This week in the garden - #54

Weed, prune, repeat. Weed, prune, repeat. That's been my week in the garden. Those never ending chores are truly...um... never ending. But, I did manage to do a couple of other things, as well.

My new fountain was delivered and Hubby Dear installed it for me. It still needs some rock work to surround it, but it's flowing, much to the delight, I'm sure, of all the critters that call the backyard home.

I got my tomatoes and tomatillos planted into the veggie garden beds. I have to tread carefully in the vegetable garden these days because there is a new family there. My pair of Eastern Bluebirds are feeding a family of nestlings and I don't like to stress the wary parents with my presence. I haven't checked the box to see how many babies there are, but there were five blue eggs in the box last week. I hope they all hatched, because you can't have too many bluebirds!

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While I was in the backyard today, a Monarch butterfly fluttered by. That's the first one I had seen in almost a month. My milkweed is beginning to put up green shoots, but there isn't nearly enough of it to feed ravenous caterpillars yet. I may get some more plants from the nursery, just to be prepared in case a passing Monarch wants to leave me some eggs.

Earlier this week, I saw my second Tiger Swallowtail butterfly of the season. I continue to be surprised by the presence of these butterflies so early in the year. I'm beginning to get used to the Black Swallowtails which seem to be ever-present in the garden these days.

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White is the color of the new blooms in the garden this week.

The white loropetalum, 'Emerald Snow,' isn't nearly as floriferous yet as the pink variety, but it has a few blossoms now. I've had the plant only for a couple of years, while I've had the pink one for many years, so it hasn't quite had a chance to establish itself. One day I hope it will be covered with these white blooms, even as its cousin is covered in pink "fringe.'

The white yarrow is beginning to bloom, also. I didn't notice until I uploaded the picture that one of the blossoms has a visitor.

 It appears to be an assassin bug, one of the many insects which do such good work to help the gardener who is canny enough to forego pesticides.

I do like these pretty blooms and they are very attractive to butterflies and other pollinators, as well.

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Well, the story isn't all about white.

The 'Red Baron' peach that had its very first bloom just last week is now almost full of its delightful blossoms.

And, in another part of the garden, the little redbud tree is just beginning to bud out. Many of the redbud trees in the area are already blooming, but mine seems to be of a different variety from them. It always blooms just a little later. By this time next week, it should be full of those iconic spring flowers.

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My work is cut out for me in the coming week. If I can get the load of moss rocks delivered, I can begin forming the beds around the perimeter of my new patio and begin my planting there, and I can finish the rock work around the fountain. If I can manage all that, I'll have a lot to show you next week!

Happy gardening and don't forget to "spring forward" tonight. Daylight Saving Time begins in the wee small hours of Sunday morning.