Not a cheerful Monday outside . . . . . . . . .

Heavy rain for the entire day along with boisterous, gusting high winds this morning.

Twigs, catkins, even small branches showering down on the roof. . . . . . . . . and

 with our big old trees I get nervous in storms such as this!

I'm sure many of the now full blooming azaleas and 'snowballs' will take a beating.

 I've started a small vegetable plot. On Sunday, my neighbor was kind enough to

 till up this old bed where we grew tomatoes for several years - but haven't used

 for the past few summers. The soil seems great and looks healthy - a few

 tomato plants, perhaps a couple of peppers and an eggplant should do well.

The potting shed is so useful and often hides surprises!

On our recent trip to see friends in the Charlotte, NC area, we found this 

birdhouse to replace the very old one now falling apart on the post in the 

front garden. We've had a new post put in but won't exchange the houses

until the current nesting 'homeowners' have moved out with their 

offspring. Love this one because the whole roof can be lifted off and the 

six compartments are attached so can be cleaned out easily at the end

 of each nesting season. The bright copper roof - covered for transport

 to prevent fingerprints - will eventually weather to a lovely patinaed green.

. . . . . and last, but by no means least, let me introduce Gruff.

This cutie pie came over with my neighbor, and whilst tiling the garden bed we

 became good friends. Gruff was here for the weekend whilst his very lucky owners

 were away, and I just have to say he is the friendliest, best behaved, obedient little

 dog I've ever met. I fell for him big time, did a little photo shoot, and am trying to

find out what breed - or perhaps mix - this lovely boy is. 

Anyone have an idea? He's 8 years old, never barked, did as he was told 

with just a few words, and loved to cuddle.

Hopefully my neighbor will mind Gruff more often so I can spend

more time with him!

So what to do on such a bad weather day?

I have plans. . . . . . . so must away.

Have a good week dear readers. . . . . . and tomorrow I think Scribble Picnic

 will be back so please stop by here again - the theme is Quilt(s).

Now there are four. . . . . garden looking good!

Mama finch was busy again yesterday afternoon. In fact, get this, I 

think I saw her actually laying her egg!  She didn't fly out when I looked

out the window like she usually does, and she had her beak open

 as if straining! There were still just three eggs in the late

 morning but when I looked after watching her, there were four!

The little nest is certainly getting crowded.

How she will manage to sit on so many eggs is a mystery, plus she's

extremely skittish, flying off each time we open the front door and

even when we just walk past the dining room window.

The finch nest is in the hanging fern closest to the porch steps.

We had quite a busy garden morning yesterday, chatting with passing neighbors
enjoying the lovely day, checking on the new shrubs planted Friday, adding more
 mulch, watering plants. . . . . .

. . . . . . . and washing off our pollen-covered cars - sitting in the road here while Bob 
was cleaning off the driveway.
Note the vining plants were removed from the arbor when the cottage 
was re-sided/painted late last summer, hopefully they'll show some 
new growth soon.

I cleaned out the gazebo (it will need a heavier clean once the pollen

 has ended come early May) and washed all the cushions so we can sit 

out there during these lovely mild, sunny weekend days. We plan to
spread new, fresh-looking cypress chips around the flagstones as we 
skipped that chore last year with so many other outdoor repair jobs being 
done to cottage and gazebo.

Rain expected in the coming week so may not be doing much in the garden -
so then I'll get back to work on posts from our Patagonian expedition!

Hope your weather is allowing outdoor activities this weekend.

. . . . . now there are three!

 This morning, such a chilly but bright and sunny one, I peeked in from my

 little step stool, camera at the ready, and found mama finch, despite the cold,

 has laid another egg. IF she decides to lay the maximum of 6 it's going to be 

very crowded in there and, because she is so tiny, I've no idea how she can

possibly sit on all those eggs for two weeks!

Will keep you updated.

Potting Shed and lovely George Taber azaleas.

Today's bright sunshine beckons us into the garden especially as next week

 will not be as pretty with clouds and rain expected.  Bob will be firing up the mower

 later as the grass is long, and we'll be digging holes to plant two new azaleas and

 a hosta purchased yesterday at a roadside stand - all plants grown here in

 North Carolina out in the country south of the city. I love buying local.

After the storm. . . . . .the garden this week -

We arrived home from a weekend out of town and found the garden

sparkling with color. That night terrible storms passed 

through the area and I feared waking to azaleas and such beaten down,

their lovely blooms blown away or scattered across the ground in the wake 

of the high winds and several hours of torrential rain.

Monday was clean up day, mostly small branches, twigs and debris from

where the water had swirled through the garden. Flowers looked somewhat

 battered but not broken and by yesterday, with brilliant sunshine and a Spring

 breeze, everything perked up and we enjoyed afternoon coffee on the front porch

 with a friend who was kind enough to say how lovely the garden was looking.

George Taber - my favorite azaleas.

Spanish bluebells beneath the fig tree.

Bluebells and Solomon's Seal.

Hickory tree catkins awaiting wind pollination.

Hoping lovely plants are beginning to bloom in your Spring garden.

Garden in April. . . . . . . .and tulips

Several people have asked where I bought my tulips for this season. 

Third year in a row I purchased from Costco, picked them up

 early fall when they first arrived in-store, they go fast!

 Again I'm very pleased with them. Pricing was much

lower than ordering from the big bulb catalogs which,

to be fair, I always had great results and gorgeous tulips,

 but the prices were so much higher. Here in our zone 7b,

 tulips usually only bloom one year due to the hot/humid, 

long Summer, any reblooming ones are puny and hardly

 noticeable in the garden so I felt like I was throwing my

 money away buying costly mail-order bulbs.

I plant all my tulip bulbs in large pots in November, 

over-planting with pansies and violas. I keep fingers 

crossed that the squirrels won't dig them up for supper!

My daffodils/narcissus go directly into the garden, critters

 apparently don't like the taste of those bulbs, so they are able

 to grow safely and naturalize, producing more and more clumps 

of flowers year after year.

Shirley Double & Double Negrita 

Purple Lady

Note the pollen on the pansies.

Yosemite

Saturday blooms. . . . . . . .

I cut these for the kitchen window yesterday afternoon after a long wait

 for blooming - everything seems a bit behind due to the crazy

 up and down weather pattern.

After tonight I think the chance of a frosty night will be over - birds will be 

nesting, flowers opening, and I will be on my way to the garden center 

for new Boston ferns for my porch hanging baskets. Hopefully the oak 

pollen will soon end and preparing the deck and gazebo for some outdoor

evening dining can get underway.

Have a great weekend dear friends.

Tulip time almost over. . . . . . . .

I almost had my next travel post ready to post when something messed up 

with Blogger and I lost half of what I'd written, grrrrr!

So instead, today, you get these, photos I took yesterday of the 

fast fading parrot tulips from the garden.

I was thrilled that they were just opening when we arrived home from the trip.

I really expected them to be long gone but I think the cooler weather of March

kept them sleeping a little longer.

Even now they still are quite beautiful, their curled petals silk-like, the colors muted but 

still perfect. I now have Darwin tulips opening, lovely but not as stunning as these

have been.

Do you grow tulips?