Carolina Wrens in a King's Head

A few years ago, before we screened in the front porch, a Carolina Wren made a nest in this decorative king's head that I brought home from England.

When enclosing the porch my husband created a dog door by overlapping 2 pieces of fiberglass screening. This spring a Carolina Wren (they mate for life) made a nest in the same king's head.

Not only built a nest but fed & nurtured 5 baby birds by using the dog door. Hopping in & out by pushing the screen apart. 

When the babies made it out onto the porch they huddled together for a day or two & the parents tried feeding them by pushing food through the tiny holes in the screening but finally decided they had to come inside to be successful. We opened the doors to let them all fly out last week.

Such a delight to have the time to watch all this unfold.

Purple Tiers in the Shade Garden

The cool wet weather of late spring has made a lush shade garden

Above Chinese foxgloves (Rehmannia elata) that some call Beverly Bells

http://www.plantdelights.com/Rehmannia-elata-for-sale/Buy-Beverly-Bells/ is growing through Hydrangea serrata 'Beni Gaku'

Another delightful Hydrangea serrata is 'Purple Tiers'; a gift cutting from my friend Teresa. It has taken 2-3 years to get to this lovely little shrub.

Catchfly in Bloom

This week the annual Catchfly (Silene ameria) is in full bloom.

 I love this with the blue larkspur, above & below, it is covering the dying foliage of daffodils something it figured out on its own no interference from me.

 Opposite it has crossed the path to infiltrate the 'Paprika' Yarrow somewhat psychedelic.

Catchfly produces prolific seed & I usually collect some for other parts of the garden. Original seed came from Wildseed Farms in Texas.

Spring & Summer Flowers

This week I am so glad it is spring again with temperatures in the 70's & nights as low as 49.

We have a had quite a lot of rain & summery weather this month so things are growing well.

Larkspur & Poppies at the old veggie garden

&

Louisiana Iris in the rain garden

The Magnolia grandiflora is blooming as are the Kleim's Hardy Gardenias

I always think of these as June flowers

Most gardeners I talk to think things are getting hotter earlier

Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) with Catmint (Nepeta 'Six Hills Giant')

& if you look carefully, a bee

Tiny White Flowers

Plants with small open flowers good for short tongued pollinators are blooming.

 Above Tiarella cordifolia 'Brandywine' from my friend Teresa is more a foliage plant but these foamy flowers are a delight for pollinators & me. Learn all about these plants from Tony Avent.
http://www.plantdelights.com/Article/Tiarella-Foam-Flowers


Serrisa foetida has done well in my garden although it does lose it's leaves in winter; in spring it bursts into bloom with a profusion of single white flowers. Around the corner from this shady garden the rabbits eat the small divisions I put in there almost to the ground. Each year they leaf out on the shrubby stubs and gain stature but no flowers yet. Maybe next year. This plant is often used for bonsai due to it's tiny flowers & foliage.

Bus shelter, telephone & post boxes with Daffodils

Near Chipping in Lancashire UK which is in a designated 'place of outstanding beauty' on maps I saw this example of how the British delight in making gardens everywhere.

Shrubs on steroids?

After 2 weeks away some of the spring blooming shrubs are in full bloom. 

At the park side in morning sun & afternoon shade the Viburnum macrocephalum 

or Chinese Snowball as it is know has 6 inch balls of bloom. It has grown far too tall & I plan to cut it back after flowering. This shrub, which is protected but trees & other shrubs, often opens a few blooms early in February. I haven't tried cutting this but it looks like total bridal bouquet.

The lime green color when it first opens is most attractive.

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/all/viburnum-macrocephalum/

These dusky magenta flowers belong to  the hybrid Calycanthus "Hartlage Wine' developed at NCSU. They are big & beautiful but like so many hybrids no perfume is present. The native Carolina allspice or Sweet Betsy, it's parent, is renown for it's sweet scent. Whether this is an improvement depends on your sensibilities.

https://extensiongardener.ces.ncsu.edu/extgardener-jcra-introduces-hartlage-wine/