Rainy Garden

One reason we've been busy lately is that we've spent every free moment (and there haven't been many) on our garden.  When we first got here, it was a tiny concrete slab surrounded by warehouses. Remember the baby ferns from the first teasings of spring? Some of them have grown up, but some are still unfurling.  I've also been on a fern buying spree for the past few weeks; every time I see one I like, I'll snatch it up... but now I'm having a hard time placing all of them!  

We've been planting hosta, sedum, moss, impatiens and morning glory.  Hopefully it can stand the shade until it becomes tall enough to catch the sun--they all have string trellises to climb.  And I want to get some begonias, but I'll have to build some more wooden planters, since I'm out of container space right now.

We repurposed the planter in the back (it was an old media center that was about to get tossed to the curb) and we will be building benches one day soon, but my favorite place to sit is the swing:

It's the perfect place to sit and have a cup of tea in the morning. We made a small table that sits next to it and is perfect for a cup and plate of cookies. There's also a surprise that will be coming soon...

Spring Forest

I know, it's been a while, but there has been a lot going on lately.  Last Sunday we took a break from life in the big city and toured the forest upstate. It was a lovely day, and the weather couldn't have been more perfect: warm and sunny in the morning, cool and overcast in the afternoon.

It was so nice to spend time outside in nature (well, as nature as it gets around here)

a morel mushroom?  We didn't test it out.

I really did love the ferns--they were everywhere!

These tiny red ferns were growing on a patch in the middle of a stream;
I only saw them once and they were my favorites.  

Liverworts and moss (some of my favorites)

toad!

But my favorite was the salamander who was hiding in an old, rotten log. Isn't he cute?

Growing Ferns

Now that we have an outdoor space, it's been decided that we must take advantage and have a garden.  However, the "yard" is bordered on all sides by tall buildings and gets almost zero direct sunlight.  This had initially posed a problem to starting a garden, but luckily, there are plants that love the shade.  So far we have Bleeding Hearts, Lily of the Valley, and Ferns.  The ferns are all unfurling right now, and I am excited to have a summer outdoor garden in which to drink tea in the mornings.

Hopefully we'll be getting some Hosta, and I'm going to try to grow some morning glory up a tree. We want to find a french bistro table and chair set and build some hypertufa planters to fill out the space.  I am very excited for spring to explode, and with all this recent rain, hopefully it will soon!  I'm also looking for more shade-loving plants.  Do any of you gardeners have suggestions?  

I love the unfurling baby ferns.

We're back!

After working a crazy job, being away, and moving, things are finally starting to settle down; just as spring is around the corner!  Plants aren't quite out here yet (although I'm starting to see sprouts and buds...) So let's go back to February, where a cold and rainy weekend in LA was still wonderfully temperate and plant heaven for my wintered mind!

I can't remember the last time I saw a roly poly; and I love the concrete staircase--but just look at all the green!  This house has the most beautiful garden--did you see the view from the french doors?  Luckily I didn't have to go back to the cold, dreary city right away.  I have some exciting things to share in the next few days!

Leaves

I love the trees on our street.  I do, however, miss baby quail season.

Tiny Leaves

Nearly all of the trees have sprouted leaves, and the streets are starting to have a canopy.  The leaves are so tiny, it's not fully covered yet, but I swear they are substantially larger every day.  I'm also loving the flower covered trees--I never noticed that they are everywhere.  

Delaware

Some flowering trees in Delaware from last weekend. I couldn't get over the fact that every single tree there (almost) was covered in flowers:

I found another bee in one of the trees:

And, of course, Mason was loving the weather: