the rain stopped last night and the sun is out this morning. Everything is a little damp from the rain still.
The tulips are all up and promising to give a colorful display very soon. This was my purple garden last year but I added a few new tulip colors so it will be a surprise when they bloom.
I honestly can’t remember this flower from last year, but it is bursting with oranges and greens in the far corner of the garden.
There is an explosion of primroses under my other birdbath. These were transplanted from Amanda’s garden box last year and they love this spot in the garden.
Ahhhh….this means it really is almost spring here in our neck of the woods. The grape hyacinths are blooming in all their purple glory. Now if I can just keep my boys from mowing them down along with the grass.
Little tiny flowers…can’t remember the name of this one….are blooming if you keep your eyes focused for the pretty periwinkle color.
My daffodil patch is ever so close to blooming and since it is by my mailbox, I can see it every day as I collect the mail.
Everyone who reads my blog with any regularity knows that I have a “thing” for lavender. This year our plants promise to give us a beautiful show of color and fragrance. The hummingbirds have already spotted these blooms and in the early morning I have seen them out here sipping at the flowers.
I learned something this year quite by chance. I left my broccoli plants in the ground and in a few pots all winter and this is what happened….beautiful yellow flowers. The hummingbirds have been in these blooms as well. I think next year I will leave a whole bunch of broccoli plants in the ground because they make really pretty blooming plants.
I would call this a true *spring green*. The moss growing between the bricks in my little arbor is thick and soft.
We have a new development in the front yard. We noticed today that the Scrub jays are building another nest in our magnolia tree. They fly back and forth with little twigs….hundreds of times over the course of the day so far. They are very busy. If they succeed in building their nest, this will be the third year in a row in this particular tree.
Hope you enjoyed my little tour and if it is cold and you are having winter weather today, I hope it cheered you up.
“When the flowerstalk first appears, it comes up like a sheathed sword, pointing toward the zenith, green, veined lengthwise, and with a noticeable thickening at each edge. As the petals grow, the sheath begins to round out; the stiff stem at the base of the sheath bends at right angles.” Handbook of Nature Study, page 550-551
We have daffodils. They started blooming yesterday on the sunny, warm south side of our house. I planted a new bed of daffodils in the fall but they are still just all greenness…..there is the promise of bright yellow blooms soon.
“It is interesting to note the flowers which have impinged upon the imagination of the poets; the violet more than most flowers has been loved by them, and they have sung in varied strains of its fragrance and loveliness.” Handbook of Nature Study, page 476
We also have a bed of violets blooming and when the sun hits the blossoms it smells so sweet and good.
I brought in a handful and decided that the stems are just too short for any vases I could find so I thought this glass butterfly dish would cradle the blossoms just so.
We had freezing temperatures last night but by mid-morning it was at least sunny and up into the forties.
“Out-of-door life takes the child afield and keeps him in the open air, which not only helps him physically and occupies his mind with sane subjects, but keeps him out of mischief. It is not only during childhood that this is true, for love of nature counts much for sanity in later life.” Handbook of Nature Study, page 2
I was out for my morning walk in the backyard and I was amazed at how many honeybees we have left around on the last day of November. They were busy in the marigolds, the cyclamen, the alyssum, and the snapdragons. I love the way it looks as if he is going to burrow right down into the middle of this marigold! (You can read more about honeybees in the Handbook of Nature Study starting on page 391.)
The peas are all nice and green with lots of tendrils everywhere. I am not sure if the weather will hold out long enough for us to harvest some pea pods but we will keep our eye on the box.
Our broccoli is finally looking like it might survive the weather and bugs and give us a crop to enjoy. I can’t tell you how happy that makes me since I love home-grown broccoli and it has been a number of years since we have been successful at getting the plants all the way to maturity. I have five plants that look hopeful.
The millet fell from the birdfeeder this past summer and it sprouted and is now bearing its fruits. The finches are loving the bonus of the meal *under* the birdfeeder. I also harvested the last of the giant sunflowers and the seeds are now safely stored in a sack for winter meals for the birds.
Up on our deck the potted plants are blooming again and the snapdragons are attracting the hummingbirds and the bees.
We are taking advantage of every sunny day to go outdoors for long periods of time. Taking long walks with the dog have been such a great source of refreshment to us all….helping us to keep our sanity.
It is raining this morning but yesterday I was able to get out into the garden to gather in some goodies. There are now four vases with zinnias on my kitchen table to cheer me up on this gloomy rainy morning.
The veggies are tapering off but are still very welcome at the dinner table. I didn’t photograph the gigantic zucchini that I found hiding under the leaves…how does that happen?
Some of the herbs have gone to seed and are so pretty that I hate to trim them.
The garlic chives have some seeds too…I couldn’t bear to cut them back and this is what happens.
This is my favorite flower of the day with its uncurling ray flowers.
Just think…we are getting to the end of my garden posts for the year 2009. Autumn posts will start to roll in anytime now with the changing season. I need to start thinking about a winter topic for the blog. 🙂
