BIRDS IN THE GARDEN

You may have to click on these to enlarge to really see the birds. This is a robin's nest in the top of a weeping yaupon, that hangs over my pond. I held my breath for weeks- I just expected any minute for the nest or the babies to fall in the pond! During last weeks rain and storms the mother sat on the babies so they would not drown! Anyway they are out of the nest and gone, but I hope the mother is smarter about where she builds her home next year. Do you think she was a first time mother that didn't know any better? I also have wrens in a hanging basket, a brown thrasher in the english dogwood, and bluebirds in the birdhouse-every body is nesting!

TIME TO THIN OUT

Looking at these pictures, don't you think it's time I started thinning out some stuff? Well, I have been, but I can't seem to miss a thing. Is it a sign of a true gardener when you want one of everything?

Roses

A few more roses from my garden. The top one is Souvenier De La Malmaison-it smells so wonderful- you can often find me with my rear end in the air and my nose in the middle of this rose! The second one is Zepherine Drouhin another one that smells great- it is thornless, so it is great for arbors or wherever you will brush against it. It also will bloom in the shade and blooms all summer. The bottom picture is the Knockout, can't beat these roses for no care and continuous bloom. People that say they can't grow roses are just not picking the right ones!

ROSES ARE BLOOMING

The roses are beginning to bloom, the first picture is behind the extension office. The 4-H kids planted this several years ago- I think it is Cecille Brunner. This bed has soil that is hard as a rock- even though we have ammended it and mulched numerous times. In the summer it gets weeds- and we have used probably ten gallons of round up -nothing seems to help! The second picture is a rose at my house-I got it from the Antique Rose Emporium- it blooms all summer and as you can see it has fallen over- it is so heavy with buds. I think it is Katie Road Pink.

MONSTER AZALEAS

Don't let anyone tell you that you have to prune your azaleas. The pink one is probably almost eight feet tall and I think it is beautiful. However you must choose the right azalea for your location-do not pick one of these big ones for a tiny place, or you will spend all of your time pruning. There is a size for every spot in your garden- do your homework- and save yourself some trouble.

WHAT'S BLOOMING NOW

This is cross vine-bignonia capreolata, it most often grows in the very top of a pine tree, where you may not notice it. Of course now you can order it from some mail order companies . Luckily for me a storm blew this one to the ground and I trailed it along a fence. It smells good, and the birds, butterflies, etc love it.
The iris are a very short variety with beautiful different blooms- I think they are Iris Cristada. The blue bulb is a very old crassia- it kind of likes to be moist and it fills out to a big bushy flower ,before it fades.

UPCOMING PLANT SALE

I have been busy potting up plants for the Master Gardeners upcoming plant sale on May 7th. I think I have about seventy potted so far. It is a pain to keep them all watered though, since it has been so dry around here. I think we will have a good selection as the otherMG'S have been busy, too.

Bulb Talk

Just got back from Raleigh, where I gave a talk to the Raleigh Womens Business Club on planting and caring for bulbs- good attendance- and they all were pleased that I brought some of my oldest daffodils to share. I brought the "twin sisters" or "loving couple" as some call them, they are blooming now- they are about the last of the daffodils to bloom that I know of. There is always two flowers per stem, hence the name. They are from the 1500's according to my old bulb book, and they smell great and really spread fast.

BANANA SHRUB

Do you have this shrub? If not you need to run and get one! This is banana shrub, or banana magnolia, or michelia figo- whatever! As you can see it is blooming now, and the whole garden smells like banana kisses- remember eating those when you were a kid? This shrub is only supposed to get about ten feet tall and eight feet across, but when I lived in the Delta a friend of mine had one that came over the top of the house and covered most of the side it was on- but then she lived on the bayou with all that GOOD dirt. I have never seen another that large, I am just saying it is possible. The blooms are not very large and people are walking around trying to find what is smelling so good .This tree takes absolutely no care, has no pests that I have ever found, and the rest of the year after blooming it sits quietly making a good background for something else. Did you notice all the yellow pollen all over the leaves, now if I was a really good photographer, I would have hosed them off. HA-HA-HA-right.