This week in the garden - #62

This week in the garden found me spending lots of time in the vegetable garden, weeding, clearing away the last of of the winter greens, preparing beds for planting. I still haven't planted my green beans - I judged it too cool - but tomorrow, I think, will be the day to get those seeds into the ground!

I have other seeds waiting to be planted as well, so the weekend could be a busy one in the garden.

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Stop the presses! We got rain again this week - a little over two inches on the weekend and another 0.6 of an inch in the middle of the week. Of course, some places in the area got more than they bargained for, up to 8 inches in a few hours. Ours, however, came more gently and slowly and was much appreciated.

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There are lots of new blooms in the garden this week. I've already showed you the first magnolia blossom and the first Justicia 'Orange Flame' blossom. Here are a few more new blooms brightening my world.

The first of the old species cannas that live in various beds around my garden opened their blooms.

In the wildflower garden, the blanket flowers blanketed the bed with their bright colors.

Butterflies, as well as the bee you see headed for a landing here, were happy to see the orange milkweed open.

Nearby, the yellow variety was open as well and was being visited by brightly colored milkweed bugs.

 The daylilies are beginning their bloom and the first is always this old mahogany and gold number.

The name of this amaryllis is lost somewhere in the chaos of my garden records, but even without a name, it's quite pretty, I think.

May might just be more full of flowers than any other month. They are opening almost faster than I can record them, and the garden is actually beginning to look like a garden once again.

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Flowers are nice, but the real story in my garden this week has been the birds.

On Tuesday, a pair of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks spent the day with me before continuing their migration. They spent their time refueling at my backyard feeder system.

And today, the orioles arrived! Well, at least this young male Baltimore Oriole did. He was hungry, too, and I learned quickly that he really, really liked oranges. I think he is a first-year bird for he's not as brightly colored as older males, but if he keeps eating those oranges, he'll get there.

I hope your week has been full of color and perhaps new birds coming by for a visit. Happy gardening!