Thankfully June is here!
We, in just about all areas of North Carolina, after experiencing a truly drenching
latter half of May, are excited about getting our gardens in shape. . . . . again!
Things were looking good in early May, we all had an early start with landscaping,
mulch spreading, planting summer veggies and annuals, outdoor furniture scrubbing,
seed scattering. . . . . and then along came constant storms, torrential rains and
flash flooding in many parts, and so much hard work was washed away, the
remainder left a sodden mess.
The week ahead looks so much better for gardening chores.
Fingers are crossed, rakes, mowers and trimmers are at the ready, and those
hundreds of weeds that suddenly appeared will be thwarted come
Monday morning here in my garden!
Luckily my basil seeds were planted in pots and didn't get washed away. Today
they are looking good - pasta and pesto making soon. The third pot I planted up
was gifted to my dear friend MaryAnn as her own basil was supper for
visiting deer last week!
The Boston fern on the left was the home of the house finch nest for the
month of May this year. Thankfully, being partially under cover of the porch,
the birdies were not drowned or blown away!
On May 20 the two baby finches fledged - two unhatched eggs remained in the nest.
The most amazing thing was that for some unknown reason, a Carolina chickadee
helped feed these babies, along with the finch mama, and the dad often stopped by
to check on the nursery.
It was a busy porch for all those weeks with three birds checking in, bringing tasty
morsels of spiders and grubs, and the constant housekeeping done by the chickadee
(finches are messy birds and don't clean their nests).
I won't mention the snake incident again other than to say I still have
really bad dreams about that evening.
Seeing the two new little ones fly safely off in the heat of the afternoon
was heart warming.
These are my weekend flowers - peonies and alstroemeria
from Trader Joe's on Friday.
So pretty!
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Dear Mary - following on from our long cold winter the heat is really on here - sometimes just too hot for me.
ReplyDeleteWe had pasta with homemade pesto yesterday with lots of different roasted vegetables. This time I made it with almonds rather than pinenuts, as they seem to have become excessively expensive for so few, and it was just as good.
Your alstroemerias together with the peonies make for a very fetching vase of flowers.
Enjoy the month of June, and take care💙
I love that a chickadee helped feed them. My sparrows have been feeding their babies with chopped pecans I throw out for the squirrels. Watching nature in the garden is the best part of summer for me.
ReplyDeleteYour basil looks wonderful. Mine is turning an orange shade. I wonder if it got too much rain.
ReplyDeleteSo glad that your rains are decreasing - very interesting about the chickadee nanny - and housekeeper - and gorgeous flowers!!!! Love your header!
ReplyDeleteOur temperatures went from mild to very hot almost overnight. Rain is a very distant memory but I wold be really grateful if some clouds made it this way. I crave greenery during our summers. I do my best in our little garden but I pity the poor plants out in that heat all day long.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear your overbundance of rain has stopped and that you can get back to gardening. My basil is really growing strong, too and soon I will be making pesto. I had no idea that finches don't clean their nest (what's up with that?!) and that another species of bird would help them out. Oh - your Boston ferns are gorgeous. So huge and lush.
ReplyDeleteWonderful pictures (as always on your blog), and I love it that the chickadee helped feeding the little finches!
ReplyDeleteMary, I love your bouquet of flowers, they are truly stunning. I hope that the weather continues to improve for you and that your garden soon begins to shine once again. The bird nanny story is delightful, I think we could do with one of those around here.I found a swallow fledgling on the floor of the garage last week, the nest is above the door frame. A little later he was gone but I'm not sure if he made it, nature can be cruel sometimes.
ReplyDeleteWishing you a week full of sunshine and blue skies.
Hi Mary :) Your weekend flowers are gorgeous! I love flowers so much, our lilac tree is finally blooming and the fragrance is wonderful. We're in an inundation of rain currently and my fingers are crossed for my little garden and for a little robin fledgling that we saved from a bad fate the other day. It had fallen from the next on a terribly windy day. We made it a temporary home in a little tomato container, Alex climbed the tree and brought the empty nest back down and we relocated it to another, safer tree. We were watching and the parents found the little fella! They are feeding it and protecting it like mad, it's so nice to see!
ReplyDeleteLoved your photos, Mary. Your Boston ferns with the cute bird houses is so very attractive. I'm relieved to hear your birds are on their way, too. That snake incident would be giving me nightmares. Geesh...I wear high boots when out and about on the property for that very reason. I tell people it's because of the bugs but I am really afraid of stepping on a snake.lol Hope you are enjoying playing with the step-back. It's such a beautiful thing. :)
ReplyDeleteMary, your flowers are exquisite! We've had a relatively dry spring, but enjoyed a nice heavy rain early morning hours today. The temps are heating up though, so I suspect we are in for a hot, dry summer. It's starting all too early!
ReplyDeleteOh peonies, baby birds, and basil, what is not to like. I love it all and so happy for those little ones to fly away.
ReplyDelete