Kathy’s Garden – Page 3 – movingforwardslowly

Golden Yellow

I missed the first two blooms. This is #3

I continue to work hard in the garden whenever I get the chance. This weekend was productive since I got my husband to help me clear away the ivy from the old stump and cut it partially down. The camellia was also pruned, though it needs a little more work to shape it better. At least now it is no longer overshadowed by ivy.

I also did a little pruning on an old deciduous azalea by cutting away some dead wood. It is still blooming so I was not too aggressive. Some weeding was done. I am constantly surprised by my garden’s resilience. The roses pictured above are true survivors. The Golden Showers rose has been with me for over 20 yrs. I used to have four trellises full of them. They have a complicated history in my garden, and the trellises were removed many years ago. Three fothergillas were planted in their place. They are a slow growing shrub, though now since it has been several years since I planted them they are much taller and fuller. They are much easier to care for than the roses, however, I have two rose climbers left. One section of Golden Showers is still with me, and a Stairway to Heaven rose that has been with me for about 15 yrs. I did not want the work of roses, especially since they are on a side of the house that gets ignored by me, and they constantly have to withstand my husbands desire to put tools and equipment in their area. They are true survivors.

I posted the picture of the sunflower from several summers ago since I love its golden color, and the birds and bees love it. I will have to plant more this summer.

Speaking of ‘golden’ reminded me to make a book recommendation to any readers out there that might read my posts. Right at the beginning of my spring vacation, which is always the week before Easter, I read the book Theo of Golden by Allen Levi. It was just what I needed to get me ready to tackle my garden and pond during my break. It uplifted me and made me realize that there are many kindred spirits in this world of ours. I would definitely recommend this book. It focused on the important things in life, and was a study in human personality and connection.

Have a great week and stop to enjoy the beauty of our natural world!

Giving Thanks – Garden Update 2026

I have been working in my garden whenever I get the chance. I started the week before Easter with the pond. It was a huge relief to get that all cleaned up and running. Since then I have been hard at work pruning overgrown shrubs. In the past I have not been a very aggressive pruner. Now, I go at it ruthlessly, and they seem to love it. The plants around them definitely are cheering me on as their exposure to the sun has increased. After I pruned the butterfly bush the candytuft flowers and ‘Blue Moon’ woodland phlox are thriving and spreading.

The azaleas are blooming or beginning to bloom. I have many of them. The ‘Autumn Twist’, which is a twice blooming Encore azalea is looking particularly beautiful. I have two of them. The whole garden benefitted from the pond draining since they soaked up all the water from it. I am sure it was full of nutrients.

The Hellebores have taken over the back garden to the left of the deck. They began to bloom weeks ago and they are still blooming. I cleaned out the flute boy fountain, though I have not installed a pump. I did put in a mosquito dunk inside the cavity under the boy. The birds keep this area busy with activity. This is the general area where I have the clematis, Diana’s Delight. I noticed a couple of weeks ago that this plant was promising to thrive this season. Yesterday when I was all dressed and protected ready to attack the laurel around our deck, which is in sad need of an aggressive pruning, I noticed that this clematis had three open blooms and many buds in line for future blooming. I was not set up to photograph anything, however, I could not resist capturing the purple beauty. I went on to successfully prune the laurel. It now has some bare places where the old wood needed to be cut out. From my kitchen window I can now see the round pattern in our patio and a wide clear view of the stone bird bath standing in a corner where the dirt meets the grass.

My next pruning project will be the red camellia (Kramer’s Supreme). It is at least 20 years old. Sadly, the dead tree next to it with the ivy has tried to suppress its beauty by growing over it. During the same week as we cleaned out the pond we began to attack the ivy overgrowth. It needs to be noted that the red camellia has been undaunted by the ivy and still blooms profusely. We cut away a lot of the ivy, though I still need to continue cutting it back to nothing. The camellia is done with its blooming and the flowers are drying out, so it is ready to be pruned. I will be aggressive, and this will allow me the space to work at clearing away all the ivy. Hopefully next weekend will give me the time needed to accomplish this.

I give thanks to God for all the abundance I see in my garden.
I have work ahead of me. 
I will work consistently to improve both the garden and myself.

This coming week we will celebrate Earth Day!
The original intent for this day was to plant a tree.
At this time, there is no space in my garden for this.
My tree of thoughts here will honor this day instead.

Several years ago I gave my daughter a birthday card with this Bible quote on it, though I don’t think it was the King James version. It had a beautiful picture of a bird in a garden.

I don’t remember the words ‘make fat thy bones’, and I am sure I would not have given a card with those exact words. Though now that I am older and at increased risk for osteoporosis, this idea has a hidden blessing in it.

Anyways, I am thankful for still being able to work at garden restoration now that my mind is in a much better place. I also pray for the world beyond my garden. Hopefully many are praying for our world at this time, and I know God in his wisdom will prevail.

Let the Water Flow

Tiered moss-covered stone fountain in a garden pond with koi fish and water lilies. — A moss-covered stone fountain overflows into a peaceful koi pond surrounded by lush garden greenery.

This lovely picture was created by the new image generator on my WordPress site.

This is not my garden nor is it my pond. However, I titled this post Let the Water Flow because this week, with a great deal of help from my husband, I finally drained our garden pond and cleaned it all out. The fountain is now flowing and the birds are rejoicing. In the past I posted about The Gift of Procrastination, and now I can attest to the fact that there is a downside to it. At first I told my husband that we are getting too old for this, and now, after going to a garden center looking for some special tubing to attach to my pump and then connect it to the fountain bowl, I found my inspiration to keep going. The older lady that helped me looked about my age or a little older. She told me she was in her mid-seventies. She had already unloaded two truckloads of plants before I arrived at the center. I can only pray that I can do the same when I reach her age. My husband is her age.

I told the lady, Michelle, that I was doing it for the birds. It is still too early to put in any water hyacinth or water lettuce. I will try to post a picture of some sparrows enjoying our pond in its early days.

I am not using this fountain sprayer anymore because the water evaporates really quickly in the summer. I am using a gusher with maximum flow so it spills over the edge back into the pond.

While working to clear debris from my garden this week I uncovered a little bird seed holder that I had somewhat forgotten. It has these words (“His eye is on the sparrow and I know he watches me”) engraved in the bowl. I looked up these words and they are attributed to Civilla Martin in 1905. There is a sacred hymn written with these words. I will not go into the whole story, though it is an interesting story about how she gained her inspiration for this hymn.

I hope to continue letting the water flow and get back into the routine of garden maintenance. This is where I find the greatest peace.

Waxwings that Work

The Cedar Waxwings are a bird that secrete a reddish orange waxy substance, though not all of them have it in these pictures. I read that it has something to do with attracting mates. These pictures are from January 2009. I am posting them because this was the first time I witnessed them in my garden, and today they were in my garden again. Today they were mostly interested in my fountain bowl that was full of fresh water from the recent rains. In these pictures it was the middle of winter, and the fountain bowl was pretty sad looking, though I did keep a heater in it so that the water would not freeze.

I was happy to see them again today.

I titled today's post Waxwings that Work mainly because the thought of the myth of Daedalus and Icarus came into my mind. I read a student version of this myth this school year, and in this myth the wings of wax melt when Icarus ignored his father's advice and flew too close to the sun. Sadly, Icarus's mistake was fatal. There is much more to the myth than what I shared here (you can look it up.)

These pictures are not the best. The birds caught me off guard, and they move very quickly. They seem to be always on the move from branch to branch. Here they are enjoying privet berries. Today the berries are gone, and I did not see them do anything other than enjoy all the fresh water in the fountain.

I will post a co-pilot answer about how they got their name.

Oh, When the Ants Come Marching In…

Today is the vernal equinox or the start of spring, though I do not need a calendar to know that spring is upon us. I have been seeing the signs of spring all this week, (even with the crazy temperatures we have been witnessing.) First I saw some yellow crocuses beginning to rise up and bloom, and then I saw my diminutive iris blooming by our mailbox, and then just yesterday I noticed the tulip magnolia tree near an entrance to my school beginning to show an increasing number of pink buds.

Yesterday I noticed to my dismay the small black ants wanting to come through the radiator in my personal bathroom. We have an older home, so we have a few places where every spring I can reliably see the tiny black ants wanting to seek new territory inside. They are easily eliminated and pose no problems once the season is in full swing. They are a sure-fire beacon of the change of season.

Early this morning when I looked out the kitchen window I saw the wild cherry in our backyard showing a spray of opened blooms. They have suddenly appeared, almost overnight it seems. The popular cherry blossoms downtown around the tidal basin are showing their signs, though I am not sure what stage they are in at this point.

Here are a few pictures of our backyard wild cherry tree blossoms.

I am off work today because of Eid.
"May this Eid be a reminder to carry kindness, gratitude, and generosity throughout the year."

Invasion of the Cowbirds

This picture was taken by rfotostock located on Pixabay. I wanted you to see what the male cowbird looks like.

I woke up very early this morning when it was still dark outside, though the whiteness of the snow made it possible to see. At this time of morning there was no visible bird activity. I was wide awake, so I made a black walnut banana bread, and drank some tea as it was baking. Eventually, I went back to bed, and slept for about an hour before the noise of bird activity woke me up. I went into the kitchen and was somewhat startled to see about 2 dozen cowbirds resting on our deck as close to the door as they could get. There were many more cowbirds resting in the surrounding trees and several fighting over the seeds in a couple of feeders.

My husband had purchased a small wooden birdhouse that is a seed feeder that he placed on the back railing of our deck. Normally many small sparrows play inside and outside of it eating the seeds. This morning many cowbirds were flocked around it. When I opened the door to scare the noisy flock they all flew away or up into surrounding trees. There was one exception, one cowbird was left stuck inside the little bird house. I called my husband to come see the commotion. I will let him decide what to do with the stuck cowbird. Perhaps it can eventually free itself.

Our regular backyard birds were still around. I spotted the cardinals, a blue jay, the visiting winter juncos, and I was delighted to see a cute little wren exploring the corners of the deck.

I was not delighted to see the cowbird flock. I used to see a few here and there in our garden many many years ago. They are not regular inhabitants here, and I have not seen any in a very long time. They are called cowbirds because they follow herds of cattle and eat the seeds and insects stirred up by the herd. They used to be called bison birds before many of the bison were killed off. The female cowbirds do not look like the males, and are very non-descript looking. They do not build nests, and they are called brood parasites because they will lay their egg in another birds nest. Often the other bird will foster the cowbird egg along with their own eggs. I used to read a lot about the different birds I would see in my garden.

It is still snowing and perhaps the cowbirds were brought here by this weather system. They will eventually move along, especially if the feeders are empty.

Enjoy the snow if you can, and stay warm.

Winter Rain – Birds and Beavers

I will not bemoan the rain. It brings life to the pond and thirsty ground.

Looking out my kitchen window at the rain, I can see a gentle mourning dove take a dip among the bent-over dried cattail stalks, using them as a flotation pad. The grey and white juncos are all about enjoying the rain. Winter is when they visit my garden.

The thawed out ice in the pond and fountain makes the water more accessible for all.

While doing chores inside I ran across a 1989 five cent Canadian coin among the knick- knacks in a drawer. On one side is engraved a master builder beaver. This made me wonder how our local beavers (at Beaverdam Reservoir in Ashburn, Virginia) are faring this winter?

While attempting to answer this question with an online search, I discovered that the world’s largest beaver dam in the world is located in Canada. “Wood Buffalo National Park is the largest national park in Canada… having one of the largest freshwater deltas in the world- the Peace Athabasca Delta.” This quote is from the website: parks.canada.ca They claim it can be seen by satellites in space.

Now I can understand why the beaver is engraved on their coin, though, my original question about our local beavers remains unanswered.

Bright White Flowers and a Blessing

As I was fixing breakfast for my daughter this morning, I happened to glance out the kitchen window. Everything looked dull, especially since the overcast sky was providing little light. I spotted several bright white dots in the far right corner near the fence. I wondered excitedly if they could be the anemone Honorine Jobert I planted a good 20 years ago. I had to put my boots and a warm jacket on and go investigate. I wanted to be prepared, so I got out my old Nikon and made sure it had enough battery power. I then ventured out.

Sure enough I was right. There standing among all the evidence of neglect, multiplied by the browning and dying back that fall brings, was Honorine Jobert lighting up her corner of the garden. There were four flowers and several buds waiting to open. I took a few pictures to mark the occasion.

As I was heading back inside, I looked around the gloom to see if there were any more hidden surprises. I saw a single small white feather in the pond. I was surprised because just yesterday when I was researching Native American dream-catchers, I read that white feathers can symbolize peace, hope, and angels. With a sense of whimsy I would like to think that this white feather brings a blessing!

Moving forward…

Sunday Reflection: God is Good

This morning as I was drinking my coffee and looking out onto our deck,
I saw a trail of bright yellow cucumber flowers. 
They looked so pretty in the sunlight shining onto the deck.
Through all my neglect and amateur skills at vegetable gardening,
this cucumber plant has been a star performer bordering on miracle plant.

I looked away and then my subconscious told me to take another look.
I looked again and right above these flowers hung a new cucumber,
which I had not noticed the day before.
This has happened a few times with this plant.
I notice nothing, and then the next day I see a fully developed cucumber.
I have wondered is my vision so selective that I miss things.
I don't know the answer here.
I feel I must have a guardian angel watching over me to keep my spirits up.
It also makes me think I should not give up on future plans of growing vegetables.
I will show proof of produce that has been recently picked.
I won't show the ugly mess of pots and yellowed leaves.

This picture was taken by me today on my deck, including my most recent ‘miracle’ cucumber.

The Gift of Procrastination

This is an art print from peg-runyan.pixels.com

I was looking out my kitchen window today and saw a bird feeding on one of the cattails that have become invasive in my pond. I have been too overwhelmed to tackle my cattail problem. I got my binoculars out so that I could better identify the bird. It turned out to be a female goldfinch. I had never seen one feeding on my cattails before today. Now, I feel that the cattails were a blessing for the birds.

I looked up cattails and goldfinches, and it turns out they have a close relationship. I read that not only do the goldfinches feed on the seeds of the mature cattails, they also use the white fluffy fibers to line their nests.

Since the daily visitation of a neighborhood hawk scared all the birds away, bird sightings in my garden have been very limited. The birdfeeder has been mostly avoided even though my husband keeps it filled with fresh bagged seeds. The first to return has been a female cardinal who looks to be rejoicing with her exclusive rights to the feeder and garden. Today she shared the garden with this female goldfinch who looks healthily plump. Perhaps she has been feeding on the cattails under my radar, and was not noticed until today. Her coloration does blend well with the collection of cattails that now find their home in my garden. Now I do not feel so bad about dragging my feet in cleaning up the pond. I will wait to do this until the birds have their fill of seed and fluff.

I thought about going out to get a picture but the goldfinches are notoriously hard to capture in a picture. I simply open the door to the garden and they fly away. So, I borrowed the above image from a website that sells garden print merchandise. The address is in the caption.