It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood

These are starting to look overgrown.

I believe it was a strong storm that tore the sweet peas from the post.

Mystery vine

Look! The portulaca grown from "let's see what happen" seeds sown last fall! (And note that the parsley next to it also fell into that category)

Discoveries of various sorts

We were gone for several days last week and when we returned, it was to find that something had been eating my parsley. I'm guessing a rabbit, since I don't think the deer would be over by the steps, and I don't think parsley would be their first choice anyway. But I guess it could be any number of accursed animals. Much of the sage and thyme is also gone, but that may be because they were dry for a couple days. Unlike the parsley, there are no telltale half-eaten stems.

Check out the smaller allium in the back (the big one is almost done blooming). Could these be belatedly about to bloom after all?! I am so confused.

I could not be more delighted that the foxglove planted just a few weeks ago has started to bloom! This is the only of the three plants with blooms, but the other two look healthy anyway.

I found this little oak seedling growing in the back plot, so I stuck it in a pot and will see what happens. [Update: ONE DAY LATER those *%#ing squirrels uprooted and destroyed it. GRRRRRRRR]

This past weekend we visited the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, which is lovely and offered some ideas for things to plant in my own garden.

Roses have always scared me away (bugs! disease!) but isn't this dreamy, growing along a chain (visible on the right).

This is the same climing rose as the photo above.

This purple poppy wasn't blooming yet, which was part of what made it interesting - it could bloom a little later than your standard poppy.

Postings can't keep up with sproutings and bloomings

Our rocky spring has had its effect on some plants - the magnolia tree just didn't even bloom this year, for example. But a lot of rain in the past couple weeks has sent everything growing everywhere. I mowed the lawn for the first time around April 13, and it already really needed it. I really can't keep up with documenting everything.

I used my own compost for the very first time yesterday! I just pulled a little bit out of the bottom but the pile really needs some love - I should pull out the ready stuff and then mix the rest, which is currently a home for a large number of tiny flies, on account of I've been very diligent about sticking leftover produce on it lately.

Not sure why, but this April hasn't had as many migrating birds passing through the bush outside our solarium as usual. I did, however, spot what I am 95% sure was a ruby-crowned kinglet a couple weeks ago. I tried to take pictures, and when I looked at them afterward, all I could see was bushes, and I even knew where I was supposed to be looking. I know, I know, you are so shocked, because usually I get such clear pictures of birds. Snort.

April 13: 2015 daffodils returning

April 13: 2015 daffodils

April 13: 2016 daffodils and grape hyacinths

April 13: 2016 daffodil and grape hyacinth plantings

April 13: 2015 daffodil plantings on the left, 2016 on the right

April 13: The landscaping installed in the front last year is coming back nicely, though heaven only knows what these things are

April 13, front yard

April 13

April 13: lungwort in back plot

April 13: the 2016 tulip planting came up nicely! 2015, not at all.

April 16: Easter! Showcasing my bird's nest cupcake creations in front of my lovely springy tulips

April 17: This is not my bush (it's in Maplewood), but it's beautiful! What on earth is it?

Mystery bush close-up

April 18: viburnum blooming in front yard

April 18: viburnum and phlox

April 19: front landscaping

April 19

April 19: can't wait for the mini-lilac to bloom

April 26: this is not one of the tulips I ever planted! It was the only one of its kind that came up. Delightful.

Here you can see where the Lone Tulip lives, on the left as you're facing the front of the house

April 28: Funny story about the seeds in the mini-greenhouses I planted early last month. At one point I took the lids off and then didn't pay attention when I put the lids back on - so my six containers and six lids got mixed up. And where had I marked the identity of my plants? On the lids. Oops. In any case, at one point the mini-greenhouses were sitting in a pool of rainwater and so three of them never sprouted seedlings. But two types came up healthily (and one gave a few meager sprouts). Of the healthy ones, one is clearly parsley. But this is the other one - what the heck is it?! Deduction leads me to think either mini bell pepper, or sage. Time will tell, I guess.

April 28: I transplanted both the parsley (pictured here) and the mystery seedlings to the front, to the left of the front door as you're facing it.

April 28: The mystery seedlings (and look at the gorgeous phlox!)

April 28: this was a nice surprise - some of last year's thyme came back in the front!

Sowing seeds

Today I put five kinds of seeds in my little mini-greenhouses, not that a seed would need a greenhouse in a week as lovely and warm as this one. The high today will be around 60 degrees; in two days it will be 75!

Thyme, basil, alyssum, poppy, forget-me-not

I also put lavender seeds, as per the package directions, in "moist" growing medium in a bag in the fridge for a month. Kind of winging it with this. I'm picturing taking the stuff out of the fridge in a month and working it into the soil in the ground to actually germinate? Couldn't be bothered seeking greater clarity on the internet.

Right next to an enormous bag of chocolate chips. And now I'm craving cookies.

Six or seven days ago, I cut some forsythia branches from the back yard, crushed the ends of their stems with a hammer, and stuck them in a vase of water with a drop of bleach, which I've been replacing every other day. And today, they started blooming! Further proof that it's spring when I say it is.

Seeds for spring

I just ordered a ton of seeds! If I can plant some of each, I'll be satisfied. Planting them all would be impossible! No doubt I will curse myself for it later.

LAVENDER VERA

$ 1.50

STRAWFLOWER - DWARF MIX HELICHRYSUM

$ 1.50

POPPY - CORAL REEF

$ 1.50

MINI BELLE BLEND PEPPER

$ 1.95

EARLY JALAPENO HOT PEPPER (HEIRLOOM, 66 DAYS)

$ 1.50

FORGET-ME-NOT

$ 1.50

FLAT LEAF PARSLEY

$ 1.50

ROSEMARY

$ 2.25

COMMON THYME

$ 1.50

Portulaca - Double Mixed

$ 1.25

ITALIANO CLASSICO BASIL

$ 1.50

BASILICO FINISSIMO VERDE A PALLA

$ 1.35

ALYSSUM - ROYAL CARPET

$ 1.25