Author: susansdailygarden

Easy eating

A while ago we got a huge bag of sunflower seed hearts.  We started putting them in one of the feeders.  The birds (and squirrels) went nuts.  Easy eating!  They are nice because there are no shells left behind to clean up, no black oiled sunflower seed shell chemical to kill plants, and no sunflowers growing in the grass under the tree.

The hearts are, understandably, more expensive, but there is at least twice the actual food.

We picked up a second bag on our garden store shopping trip Saturday.

Despite the easy eating, some seeds must still make it to the ground.  The neighborhood bunny starts making the rounds about 8:00 each night.  He usually gets here around 10 pm.  Tonight we got an early visit.  I had to zoom and be stealthy to get this pic.

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Shopping

This morning we did garden errands.  We went to the farmer’s market to buy produce from other’s gardens and then we went to shop at our local garden store.  I have a gift card from Christian and Kelly from last year  🐸

I bought one hosta – a ‘Rainforest Sunrise’ (that is now the 5th one in our garden – I love them!).  I also bought another ‘Hush Little Baby’ daylily.  Here’s them in their new locations.

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We had a really long, harsh ’17 – ’18  winter and I lost 5 mature hostas.  I’m not sure if it was the temperatures or the late blizzard or the chemical from the black-oiled sunflower seeds in the temporary location for our new bird feeder, or maybe even a mole, but those 5 hostas never came back.  2 were beautiful, mature ‘Touch of Class’ hostas.  I am just now deciding on what to put in the empty spaces.  I hope today’s purchases will fill two of the spots nicely in future years.

Nice long drink

Today when I got home there was a small squirrel under the tree.  He did not look familiar.  He might be quite young.  I didn’t go outside and soon he was on the feeder.  I went to go relax and came back to find him – face in the bird bath.  He drank for the longest time and then headed back to the tree.  Time to go out and fill up that water.

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Hosticus Giganticus

If you are looking for a hosta to fill some space, an Aureomarginata hosta might fit the bill.  Ours are now about 6 feet wide!  I love them because they cover up fading tulip leaves in June and fading asian lily stems in late June and July.  Hiding under the right side, however, is an Autumn Joy sedum.  I think that will be moved this fall 😉

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It’s a matter of perspective

Over the past couple of weeks I have really enjoyed a new perspective regarding our ‘Purple ‘d Oro daylilies – the outside of the bloom.  It is the side that shows the least during bloom, yet it is equally stunning – a gorgeous waxy butter yellow gradually giving way to the purple.

Also a matter of perspective are the two “garden stones” in the background.  Can you guess what they are?

 

 

 

Squirrels beware!

Our guest in the garden is posting guard against any squirrels that may come to call.   The squirrels are quite concerned.

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I grew up going to Christian school.  Verses I learned from those years float around in my head and pop out in different circumstances.  This is not a devotional by any stretch of the imagination and I am not a bible teacher.  But another part of Luke 12 popped in my head as I thought of “guarding against things”.

“And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”  Luke 12: 13-21. KJV