While I am going on about my garden doings I wanted to add that I saw my first robins in the yard yesterday and see them again today. Seems like they should have been here earlier but it was a cold spring.

Yesterday the chicadees started nesting in the small box in my backyard daylily garden. They nested in the same birdhouse last year. Usually I see them checking out all the birdhouses around the yard before choosing one but not this year. They just went and picked that box right away. So now they are bringing in nesting material. Mostly I always see them use moss at the bottom of the box for lining.

I have been working in the yard mulching daylilies and roses, too.I ran out of mulch before I could finish everything.I have gotten so tired that I was tripping over my own feet, now thats tired.My one daughter told me I been pushing it all week and I should just rest tomorrow and do nothing.I am trying to get finished before it turns to 90 outside with high humidity.I ran out of mulch today.I have 3 beds finished,and 2 left to do,after I am able to get more mulch.I had about half dozen hummingbirds coming to my feeders until that storm,now I have not seen one in several days.It has turned very cool again,its 48 now and suppose to drop to 41...

Jean

I'm with you, Jean. That's the reason for all the work because that Southern Summers is on the way.

I am in a quandry too. I need to mulch, but am somewhat afraid to since it is a very effective way of hiding the presence of voles until after they have decimated some of the plants.

Off topic, I am sitting in the office at work, with a vase of roses and iris from my garden on the desk. The fragrance of the roses has filled the entire room. It is a sweet fragrance.
kay

I am still removing the leaf mulch from the winter, just about done, still have my roses and the hydrangea covered.
I think today I will free the roses.
So how often do you have to redo the straw mulch, Rita? I would think that would last some time.
Kay, that must be wonderful to have that fragrance, with the roses and iris.
The birds have been quite active here too. I am only seeing the male ducks, which means the females are laying on their eggs. We almost always first see the baby ducks on Mother's Day.
cindy

We did have all the expected rain and the power went off at about eleven Pm and went back on about 3 Pm. This morning it is lovely out, bright and sunny so clear after the storm.

I picked a great time to do all the fertilizing as the rain has soaked it in for me as I expected.

So looks like lots of us are mulching or thinking of starting mulching. Cindy, if I had bagged leaves from the fall (I don't) I would be putting them on the gardenbeds. I never remove anything I use to mulch. It just eventually breaks down and feeds the garden. As to how often I mulch, it depends on how thickly. Last spring I mulched the roses I redid the other day and I also used straw. I really should have added mulch again in the fall but I didn't so had almost nothing left there this spring. I will definately have to mulch them again come fall.

I usually do the daylilies in the fall too with bagged leaves I have picked up in the fall. Then I use straw as needed in the spring. Now I have to use the straw heavily on the daylilies as I didn't do the leaves in the fall. So I am mulching the daylilies and as I am done, you see a bed of straw with some daylily leaves sticking out. As the daylily fans grow and the straw settles down, you don't see much of it any more.

Today I see that my early tulips that I have way out in front there on the left side of the front yard are really starting to open. It needs afew more days before I can take a picture as there do need to be more open but the effect is really lovely. They are planted directly behind the two rows of daylilies going accross the front and some in between.

The effect is going to be all the bright colors in front of the two tiers of daffs in shades of yellow and orange that are thickly planted and putting on the show. The tulips just make it all come together.

These are early single tulips I bought from Scheepers. I bought the mixed colors. Anyway, I never had early tulips before, I didn't realise they are smaller and shorter than the more common type. But they look good there in that spot.

Rita,
Sounds like you're getting your gardening in full swing!

It is a glorious day, so when I got home, I made a banana pudding, to liberate the banana peels for the roses, then planted seven roses. I then transplanted a flat of and a few volunteer zinnias, then got busy and pulled that thug New Dawn rose somewhat back into its allotted apace.

I would never have believed that little New Dawn "twig" I ordered from from Heirloom would become such a monster! It is currently covered with buds, so it will keep DH under its spell. He loves that rose because it is so huge and healthy, not to mention beautiful in that enormous first bloom.

I need to deadhead roses and to weed some more, but it isn't happening today.

I can't wait to see your tulip photos. I love tulips! There is no such thing as an unlovely tulip.

There is so much I want to do in the garden, but I am about to crash and burn.
Oh yes. Later today, I will upload some pictures...the iris are beginning to look good!
kay

Yes, gardening season is starting in full swing around here very soon. What I especially love is that when I go outside now things are green. Been waiting seems like forever for things to green up and start growing. Of course it will all get much greener as leaves are now just coming out on the shrubs and trees. Plus the perennials just starting to grow. But my roses are leafed out and my Serviceberries are just about to bust into bloom. In fact the Grandiflora which is the tree form and my earliest has already started to open. The shrub serviceberries will soon follow.

I am going out now to plant the four seed envelopes of Sweet Pea seeds I bought last week and have soaking since last night. Other than that I haven't done much in the garden today other than gawk at my lovely daffs and soon to be blooming tulips.

I noticed today that the flowering cherry trees around town are starting to bloom. My tree Serviceberry is also blooming.

My clematis vines I ordered from Silver Star Vinery came today and I already planted them. Only four so it was no big deal to get done. And I planted my sweet peas yesterday.

So it was bright and sunny this morning when I took pictures but overcast now with afew sprinkles. No big deal on the rain except I was going to spray my roses but decided to hold off until another day. It would be the first spraying.