Despite the Squirrels ...

... the dwarf sunflowers seem to be doing well, now that I've moved them to a new location. They've set a number of buds and open up a little more every day.

Ready for a Close-Up

A few weeks ago, we got a new camera. For quite some time, I'd been continually frustrated by my inability to take non-blurry close-ups in the garden, as evidenced by this shot from last summer.


Some of that it definitely my fault: I've got extremely limited skills in the photography department, plus my hands tend to shake just enough to affect the outcome (although this never seems problematic or even noticable unless I'm holding a camera). My own shortcomings aside, our previous camera was about four years old, being a wedding gift M and I gave to each other. It worked fine, but as happens with most "consumer electonics," camera technology has really improved in those few years.

After reading an NYT article about the newer optical stabilizing features, I did a little Consumer Reports research and picked out a camera that I thought would do the trick. The bad news: I didn't really think about how inconvenient a camera that uses standard batteries (even when you take rechargeables into consideration) would be. The good news: National Camera Exchange is awesome and let me swap out the initial purchase for a slightly better model that includes a lithium-ion rechargeable battery: the wonderful Olympus Stylus 1010.

The result? Photos I never could have taken before, including those below. Click on any of them to see just how crisp the detail is.

Oh, and in addition to providing fantastic customer service, National Camera Exchange includes a voucher for a free photography class with every camera purchase. Between the class, which I'll take sometime this summer, and the new camera, I'm really tickled about what's in store for photgraphing the garden this year.

Work-Day Twins Outing

Whatever Aeric's selling, L1 isn't buying it.


We didn't plan to order this much tequila, but it was two-for-one with a game ticket!

The Finishing Touches

Not to suggest that I'm done making changes for the year, but for the most part, the beds in the backyard are done!

Back Bed

Here's how it "started" (after I cleaned it all up) this year.

A few weeks later (you can tell by how much bigger the perennials got), here's how it looked after rearranging some things (according to the nerdy garden plan) and adding a few new items.

Here's the final (for now) version, after adding the alyssum edging.

Tomato Beds

These are pretty much the same as last year, but with more teepees (so each tomato plant gets its own support) and alyssum edging.

Front Bed

By the end of last year, the stachys (lamb's ears) had completely taken over the front bed. They looked really ratty by mid-summer and then just kept getting bigger until they almost swallowed up the nearby annuals. M's take: "Looks like you got ten pounds of sh-t in a five pound bag." (He's so eloquent. But he's right -- look below.)

So I pulled it all out and gave half of it to Seza ...
... making room for a totally different approach.

Here's what was left after the clean-up.

I added a mix of annuals and perennials, following the nerdy garden plan and emphasizing contrasting foliage and butterfly/bird appeal.

Got a little excited while doing the planting and thought, "What the heck -- I'll expand the bed a few square feet."

Here's the "final for now" version, complete with alyssum edging.

So am I done for the year? Not even close! Now come all the new projects (pending budgetary approval), including:

• A more permanent pathway between the patio and the hammock (last year's path was just some hardwood chips on the ground);
• A pathway around the side of the house, leading from the front to the veranda, edged by some interesting ornamentals;
• Installing a shade garden (I'm thinking Looking Glass and Jack Frost brunnera, Ghost and Japanese painted ferns, and maybe some space for flowering annuals like torenia -- definitely no impatiens) under the pine tree to make it prettier and reduce the amount of lawn we have;
• Moving the lilacs, currently languishing in the shade to the south of our patio, to a sunny spot next to the front porch so they can really do their thing;
• Something with the shady part of the back fence (virginia creeper? short reed fencing?);
• Putting in a bed of drought-resistant plants -- anchored by tall ornamental grasses -- outside our dining room window, giving us more privacy and less lawn;
• And, come fall, expanding all of the backyard beds so I can have more space for edibles, a small walking path through the beds and, again, less lawn. :)

Is all of this going to happen this year? Not likely (it's certainly not all likely to make it through the budget review process), but it's nice to dream.

The Wrath of Sparklegirl: The Revenge of the Squirrels

If you were thinking that 2008 would be the year that our heroine makes peace with the tree rats who have so thwarted her gardening efforts in the past, think again.

Last summer, based on information from the local BB-gun store owner (who would have thought I'd ever type that?), I moved the birdbath over to the tree area where the squirrels live -- and it seemed to be working. Evidently, they were getting enough moisture and no longer felt the need to dug up my plants or remove their blooms for a quick snack. Things went relatively well for the remainder of the summer and I made a mental note for this year to be sure to "water the squirrels."

And I have certainly done so! In fact, M would say that maybe I went a little overboard with the birdbaths this year (granted, my reasons for doing so were primarily bird-, not squirrel-, related). We currently have three birdbaths in the backyard: the one I had last year (in approximately the same location) ...

... a pretty new one I bought as a treat for myself and because I was excited to have a birdbath closer to the veranda ...

... and this ground-level one (it's the top portion of a regular concrete birdbath and was a very good deal -- only $15), which is definitely being used by the birds but which I really intended for the squirrels. I wanted them to have no reason to mess with my plants!

All spring (at least, the portion of it that's been warm enough for being outdoors), I kept an eye out for evidence of the little buggers' plant-munching habits. I found a few holes dug here and there in containers, but no actual digging up and/or eating.

Until ...

Remember how I'm growing dwarf sunflowers again this year?

Evidently, the tree rats have other ideas. Grrr....

Once again, just like with my poor dianthus, they ripped off the bloom, took a taste, and left the thing there for me to find.

Seriously. They're asking for it.