Critters & Blooms...

I haven't seen this azalea bloom in a long time, though I haven't seen most of my azaleas blooming in years thanks to the deer that find them delicious! However, for whatever reason they left this one and a few spots of some others planted at the front of the house alone and so I get to see the blooms and so thought I should photograph them for posterity!

I didn't plant them, they were here when I moved in, those and hosta which are two plants that the deer seem to find irresistible. I'm not sure what makes them so, hosta I would think wouldn't taste like much at all, lettuce I would guess and well azaleas are so woody and just don't seem appealing in the least. Thing is deer will eat roses too, so that right there should tell me that they don't really have refined taste buds!

On the subject of animals in the garden what is it with the squirrels and their need to dig up that which I plant? While roaming through my garden this morning I came across one of my newly planted Heuchera that had been taken out of the spot I had planted it and set aside. It was as if something thought there was so treasure buried below the plant! I would like to kindly ask that in the future once they see there is no treasure in there, could they please replant the plant, I feel it is the least they can do!

I took my mom to two plant sales in the past two weeks, one was sponsored by the American Horticultural society, the other by Friends of the National Arboretum. I came away with quite the haul of plants, including a couple of dwarf maples and a variegated dogwood.

I love Columbines, I have the native variety forming a nice little colony and a chocolate double flower variety, so I'm always on the lookout for ones that really catch my eye. This beauty did just that at the AHS sale, the white is so white and the purple so pure, it reminded me of violets!







Then I came across this one at the FONA sale and well the size of those lovely white blooms was just too much for me to resist! I have a solid yellow one growing next to my porch but the snow seems to have stunted it a bit. It's not blooming yet and the plant is now half the size it was. I'm hoping that it just slowed it down and didn't really do any serious damage. I know that several of my hellebores that were stuck under the snow, now look much smaller and younger as well but them seem to be recovering.


I've got several days worth of planting ahead of me. I also have several shrubs that need to be transplanted so add a few more days to that! Good thing I get lots of gardening time these days!