Suburban Wildlife Garden: blue mistflower

Friday, April 4, 2008

My 1st Blogoversary

It's my first blogoversary today. Not sure what the netiquette rules are for announcing one's own celebration. I realize I don't have a knockout garden nor an amazing blog like some of the really talented people in the Gardening Blogosphere, but I am enjoying myself and have made some lovely friends. Thanks to all of you who've kindly commented here over the past year. You've made me feel so welcome in cyberspace.

There is another small milestone here at my house: For the first time ever one of my orchids has re-bloomed. Not sure how I managed it. Just dumb luck to be honest. But here it is...

Woohoo!

I've also decided to stop waiting for my illusive swimming pool project to materialize and am putting in some edgers around a little flower bed I've been half-heartedly planting near my back fence.

So far I have lipstick salvia...

...coral honeysuckle...

...milkweeds and an assortment of annuals & baby perennials in that area. Unfortunately I've had a few casualties: the neighborhood Tom Cat marked my year-old passionflower to death and the Lawnmower Monster murdered my newly purchased misterflower. I am hoping an edging will protect the perennial bed; if not from the cat, at least from the Lawnmower Monster.

The hummingbirds are back in force. As you can see by the cloudiness of the sugar water in the photo below it was time for a new batch of the sweet stuff yesterday...

This Black-chinned Hummingbird seemed content to sip even when I was only a few feet away.

They really are amazing acrobats...

I also have a sunflower seed feeder near my family room windows that the finches and squirrels love. This squirrel enjoys the upturned crock as his own personal throne.

Today also happens to be the beginning of the 2008 Garden Bloggers Spring Fling here in Austin. Pam, MSS, Diana and Bonnie are on the Planning Committee. Thanks ladies, for all your hard work! :-)

How lucky I am to have made new friends in only one year of blogging! Like Anne of Green Gables, I feel quite fortunate to have found some 'kindred spirits' in such a short time. For this I'm truly grateful.

Love is like the wild-rose briar;
Friendship is like the holly-tree.
The holly is dark when the rose briar blooms,
But which will bloom most constantly?~Emily Brontë

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Giving Thanks

November weather has been pleasant here in Austin. I really enjoy autumn. My parents are coming down to visit us for Thanksgiving, which should be fun. I won't be blogging for a week or so, but in the meantime here are some photos from my last visit to Natural Gardener Nursery. Enjoy!