Wind in the Willows

Today was overcast and windy, providing a good opportunity to make a video of my dwarf blue arctic willow shrubs. They look so pretty when they sway back and forth in the breeze.

Bird Garden

We recently got a good amount of rain, and now the perennials are really beginning to bloom out in the bird garden.  At this point most everything is a shade of purple, but soon there will be white, yellow, orange, and pink.

One of my favorites is salvia.  I have several kinds planted throughout the yard, but this variety is more blue than purple.  Salvia has a long, reliable bloom time and is a favorite of bumblebees.  If you deadhead it after the initial blooms fade, it will even bloom a second time later in the summer.  Sweet!

I started this garden in the summer of 2008.  A few of the perennials from the 2008 season did not emerge the following year.  I replanted some, but now I think some of the 2008 plantings have returned!  Maybe they were patiently establishing their root systems last year?  Whatever the case, I was pleasantly surprised to see them all emerge this Spring.  I will remember this and try to be a bit more patient and optimistic in the future.

There is one particular perennial planted in 2008 that is blooming beautifully for the 3rd year in a row.  Unfortunately, it is the only plant whose identity I can't remember.   I'm pretty sure it's a native but I can't find it listed in my "Native Plants of Wisconsin" book.  It's blooms are purplish magenta but have bits of blue near the tips.  They are small but tubular in shape.  Today I noticed a bumblebee tucked inside one of them and thought surely these blooms must attract hummingbirds as well.  The entire plant is about a foot tall by a foot wide.  Maybe I'll come across the name in one of my Google searches.

The young Shasta daisy plant that I planted in late April has it's first bloom.  I've had trouble getting daisies established in other parts of the yard so I'm really hoping this one will do well.  They are such cheery flowers and their crisp white color really brightens up the garden.

I'm happy to see my joe-pye weed emerging in two different areas of the garden.  This is one of the plants that I replanted last year after assuming the first planting had died.  Other perennials that will be blooming soon are bee balm, butterfly weed (2 kinds!), blazing stars, echinacea, and moonbeam coreopsis.  I am excited about the butterfly weed since milkweed is the only plant that monarch butterflies lay their eggs on.   It is also an important food source for caterpillars and adult butterflies.

Each new year brings exciting new changes to the bird garden.  It is a pleasure to watch it mature and become a haven for all of my little winged friends.