April gardening problems discussed - hard freezes, blustery weather. The problems of moving an asparagus bed, and the problems of growing water cress.
This week's garden column 4/20/26 🌱 #gardening
A Great Blue Heron stands at the edge of a canal, about 1/2 way up a bank, with the water behind and low blue-flowering Dowingia (I think) flowers at the top of the bank.
The Great Blue Heron is now at the top of the bank and bent over, stalking through the Dowingia flowers (hopefully) for gophers. In the background is a cluster of taller Alyssums.
Another view of the Great Blue Heron stalking for prey on dry land.
Took these shots this morning through a rather dirty bedroom window but didn't dare show myself outside. Times like this I'm always reminded just how lucky I am. This is in south central Oregon. Luckier still if he managed to catch a gopher. 📸🦉🌏
I think 28F will be OK. We had 20F last night but with 70% humidity and the new leaves seem to be OK. Can't say the same for the fruit blossom.
A gardening article that talks a lot about the loss of birds due to shrinking wetlands and disease. It includes a photo of Great White Egrets roosting in cottonwood trees.
Gardening column April 13th. 🌱🌏 🦉 #gardening
A knitted beanie using stranded colorwork technique in 3 colors. The background is shades of dark green, the daffodils light orange and the leaves, pale green.
A stranded colorwork beanie in shades of brown and blue featuring daffodils that shade from green to light orange.
Clumps of daffodils in yellow and white, the inspiration for the knitting pattern.
Just got finished with a springtime daffodil beanie knitting pattern. Next up is to get it tested. 🌱🧶 #gardening
Various dictionaries list it as a verb, specifically for insects and hummingbirds that feed on nectar. I must admit that I hadn't heard it used that way until fairly recently.
A butterfly sits at the top of a twig with plum blossom, sunlight shining through its wings.
A butterfly with wings spread to show the orange color with black and yellow speckles, and darked edging sits on a branch of white plum blossom.
A wider view of plum blossom showing 4 butterflies nectaring on the flowers.
Today there are dozens of California tortoiseshells nectaring on my plum blossom here in south central Oregon. 🌱🌏🌿
#inverts #gardening
A gardening article that talks about setting up a new raised bed, and Golden Currants as well as other native currants. Photos of Golden Currant flowers and a clump of golden currents in the landscape.
Garden column for April 6th. 🌱 #gardening
A tabby cat sits on the floor and peers through the long slender hanging leaves of an indoor plant, with a 'leave me alone' look on her face.
KitKat is a bit of a wimp. She's a rescue cat & is afraid of going outside on her own. She'll sometimes go out with me but always first back to the door. The birds in my yard are very safe - as are the gophers! This is her reaction to my suggestion that she might like to go out the open door. #cats
I just this month decided I needed a gnome to sit under a couple of ornamental mushrooms. Haven't found one yet...
This garden article talks about spraying or weeds and grass in a large garden, and the trials of hiring people to do the weeding. Also talks about spring freezes.
Garden column for March 30th. 🌱 #gardening
If you can catch them....
4 dark green bullfrogs sit piled together on the bank of a pond, among dried plants from last summer and lighter green strawberry leaves.
3 very dark green bullfrogs float on the surface of a pond concealed among the leaves and flowers of a water hawthorn plant.
American Bullfrogs have taken over my garden pond again this year. They come up from the nearby canal in the winter. They decimate the native population of tree frogs and anything else they can fit in their mouths. Not very pretty to look at either! 🌱🌏🐸 #gardening
Thank you!!
Yellow daffodils flower beneath the fuzzy stems of Staghorn Sumac, which glow in the afternoon sunlight. #gardening
The sloping bank in front of a house is planted with many clusters of early flowering Jetfire daffodils. Later will come the white daffodils.
A clump of white daffodils with yellow trumpets glow int he sunlight behind the large leaves of a Bergenia plant.
Daffodils! Lots of daffodils from bulbs dug up by a neighbor a few years ago & given away by the hundreds, then planted out individually by me, in my yard. Other neighbors just dumped them all into one big hole but that didn't work too well for them. The only bulbs to survive the gophers & voles! 🌱
What a lovely iris!
An gardening article from a newsletter - this week, turning on the watering system, flowering fruit trees, and the first veggies planted.
My garden column for March 23rd. 🌱 #gardening
Yes, but I had to teach her not to bite! And I still haven't figured out how to teach her not to keep her claws extended. Aside from that though, she's pretty good and doesn't scratch up the furniture.
A gardening article that talks about the current weather and also the ongoing climate change that is affecting what is planted in the garden, and also when things are planted. It has a photo of early daffodils in flower.
I've started up my garden column again in the Chiloquin News. Now I'm going to have to think about something to write every week!
The March 16th column talks about climate change and its effects on my garden. 🌱 #gardening
A chubby tabby cat sleeps on the cushioned seat of a rocking chair, all legs stretched out and tummy exposed.
KitKat decided to adopt us about a year ago after spending a cold winter outdoors. Seems like she's happy with her choice. She's a voluntary indoor cat now, pretty much refuses to go out, and when she does, refuses to catch even one gopher for me. #catsky
That's for sure.
Enjoy knitting that little critter and feel free to email me if you have any questions. The 14 legs seem like they will never end, but pill bugs have 14 legs, so.....
A large clump of bright yellow daffodils is highlighted against a background of brown, bare, shrubs and trees and a blue range of mountains in the background.
It's daffodil time in south central Oregon. All the storms are skirting around us and we just have beautiful spring weather, though we might get a little rain tomorrow. 🌱 #gardening
Oh I did enjoy it. Thank you!
Lovely colors and pattern.
A handknitted stranded colorwork beanie featuring brown tree-like shapes against a pale blueish color transitioning into yellow shades.
Another view of the beanie, with a very tall and skinny tree, some birds, and a walking tree with 2 small hobbits sitting in the top branches.
A custom order for my Stranded Fangorn Forest Beanie. I don't get much call for this one. Maybe I should have named it an Ents Beanie. 🧶🐡
I enjoyed browsing your website. I also enjoy using up all my garden bounty in a similar way. My latest is apple skin vinegar.
I called this pattern "Adorable Axolotl' and this face-on view is why, as it peers out from the flowers of my orange tree.
A sideways view of the knitted axolotl showing the dorsal fin and legs. The axolotl is in punk/brown and white mottled colored yarn and the fin is in a mauve shade.
My knitted axolotl shown in it's native habitat - on a rocky bottom under water - though I suspect he'd probably prefer a muddy bottom.
The final version of my knitted axolotl is finished. Now it's up for testing on Ravelry (in JoansGarden's group, if you want to find it) 🧶🐸🐡
I don't think I can face social media today. It's raining outside, no gardening, so I'm going to knit. 🌱🧶
Oh no. I'm glad you at least had some good coverage for it. I'm at a loss about gardening this spring. The winter has been so warm as to be unbelievable and I don't know whether to think it will continue on that way or all of a sudden turn cold.