Gardening friends - This has been quite the week at here Squirrelhaven; spring has truly sprung. In addition to the first appearance of the bees, it's been a bird festival around here. I've seen several flocks of great blue herons flying overhead, while the juncoes are still here.
The cardinals are now a nesting pair, robins are back, and the woodpeckers have been tapping out a tattoo.
On St. Patrick's Day I was unable to be in the garden because I was taking the girl to her Irish dance troupe shows with the Trinity Academy of Irish Dance.
I emceed a couple of the shows. When we stopped home briefly, we found that the Crocus tommasinianus had gone from leaves to blooms during the day.
Other excitement this week:
the Eranthis cilicica raised their heads and opened wide to the sun.
All the crocuses are now in bloom.
And the Iris reticulata 'Pixie' quickly followed.
Clumsy me, I broke off one of the flowers.
Sprouting this week:
the purple cabbagy native, Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica), daffodils, and Thalictrum/Anemonella thalictroides 'Rosea'.
The only squirrel atrocities this week have been a couple of dug up Iris reticulata 'Katharine Hodgkin' where I've yet to put out PermaTill. (Edited: For more information on PermaTill, see my post at Beautiful Wildlife Garden.)
I'm behind on spring garden cleanup. I just finished cleaning up the Nanoprairie.
I've got to run now. My sweet peas need planting.
Happy gardening!
MMD