Kaseys Korner

vintage watering can with rectangular rose!!

This spring I made an oath to myself NOT to be swayed into purchasing another vintage watering can unless it was very different from any others in my collection.

I think you know where this is going.  Yep ~ that very circumstance occurred yesterday while out junking!

How cool is the "rose" on this can???!!

No way I could pass it up.  I haven't ever seen one like it before, have you??

I wish I could try watering with it to see how well this shape works but unfortunately, the bottom of the can is rusted thru.  

I noticed the name "Sherman" on the back side of the rose & tried googling it but couldn't find anything??

hmmm.  It even has Regis curious!

Vintage watering cans can be pretty pricey (as those of you who collect them know.)  This one was originally $29.00 but I got it for 40% off! 

Now to find just the right place for it in the garden!

 

let sleeping bees lie??

I believe the answer is "yes."  That was my intention too when I found this bee sleeping inside a squash blossom:

but you know I couldn't resist taking his photo!  When I did that, the clicking of the camera roused him:

Feeling slightly guilty, I backed off & went back to watering ~ when I checked back, he had resumed sleeping.  I'm glad I didn't disturb him too much!  My friend Gail would know exactly what kind of bee he is but unfortunately not me.  All I know is he isn't a honey or bumble bee.

I was able to photograph him immediately because I've taken to wearing my camera around my neck each time I go outside now.  That practice was started so as not to miss any opportunities at photographing the newly arriving hummingbirds.  You never know when they'll present you with one & I want to be ready!  I have a LOT of room for improvement but here's the latest:

Slightly overexposed but don't worry, I'll keep trying!

My best chances are found near their favorite flowers which (in my garden) are Crocosmia, Monarda, Delphinium 'Red Carolina:'

Hosta, Zauschneria 'arizonica,'  phygelius, agastache & the red petunias in the little urn container below:

These blooms are spaced around the back garden & keep both them & me zipping between them.

Two new blooms (not hummingbird attractors) that I've not been very successful getting established are Phlox 'David:'

which I think needs to be in a sunnier location (I only have the two shown above:)

and the same problem (I think) for double Hollyhock 'Peaches 'N Dreams:'

Poor plant ~ it's only about 3' tall which is not right at all! 

I will be moving it this fall because I definitely want more:

I'm a total glutton for this color!

Maybe it would look good near 'Crown Princess Margareta' which is also reblooming:

Both are nothing short of luscious....

On an uglier note, a new arrival ~ I'm not so thrilled about ~ are jagged ambush bugs.  They don't usually show up here until mid summer but when they do, it's not hard to know as lifeless pollinators are dead giveaways (sometimes still seen in their clutches.)  I usually pick them off but I'm never successful at being casualty-free.  Perhaps a goal for another year???  or maybe too ambitious to attain??

 

Rufous hummingbirds

back in the garden!!  I wait every year for their brief return (it only lasts about a month & a half as they migrate south.)  I think their fleeting appearances make them all the more precious as visitors.  I'd seen several in the past week but hadn't yet made any attempts to photograph them.

Then yesterday, while hanging the vintage iron birdcage in the garden:

I sat down on the ground (to better photograph it)

When I got buzzed!

The juvenile Rufous hummingbird, that nearly sheared the top hairs off my head, was focused only on the crocosmia which is just beginning to bloom.  I snapped the photo above which called attention to myself & wonder of wonders, he came right over to me!!!

I've never had that happen before so I'm calling it my "hummingbird moment."  Frightened of scaring him off, I sat (completely still) while he inspected me.  Circling my head, clicking, zipping all around & finally, as if he determined I was no threat, proceeded to feed on the black & blue Salvia right next to my head!  Wouldn't you know I had my 75-300mm lens on the camera (which needs at least five feet to focus) so I could not get a photo!!  To have the "problem" of being TOO CLOSE to a hummingbird is not something I had ever imagined! 

Thankfully all was not lost because when he would land between feedings I was able to snap off the following shots:

Below, the photo you may have seen on Facebook:

I liked it because of his feet ~ something not always visible in photos!!

Below, back to Crocosmia 'Lucifer' but this time to perch:

But only for a moment, until a bare Dogwood branch appeared to be a better vantage point:

My favorite photo of all. 

The whole experience was wonderful ~ more like an "interaction" or as close as I can conceive one to be.   Definitely an interlude that will stay in my memory forever. 

heat zapped

The perfect illustration of how a photo is worth a million words....

Early AM ~ Oriental lily 'Stargazer' begins to open:

Fresh faced & dewy-eyed, right???  (just like I start the day!!)  ;-)

Eight hours & 100 degrees later:

Exactly how I feel ~ wilted, drained, depleted....

p.s.  'Stargazer' did perk up after I watered but never completely regained her original vigor & bright shine....  :-( 

 

Monarda, roses & babies

The unrelenting heat this summer has me viewing the garden (more than I want) from indoors.  I don't remember doing that so much in past summers?  I've been trying to work around it by doing most of my outdoor chores during the early AM & evening hours.  Maybe that's how gardeners in warmer climates have always done them??   Here, we are usually lucky enough to have breaks between heat waves but not so much this year.   It will take some adjusting if this is the new weather trend. 

This morning, I realized the heat has also been affecting my photography ~ most of the photos I was loading were taken through glass (& often a window screen too.) 

Above photo of my back garden just as the sun was rising. 

It looks like a "jungle" out there doesn't it??   All the beds really aren't "blending together" ~ it just looks that way from this angle.  I guarantee there are pathways in-between them!

As you can see, the (unknown) pink roses are reblooming, making me SO glad I cut them back the first of June.  Below ~ roses again with antique birdfeeder (which was broken the first time around)

Sometimes being indoors allows for better photos ~ like it does for me with bird shots! 

Below:  Baby Robin on top of the arbor:

and a baby Bullock's Oriole on top of the 'Abraham Darby' rose obelisk:

There are baby Orioles bouncing off everything in the back garden ~ I've counted at least eight there at one time!  Their curiosity, energy & unabandoned enthusiasm are truly amusing (& fun!) to watch as they explore the world outside their nest.  Aren't I the lucky one that they choose my garden for that?!!

Now for some photos I actually ventured outside to take:

'Croftway Pink' Monarda (I think??) with Nepeta 'Six Hills Giant:'

I have three different colored Monardas mixed together in this area & I don't remember planting them that way?? 

The bees aren't complaining

and neither am I ~ I just wish I knew which varieties they were & where the tags went??  Maybe this happened during one of my "moonlight" gardening spells??  I'm not always responsible for what goes on during that hour!

Back to roses ~ the pink ones in the first two photos aren't the only ones enjoying a second flush of blooms ~ 'Abraham Darby,' 'Crown Princess Margareta' & 'Princess Alexandra of Kent' are too. 

Below ~ 'Princess Alexandra of Kent:' (just to keep the pink theme going....)

and again (because I feel like it....):

'Winchester Cathedral' Rose Standard (also reblooming) with another view of that Monarda mixture in foreground:

One thing I absolutely don't mind venturing out for ~ the first ripe Cherry Tomatoes:

SO sweet ~ like eating candy! 

I'm also growing Lemon tomatoes & Big Boys but neither have ripened enough to harvest yet.  Hopefully soon.  You can bet I'll be out there picking, heat or not, when they're ready!!

Hosta 'sun power'

a beacon of brightness, rain or shine.

'Sun Power' went on my wish list after reading a post last summer by Jennifer ~ I bet you can see why?!!

The rain & cooler temperatures over the weekend meant more time outdoors to enjoy the garden & patio.  It felt SO nice to be able to wander out ANY time of the day versus only in the morning & evenings (like we've been doing these past scorching weeks.)  It also energized me to do some small projects I hadn't felt like doing in the heat ~ like rearranging garden shelves.

Even tho the shelves aren't anything cool or fancy, they serve the purpose of vertical interest on the stucco wall plus give me somewhere to display some of my vintage watering cans & other unused gardening paraphernalia:

Incredibly, the basket of violas survived the 100 degree heat & are looking a lot perkier in the cooler temps.

Please ignore the "pansy" stake ~ there were none that said "viola!"

Most of you are already acquainted with our cat, Regis, and know he is only allowed outdoors with supervision.  He generally hangs out in a patio chair, content to observe the birds & garden in comfort.  However, when I turned around from rearranging the shelves, he had climbed up the back of the chair cushion & was in this position:

Not sure what that was about??? 

When I said his name, he popped right down & looked at me as if to say "What??" "Me??"  "I wasn't doing anything."

A face that cute gets away with many, many transgressions!!!

One of the other jobs I did while puttering around was staking.  So many plants falling over in the rain & in general need of tidying.  I found a cool twine holder this spring which makes that job easier (and more fun!)

It's heavy, cast iron (I think?) with a rooster topper ~ just about perfect, right?!

It's been very handy to have outside ~ a purchase I've used a lot. 

This week is supposed to heat back up & dry out so I guess the only sound of water we'll hear is from the little fountain:

That's okay.  At least we got some rain ~ now I hope it spreads across the country to other parts that also need it.....

 

 

bird friendly

I heard it raining last night (during the night) & got up several times just to make sure I wasn't imagining or dreaming it.  Those of you also in a drought will understand that behavior!  This morning, I took my laptop out to the patio & sat with my bare toes dipped in a puddle of leftover rain water.  The cooler air felt so refreshing ~ it seemed everything else in the garden was responding to it too.

The birds were especially active.  Not that they aren't when it's 100 degrees but (call me crazy) they seem more energized at 70??  As I sat splashing my toes and watching them flit about, I wondered how they came to discover my little garden.  Maybe it's not so hard from up above to see a bird friendly garden??

I'm sure they don't judge by all the cute little bird knick-knacks hanging about ~ like the weathervane:

and scrolly bird stake stuck in the 'Jacob Cline' monarda blooms:

It's more the kind of cover I offer them along with water:

and food. 

The only foods I normally feed during the summer months are sugar water & grape jelly ~ both intended for Bullock's orioles and/or hummingbirds. 

Sitting quietly as I was, I had the privilege of witnessing a male Bullock's oriole feeding a fledgling some of the grape jelly from the feeder:

It's one of those scenes that make all the efforts in the garden worth while. 

The baby initially dropped the jelly, & like any patient father, the male bent to retrieve it & carefully put it back in the babies mouth:

I could have watched them all morning.  I'm always in awe of how quickly birds learn & the thought that this baby oriole will hopefully make its way back to my garden (& grape jelly feeder) next summer warms my heart.

So then bird feeders must be another clue (from overhead) of a bird friendly garden?

One day last week, in the near 100 degree heat, I worked hard at repairing the antique birdfeeder (the raccoons broke last winter) & now, it's back in its rightfully place in the garden:

The blue jays will be happy to find their morning peanuts there when they return from wherever they've been nesting and I am happy to see it back on its post again. 

Whatever I've done to bring the birds here, I hope I can keep it up.  They are such an integral part of the garden, I can't imagine gardening without them.

P.S.  Not a bird, but someone else who loves the garden ~ my other "baby" who has been recovering this week after an emergency stay at the 24 hour vet hospital:

He seems to be almost 100% & that, along with the rain showers & bird songs, make me a happy gardener.

 

Echinacea 'Aloha'

& friends....

Take a creamy golden yellow,

combine it with the warmer 'Sombrero Hot Coral:"

add in 'Summer Sky:'

& you get the effect of our sunsets since the wildfires.  Thankfully, the fires are getting under control & if the weatherman is right, we are in for some relief starting tomorrow.  Maybe rain (finally!) & high temps in the 80's.  SO hoping it's true.  The garden has been baking not to mention us.  We had the hottest June on record!

Thankfully, a few inhabitants (besides echinaceas) don't seem to mind ~ like Miniature Rose 'Cupcake':

and pale lavender Monarda (name momentarily eludes me:)

The first dahlias are also starting to bloom ~ the one below is a Harlequin mix:

As long as I water them, they seem okay to sizzle.

The heat doesn't seem to bother the vegetable garden ~in fact I'm having success where I never have before ~ look what's developing:

my very first home-grown artichoke!  Planted especially for my niece Brenna Marie.  When she visits she always wants artichokes but this year, instead of a trip to the grocery store, she'll be able to walk into the garden & pick her own!  I can't wait to watch that happen!!

Rex Begonias

Did any of you happen to see the article in the June 2012 issue of Country Living Magazine on Sean Conway's beautiful Rhode Island garden & his collection of Rex Begonia's?? 

In case you didn't, below are a few that were pictured:

I would be hardpressed to pick a favorite, they are ALL so beautiful.

Foliage like this is every bit as striking as any flower.

After viewing that photo, I was off on a Rex begonia quest!   (maybe I should unsubscribe to these garden friendly magazines that get my checkbook in trouble???)

Because now three Rex Begonias call my garden "home."

B. rex 'Curly Fireflush:'

B. rex 'Raspberry Swirl:'

and B. rex 'Fireworks:'

The plants are all quite small but I hope by the end of summer to show you a much bigger, better display. 

Not equal to the one in the article, mind you, but we all have to start somewhere.  :-) 

I also need to do some reading on wintering them over.  These are definitely the kind of plants you want to keep alive year after year....

Asiatic Lily 'Elodie'

Look Lona ~  a double!!!

I just posted last week about the bulbs blooming singlely instead of as doubles but today, the last bulb left to open bloomed correctly!!!! 

I direct this at Lona because her blog was the first place I saw these beautiful lilies.  Of course the pink color grabbed me instantly but the double petals are what truly did me in.  They went straight onto my fall bulb order!

Blogging & Pinterest ~ both bad for the wallet!!! 

Thank you Lona for the introduction tho ~ I'm certainly happy to have these in my garden!