photography – Andrea's Gardening Blog

June 12: garden status

June 12, 2022Posted in springTagged butterfly gardening, gardening, photography, statusLeave a comment

I’m still waiting for the beds to fill in — I delayed a lot of growth by moving everything around over the winter. I hope it didn’t permanently damage stuff, and I hope I have the patience this coming winter to leave everything alone so it can re-establish. Maybe things will fill in more by July and August. We’ll see. That’s one reason for posting these status updates with pictures, so I’ll have a comparison next year.

I took my coffee out and sat in my garden chair this morning; the morning was cool, and the colors inspired me to get my camera out.

Out back

My new Mexican feather grasses; they’re my favorite

Out front

May 6: what’s blooming (and about to bloom)

May 6, 2022Posted in springTagged butterfly gardening, garden, May, photographyLeave a comment

May 6: new plantings – annuals and herbs

May 6, 2022Posted in Planting, springTagged gardening, photography, raised bed1 Comment

The forecast called for thunderstorms today, but lucky for me, since I took a day off, the rain didn’t come until late in the day. I took the chance to put some annuals in the ground (and some herbs in the raised bed) so they can get watered in naturally.

May 2: tulips and columbine

May 2, 2022Posted in springTagged columbine, flowers, photography, tulips1 Comment

I came home from a week away and found the columbine, salvia, and tulips blooming.

Apr 17: garden status — blooming trees, salvia, and tulips

April 17, 2022Posted in springTagged butterfly gardening, flower beds, gardening, photography, statusLeave a comment

The grass is greening, more perennials are starting to push up leaves, and the dogwood, redbud, and first tulips and salvias are blooming.

Joe Pye, pineapple sage, and orange milkweed emerging

Apr 6: rhodies and the beginnings of redbud and dogwood blooms

April 6, 2022April 10, 2022Posted in springTagged flowers, garden, photographyLeave a comment

March 6: Garden cleanup; lots of things emerging

March 6, 2022Posted in WinterTagged butterfly gardening, gardening, photographyLeave a comment

I want to believe the warm weather is here to stay, though I know from the forecast that it’s not. Still, it was warm here this weekend, and I took full advantage of it to get the garden cleaned up. I pruned roses, cut back ornamental grasses, raked leaves out of flower beds, moved lavenders, transplanted hydrangea, and kicked poor performers to the curb.

As I worked, I smelled fresh mint in the mint patch. I listened to birds chirp and leaves rustle in a warm breeze. I was surprised by the first forsythia blossom. When I pulled away dead debris and raked out leaves that have insulated the ground these last 5 months, I found leaves emerging underneath – sedum, tulips, columbine, goldenrod.

May 2: buds and early bloomers

May 2, 2021May 2, 2021Posted in springTagged butterfly gardening, flowers, gardening, photographyLeave a comment

The oak tree suddenly has leaves, and the salvia are blooming. The blossoms of tulips, dogwoods, and redbud begin to fade, but the yarrow, dwarf lilac, roses, rue, and scabiosa all have flower buds. The orlaya came back and its buds are opening, too. I see the beginnings of flower buds on a few echinacea, and a nepetas’ blue blossoms sprinkle the air above their silvery green leaves.

I put in a passionflower today, along with 3 blanket flowers and 2 scarlet and orange milkweeds. I’ve got my fingers crossed for the passionflower. I hope it will last.

The summer bloomers are putting out leaves, and the back bed is starting to fill in

Apr 18: redbuds and dogwoods in bloom

April 19, 2021April 18, 2021Posted in Photography, springTagged flowers, garden, gardening, photography3 Comments

I went for a walk around the neighborhood today. Pink and magenta redbuds contrast with the chartreuses of fresh leaves. The earth is lush and coming back to life.

Garden at the UU church around the corner

Redbud blossoms at the site of a missing branch

This is the greenest the grass will be all year

Apr 12: Emergence

April 12, 2021April 12, 2021Posted in springTagged flowers, garden, gardening, photographyLeave a comment

The grass is the lush, vibrant green that only appears in spring. Pears and cherries and magnolias bloom all over town. Tulips pop in bright colors in the landscaping of public places: medians, libraries, the aquatic center.

In our garden, the redbud is covered in fuchsia buds and the dogwood flowers bloom green before they brighten to white. The leaves of perennials begin to emerge from beneath the fresh mulch. The blades of ornamental grasses come in tender and emerald green. The forsythia and daffodils are done in our garden — I cut back the forsythia this weekend — but violets and periwinkles blossom at the top of the hill. The salvia forms buds that should open in a few weeks. Besides the trees, the primary flowers right now are the ones in our flower baskets; that will change soon though.

Back bed with perennials starting to fill in

Aug 18: lazy day in the butterfly garden

August 18, 2019Posted in summerTagged butterflies, butterfly gardening, hummingbirds, photography2 Comments

After working in the garden all day in the heat yesterday, today I’ve spent most of the day laying in the hammock or sitting in one of my three garden-viewing perches, admiring the filled-in beds, photographing butterflies (and a hummingbird!), and watching monarchs and swallowtails lay eggs on the milkweed and rue. It’s a pretty awesome way to spend a Sunday.

swallowtail laying eggs on rue_0097 — Swallowtail laying eggs on rue

sedum and echinacea_2061 — Echinacea and sedum are pretty together

joe pye rue sedum_2060 — Joe Pye weed, rue, and sedum (and a swallowtail caterpillar on the rue in the bottom left 🙂 )

mexican sunflwoer_0089 — Mexican sunflower

painted lady wings spread_0050 — Painted Lady on butterfly bush

hummingbird_0078 — Hummingbird! I heard its wings thrum while I was trying to photograph a monarch on the zinnias (see lower right corner). This is the first time I’ve ever come close to photographing a hummingbird.

I saw a buckeye butterfly yesterday too, but I didn’t have my camera so I wasn’t able to photograph it. Buckeyes are gorgeous. I’m going to go back out again now with my book and see what else comes to the garden.