Kaseys Korner

current favorites

many in my favorite color, (no secret what that is) pink.  A pale, pale shade is brightening up the back corner shade bed on this beautiful delphinium:

 

Out in the sunny front terrace garden, my favorite poppy of all time is blooming ~ the pink peony poppy:

 

I love everything about them, the blooms the most, but even the unopened poppy heads:

 

are very attractive to me.  The seed pods are great too, as you all know.  I used to cut them for dried arrangements but now I leave every single one in hopes of a giant show the following year.  I never get it.  Only a few sprinkle themselves about but as long as they continue to keep a presence, I'll be happy.  Also back in the corner shade bed, the thalictrum is almost over (this photo was taken a week ago):

 

It was magnificent this year ~ I think it really flourished in our wet, cool June weather.  Here are a couple macros I also took a while ago.  First the buds:

 

You almost have to look at them from an intimate distance to appreciate the tiny, airy blooms.

 

Otherwise they just look like a mass of pink fluff.  A pretty mass of fluff tho:

I wish I remembered the full latin name but I've been hauling this plant around from garden to garden since 1996.  The lone non-pink bloom I'm enjoying in this grouping is Eremurus 'Cleopatra' (foxtail lily) that I planted last fall:

 

Out of the three plants I received, only one lone bud stalk emerged and bloomed.  Hopefully, next year I'll get a better showing.  There's been a request for more long shots of my garden so I am going to try and accommodate that in the next few days.  Today, I ran out of time to take any garden photos so you just get the compilation of blooms.  I know you all know how that goes ~ thank goodness. 

grape jelly

If anyone tracks consumer grocery purchases and looked at mine in the last month and a half, they'd think I'd suddenly developed an obsession with grape jelly.  I don't just buy it by the single jar, I have to buy it in multiples.  I never knew what an attraction it would be in my garden when I purchased that "high end" feeder last winter for the orioles.  It has turned out to be the "go-to" place for many more birds than just them.  Here's a sampling of the birds I caught visiting/indulging during my thirty minute lunch break yesterday (making me the worst dining companion in history, I might add, since I did little conversating and mostly clicking).  A house finch:

They have loved both the oranges & the jelly whenever they can squeeze in line behind the bigger birds that visit.  One of those being the Blue Jays who first checked out the feeder when they were nesting.

 

Now that the young have fledged, they still visit daily to check for peanuts & sample a couple bites of jelly.  The most surprising visitor to the jelly jars are the Robins:

 

I've never had a Robin visit any feeder in my yard before so I was certainly surprised to discover them on this one.  But you can see (by the telltale traces of jelly on his beak) that they are also enjoying the sweet treat.  Of course, the feeder was designed primarily for Orioles and now that the Blue Jays have left, they are back in droves.  It's really amusing to watch them make their way onto the jelly cups.  They never fly directly to them.  They land in the Aspen trees, hop onto the arbor then thread their way thru the honeysuckle vines until they are positioned just so:

 

After going thru all those acrobatics, they waste no time eating upon arrival.  I loved this photo of the male Bullock's oriole, beak open, ready to dive in for a big bite:

 

The feeder is in such high demand, there is often a line.  Here's an example taken mostly for my father who found it amazing that they wouldn't be territorial:

 

I haven't observed that, it's like they've had a few lessons in manners.  One will eat while the others wait.  But as soon as one is finished and takes flight:

 

The second moves in.  And so it goes.  I could have sat there all afternoon snapping pictures.  I have to enjoy it while I can tho ~ the Orioles will start to head south in July and that will be it until next season.  I can't believe it's almost over already....

butterfly display case

Last summer, while shopping at one of my local greenhouses, I saw a dead swallowtail butterfly laying among the container plants for sale.  I asked the sales lady if I could take him home with me since he was so perfectly preserved.  She obliged and added him to my box at check out.  At the time, I had no idea what I would do with him so I tucked him carefully away after arriving home.   Last fall it came to me ~ I decided to mount him in a display case with a coordinating photo. 

Like many of you, I enjoy the challenge taking a great butterfly photo presents.  The end of summer always produces the best photos for me.  They seem much less skittish by then or maybe they're just languid because of the heat??  Either way, butterflies and flowers are the essence of summer, hence the title of the display case. I thought the photo and the specimen were perfect companions although I'd rather see the butterfly alive rather than dead.

 

This project is now the property of Crafts 'N Things magazine and I am enjoying it only thru the photos I took or by looking at a current copy of the magazine (where it can be found).  It was fun to create tho and I'm happy I could provide the Swallowtail with a beautiful resting place.

Bur Oak Acorns

Yes, I know I'm a little "out of season" here but I feel like shouting ~ I've found an old acorn cap.  So yes, Virginia Gail, there is are a Santa Claus acorns on my Bur Oak afterall.  Maybe I should back up.  Last fall, Gail showed some beautiful acorns she had collected from the Bur Oak in her garden.  They were gorgeous, giant, furry specimens and it perplexed me even more as to why I haven't had any on mine.  It was planted about 12 years ago and my only theory was it had to be a certain size/age to produce them??  Anyway, yesterday, during another one of our (frequent this year) severe storms, which produced wind gusts up to 80 mph, look what blew down:

 

It's an old acorn cap!  That means there must have been at least a few acorns last year that I wasn't aware of.  Maybe this year will be the year for the first real crop??  Here's what they look like on the tree so far:

 

Something seems different about them but I don't know what??  I'm hoping it's a difference that means they will develop into full blown acorns.  In previous years, they get about this big, then turn brown and dry up:

Certainly these are not the beautiful acorns I know they have the potential to be.  All of the sudden, I'm excited for fall.  I am crossing my fingers/toes and everything in-between that my Oak tree will bear fruit this year. 

PS  I know this isn't as exciting for most of you as it is for me.  I hope you'll humor me for posting about it ~ I've been waiting a long time for this to happen! 

time for the garden at last

Seems strange to say that but I've been so busy lately I haven't had much time to actually work in the garden.  Ten minutes here or there with the camera and I have to go in.  This morning I was up early, the soil was moist from our rain last night and I was energized.  The perfect recipe for accomplishing garden tasks.  I have been meaning to cut the oriental poppies back (they have long since been done blooming) and fill the void around them with the 'Antiquity' Cosmos seedlings I started in April.  Check that off the list. 

 

The poor seedlings were about a foot high, blooming & desperate to get in some actual soil.  I'm so glad I could finally accommodate them.  While I was out there, I found the most wonderful surprise.  The poppies heads (about to open):

that I thought were all pink peony poppies, were NOT!  Look what greeted me: 

 

A 'Lauren's Grape' carnation poppy (papaver somninifera), named after Lauren Springer Ogden for those of you acquainted with her.  I have no idea if this poppy is available worldwide or only regionally??  I know our local greenhouse grows and sells it annually.  I bought a few last year and obviously, it reseeded.  Hooray for happy moments like these.  Another surprise that might make you pause is:

 

Yes, a Hellebore bloom!  Crazy, huh?  I added a few to my garden earlier this year (after seeing so many gorgeous ones on your blogs) and I guess it likes where I planted it because I never expected a bloom this year.  This one is 'Red Lady' but the bloom is anything but red.  I hope it wasn't mismarked although I'm sure it will be beautiful no matter the color.  I would say my day is off to a good start!  I hope yours is too. 

ten minutes

was about all the time I had in the garden yesterday.  But ten minutes can be very revealing ~ you can see the Asiatic lilies have begun to bloom.  'Dolly Madison:'

 

is looking great (and the perfect color for the upcoming 4th of July holiday).  A little more subtle is 'Lollipop:'

 

I actually happened to "catch" 'Lollipop' the other morning when she was just a bud.  Look how fun the morning light makes this photo:

 

I added several varieties of lilies to the garden this spring.  I'm not sure why I was on such a lily kick?  I don't see any bees or butterflies landing on the blooms??  I have been trying not to plant anything that doesn't benefit wildlife but maybe I was just in a plant "pretty" phase?  Ten minutes, if you're willing to look closely, will also reveal a lady bug searching for a meal:

 

He's on the tip of a way-past-its-peak Black & Blue Salvia bloom above and below, he stopped long enough to clean his face:

 

When you get such an intimate distance to them, you see their faces/heads are really warrioresque.  Complete with pincers, etc., ~ no wonder they can demolish so many aphids.  In ten minutes time you will also see:

 

Echium Amoenum is in full bloom.  What a beauty she is.  Going about the business of life, a baby bunny accompanied me around the garden:

 

They have eaten a few flowers and leaves of plants in the beds but mostly they are in the lawn.  My philosphy in regards to bunnies (especially the babies) is "I have enough to share."  Maybe easy to say because I'm not overrun with them???  The last photo taken in the last minute is of a cowslip bloom (Primula veris) that seemed to be the center of activity:

 

A spider (or is it two ~ maybe one is a victim??) both found their way to this particular bloom.  I was never quite sure what was going on ~ all I know is ten minutes can be quite enough to enrich anyones day.

first appearances

that's what the three items in this post have in common.  All three are making their debut in my garden today.  One I started late from seed, Giant White Moonflowers have just sprouted:

 

I sure hope they really are fast growing so they bloom before September!  Next year, I'll remember to start them earlier.  The second item was an impulse purchase that I am not having buyers remorse over AT ALL.  It's another tuteur/obelisk for the garden (you can never have too many vertical structures, right?) that I found at Lowes. 

 

Isn't it the coolest thing?  The bottom part folds in half too while the top (armillary piece) spins in two different places.  I suppose you would call it an "Armillary" Tuteur?  Here's a closer look at the top:

 

It was sitting in an aisle (in the garden section), the only one of its kind, and totally unmarked.  I think it fell from the sky just for me!  I've usually had good luck with items that are unmarked ~ it seems like I get them for less than I think they'll be.  No one could find any information on it so they sold it to me for $24.97.  I consider myself lucky.  At the moment there is a clematis and a couple moonflower seedlings at its base so I'm sure you'll see it again.  The third and final item are the pink coneflowers just opening:

 

I always associate them with mid to late summer so I can't decide if I'm happy to see them or not?  Summer is going WAY too fast for me, isn't that always the case??

light and bright

after an evening of dark and stormy is just what I need today.  We spent over an hour huddled in our basement last night because of a severe thunderstorm and tornado warning that our house was smack dab in the center of ~ not my idea of fun.  Thankfully, no damage to us or anyone around.  This morning the skies are bright and sunny again.  I walked the gardens first thing checking for damage but all appears to be well other than a slew of rose petals strewn around and some small tree limbs down.  I can handle that.  In keeping with the "light and bright" theme-of-the-day, I thought these images from the garden would be really appropriate.  The antique birdfeeder smothered/surrounded in pink roses:

 

I've continued putting peanuts inside it this summer while the Blue Jays are raising their babies.  Last summer I discontinued that practice until fall.  They never miss when I fill it ~ it's cleaned out within 20 minutes of adding the treats.  Look at the babies tho ~ they are going to leave the nest any day now:

 

Now that they're so big, I can easily see four when before I thought maybe there were only two young ones.  The backyard will feel a little "empty" when they leave, that's for sure.  But maybe I can get back to oriole watching and hummingbird feeding.  Since we're talking about birds, Clematis 'Josephine' has twined to the top of the birdhouse container and has its first bud.  I am so excited for it to open since she's a new vine to my garden this year:

 

This is my second purchase of 'Josephine.'  The first vine I overwatered, a practice I need to exercise caution about.  The last "light and bright" image is of my vintage step ladder (placed in the garden late last month for the amaryllis).  It is being overtaken by Campanula punctata 'Cherry Bells:'

 

How can I be upset ~ they are so pretty.  A bell that dangles is always welcome and all the more endearing because they are more pink than "cherry."  I think the amaryllis are okay to share?  I definitely don't have to water today, since we received about an inch of rain with our storm last night.  That leaves me free to do other things.  I wonder what those things will be.... 

cool birdhouses

I'm afraid I'm going to disappoint you all with my pathetic showing of garden tour photos.  I honestly don't know what happened.  I had my camera with me and I came home with little snippets of gardens, not whole gardens themselves.  Many of the "snippets" were of birdhouses, which I've never particularly photographed before.  I'm hoping you'll like them as much as I did and accept them as substitutes for really great gardens.  Okay, maybe NOT but it's about all I came home with...  These two were hanging in a very fetching cherry tree:

I would love to have one of these cherry trees in my yard too.  Maybe I can pull out some aspen and add one:

 

Aren't they great?  Back to birdhouses.  The next two were in the same garden.  It was filled almost exclusively with David Austin Roses intermingled with birdhouses and clematis vines.  These were the two I selected as "best of show:"

 

Anything with stars works for me but what I really adored was this:

 

I have no idea of the practicality of such a three holed birdhouse but for decorative purposes, it can't be beat!  I love the paint color, the shabby chic of it, etc., etc.  Where does one find these kind of things??  Do you suppose the owners made it from old wood themselves??  We also saw a beautifully adorned table situated underneath a grand maple tree (which I took nary a photo of???) but I did take a photo of the chandelier that was suspended above the table on a pulley system:

 

How romantic is that?  I can just imagine a zillion meals, drinks etc., with flickering candlelight for ambiance.  The very last photo I took was of a bubbly water feature with a rose backdrop:

 

A different photographer will definitely have to be hired before the next tour! 

Father's Day wish

May you have a happy day:

doing something which brings you joy. 

 

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads in the world and from my daughter to her daddy too.

P.S.  We'll get back to some garden tour photos tomorrow.