We had a deep woods bird (pair actually, but we only got pictures of the boy) come visit the garden today, a Scarlet Tanager. They were very nervous and skittish, but absolutely beautiful. They seemed to enjoy the waterfall the most, and much bathing fun was had. I wonder if they’ll continue to hang out here as we cut back the woods and make our homestead more of a meadow?
The only other real thing of note in the garden today is that I’m amazed at how well the pansies and violas are holding up in the window boxes. I’ve been deadheading madly, of course, but I’d assumed that they’d all be gone by now. It’s an amazingly hot (and dry) July, but they still seem to be going strong.
One of the things I’m doing while I deadhead is grabbing the ones that go to seed before I can catch them. Perhaps I’ll start these guys from my own seed next year?
I did a big weeding push after work today — probably two hours. I’m trying desperately to stay ahead of the weeds, not let them go to seed. But with the high summer heat, it seems as if they mature in hours. I wake up in the morning dreaming of them, and sometimes do a morning walk through, and can’t help myself from weeding as I go. It’s really hard to stay focused on the big picture and just enjoy a stroll through the garden. I must work on that!