Three foxgloves have been planted in the bed by the front steps.  I had some here the first summer we were in this house, but they didn't come back so I will try again.

In the bed by the driveway, there are quite a lot of plants but none have grown very big so far.  So it doesn't look like much, but it should do soon. This bed has 3 peonies, a goat's beard, a hydrangea, lady's mantle, aronia, two painted daisies, some johnny-jump-ups. 

Today,  I planted two  lupins. These are considered a "cottage plant" in this neck of the woods. In Nova Scotia, they are weeds that grow along the highways on the hillsides.  The leaf formation reminds me of scheffleras.  They are tough, so they are perfect for this zone 3 garden.

I also planted a reblooming dwarf lilac in the back yard. It should have pink flowers. I don't know if it will get any this year, probably not, but something to look forward to.

Signs of spring

The forsythia in full bloom.

Some daffodils are up, but many haven't blossomed.  Wonder what's up with that?

Also tulips coming in the back yard, if they can survive the dog's running around after squirrels.

Glad to see the climbing hydrangea is looking good after the winter. It was buried underneath 5 feet of snow, it seems to have fared better than a lot of other plants.

The turquoise chips around the plant are shavings of Irish Mist soap. It is said to be a deterrent to dear, in this case I am using it to deter the dog.

They say "first year, they sleep, second year they creep, third year they leap."  This is the second year for the climbing hydrangea, so I can expect slow steady growth.  It won't produce blossoms for at least another 2 years.

Spring has sprung

At last, a warm day, warm enough to dig in the garden and get some beds ready for new plants.

Pansies, the first sign of spring - 3 containers on the front deck. These bloom in Texas in January.

Today I worked on the bed beside the driveway, it gets full morning sun until about 1 pm, then it gets a little afternoon sun that peeks through between the house and the garage in the late afternoon. 

Last year, I planted 3 peonies in this bed, 1 goat's beard, 1 perennial geranium, some irises, a lady's mantle, a daylily, and the year before I planted a hydrangea that was trying to root along one branch to form another plant. Also an aronia that has nice red shoots all over. 

Not sure what I will put in this bed, I just know that I want some pink flowers clambering up over that rock.

My constant companion Tekla. She is full grown now and still up to mischief. This afternoon, I found a tulip bulb with green stalk on the back lawn, I don't know where she got that from.

I've forgotten what these are called,  but they are pretty.

And some crocuses in the front bed.

At last, signs of life returning to the garden!

Birds at the feeders

This is a female house finch.  They are coming by the dozens every day to the feeders on the back porch. 

We have also seen an evening grosbeak, very colourful.  And a white-throated sparrow.  The sparrows are bullies when it comes to the finches; they simply swoop in and push the finches aside.

We have also seen an American goldfinch. The Sibley Guide to Birds is invaluable in identifying these birds.

Home Hardware got their first shipment of nursery stuff yesterday; as I drove by to check, I could  see they were unloading trees from the truck. I will go over today and check them out, even though this morning we are getting freezing rain!  I am on the lookout for a ginkgo tree.