Hummingbirds at the feeder

In my garden I have birds, lots of birds including hummingbirds which are my favorites. I’ve seen (and heard) Rufous, Annas, and Allens. Earlier in the season they fought each other at the feeder, now they seem more generous and ready to share. These could be the young ones who are not breeding yet. Sometimes there are a cloud of them chirping around the two feeders outside our dining area windows. I am filling them almost every day. The Annas are here all year, the others disappear in early winter. There is a big bottlebrush nearby and they love the red flowers when it is in bloom. I think many of the nests are in that huge shrub although I haven’t been able to find any.

Bottlebrush

One of the birdhouses we erected at the end of last month has been rented, at least I have seen sparrows darting in and out. Fingers crossed they will raise a family there.

We have had some much needed rain, 4 inches so far this month with another 4 anticipated in the next few days. It’s been a strange season with almost all of our rain happening at the beginning and the end of our usual rainy season. It’s still not enough to end the drought of the past few years.

The lettuce in the first bed I planted is ready for harvest. We have company coming for the weekend so a salad fresh from the garden will be a treat.

There is a patch of arugula at the end of this bed and radishes planted between the rows. The second raised bed has just been planted, the arugula is just starting to pop up in that one.

You may wonder, why the mesh over the lettuce? Well, remember pig pen Shanna the puppy? She loves to dig (as do the chipmunks) and freshly dug soil is the best ever. My inattention has resulted in several disasters over the past few weeks. Now I plan for the onslaught.

I’ve let the mustard and parsley go to seed in another bed to attract pollinators.

Nasturtiums are a wonderful addition to a salad and they are blooming with the spring rain.

Nasturtiums

These have come up in one of my half barrels of dwarf Meyer lemon trees. The nasturtiums, in truth, are looking healthier than the tree. It’s only borderline weather for lemon trees but I love having the lemons available when I want a tablespoon of juice to add to a dish.

Ditto the fresh chives.

Chives

The roses are showing some buds and I have noticed the appearance of aphids. Where are the lady bugs? I don’t use any pesticides with the exception of Sluggo (you would too if you saw the size of our slugs and the damage they can do in a single night). So I washed them off with a strong spray from the hose.

Aphids!

It appears that the Just Joey rose is going to be the first to bloom. It’s one of my favorites.

Just Joey

A friend on the board at the Mendocino County Botanical Gardens (MCBG) gifted me this beautiful Aeonium, I just popped it in to an existing pot of succulents where it looks beautiful. I didn’t appreciate succulents until fairly recently. They come in an amazing variety, are low maintenance and drought tolerant. Facts that are increasingly valuable these days.

The first azaleas and rhododendrons are blooming. They seem to be late this year, it’s been cold.

Azalea

Rhododendron

The rhododendron is one of the new ones and is still small, that didn’t stop it from putting out those amazing lavender/pink blooms.

The MCBG just started a ‘nature journaling club’ that meets once a month. Although not an artist I enjoy the meditative quality of looking closely at nature. Here’s my first effort:

If you live in the area, please consider joining us. You will find information on the MCBG website.

That’s my summary this month. Happy gardening everyone. How is your garden doing? Please consider commenting and giving me an update. I’d love to hear from you.