May Flowers--Finally!

Time to celebrate--for me, it's not being cold for the next six months--plus, it's Garden Bloggers Bloom Day!

The native shade garden

Tiarella cordifolia

Anemone canadensis

Tiarella, surrounded by Itea and Anemone

The bed around the Magnolia tree

Geranium maculatum

Iris germanica

Ninebark "inner glow" (Physocarpus sp.)

Nigella damascena "love in a mist"

Nectoscordum bulgaricum

 

Peony

The "big bed"

Baptisia australis

Nectoscordum bulgaricum

Chamomile and Salvia "may night"

lavender buds, Salvia, blue star (Amsonia)

 

 The front yard is looking a little rough due to an ill-timed lawn mower death, but the Dianthus is impressive (and wonderfully fragrant). The native honeysuckle I trained up my downspout is also doing well.

Along the driveway, columbines are the star. 

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by the garden, and happy spring!

The Fox and the Howl

Well, it was more of a raspy chirp-scream, or a "meow-bark," as Mr. Do called it.

Can you guess who's back?





















After determining it was not my cat Captain Shorty, who has been known to emit hoarse noises in the middle of the night, mostly calling attention to flashing lights, I looked out every window to find the culprit. I finally took one last look out the window above my bed, just as the fox passed.
Unfortunately, it was 4 am when we were subjected to this auditory treat. It sounded a lot like call number three here. A little disturbing, right?
This morning I found no bird or rabbit corpses or holes and scat like before, but I smelled the distinct odor of fox in the garden. I guess that will save me the cost of rabbit repellent, but I may need to replenish my supply of ear plugs.