Praying Mantis or Walking Stick?
Look at the insect I found.
He or she was in my burning bush and is about 6″ long.
August Garden Stroll
This time of year is great in Michigan because the warm days and nights help make my gardens pop with color! I love red, pink, orange, purple, yellow and white colors (srota like my fabric collections - anything bright and unusual).
Here’s some pictures from my garden and thanks to my husband help it’s almost weed free!
Taking time to smell the Peonies!
I was taking a little break today by strolling through my garden.
Yup, there’s some weeding that needs to be done, maybe some re-arraning & pulling up those perineals that are very intrusitive, and did I say more weeding!
Here’s part of my garden, not many flowers yet, but in July, it’ll be at it’s peak.
Here’s what’s blooming now:
I found the rattlesnake (I think because he was so big about 15″ long) in our storage shed -
he was hissing so much, I think he thought I was going to eat him or he was going to eat me!
and this bumblebee was feasting on Peony!
Time to go back to work….Have a nice day!
They’re back - the Grosbeaks!
Mom was at the feeder:
and dad was watching over her from the brush:
Baltimore Oriole
What a rare treat this was! I was at the right place and time to get this picture today. My camera was out of the case, loaded and laying on the kitchen table when I walked by and saw him! You can see him looking at me and was gone right after I snapped the picture!
It’s Tulip Time!
Tulips are blooming in Holland Michigan!
It’s that time of year again for Holland Michigan’s annual Tulip Festival. There are more tulips blooming then anywhere I know of and the town’s streets are lines with every kind of tulip there is! You can join them each spring for a unique festival of beauty with the display of millions of tulips and celebration of Dutch heritage and culture through dance, art, theater, and so much more! There goal is to continue to host one of the best small town festivals in the country with events like; 3 exciting parades, Klompen Dancing, big name entertainment, free concerts, music and variety shows, Dutch market, trolley tours, children’s events, fireworks and so much more!
Links:
Where are the tulips:
Front Yard Gardens and Area Businesses
Since the first Tulip Time festival in 1929, (when teacher Lida Rogers recommended planting tulips in celebration of Holland’s heritage), residents and businesses have planted tulips in their own yards. Unique plantings can also be seen throughout the community including Pillar Church, Welcome to Holland signs, and area parks. The city hosts an annual contest for the best tulip displays.
Tulip Lanes
143,600 tulips Six miles of curbside plantings wind through Holland’s neighborhoods, including the historic district. There are several small parks and special plantings along the route, which are best viewed from your vehicle. The most picturesque portion of the lanes features 25,500 tulips nestled under beautiful flowering kwanzan cherry, crab and plum trees along the boulevards
Veldheer Tulip Farm
5.5 million tulips This 40-acre farm has been run by the same family for 79 years. Just driving by this farm is breath taking!
Windmill Island Gardens
110,000 tulips This beautiful city park is home to “DeZwaan”, a 12 story, 246-year-old windmill.
Window on the Waterfront
90,000 tulips A rainbow of tulips and a stand for pictures and viewing make this a “must see”.
Tulip Tidbits:
Twelve full-time and five part-time city employees plant nearly half a million tulips in Holland’s parks and flower beds each fall. While most of us plant our tulip bulbs and leave them to come back each year,the city wants to ensure that the tulips will bloom for the festival. As a result, the city employees dig up and replace the bulbs in all of the beds and 1/3 of the tulip lanes every year. Holland Transplanter, a local farming equipment manufacturer, has even designed special machinery to assist in this process. Early, mid, and late blooming varieties of tulips are planted throughout the community to ensure tulips bloom for several weeks. Late bloomers are planted downtown where the snowmelt system, which heats the streets and sidewalks in winter, often accelerates the blooming process.
Although bulbs are only available in the fall, if you see a tulip you like you can order that variety at Windmill Island, Dutch Village or Veldheer’s. Bulbs will be shipped to arrive in time for planting in your area.
If a tulip was planted from seed, it would take 21 years to bloom!
There is a $50 fine for picking a tulip in Holland!
Five signs Spring is here!
It seemed like winter was here for ever and finally the snow and ice are gone! I walked around my yard this weekend and took these pictures.
Here’s are the top 5 signs that spring is here:
5. No snow on the bird feeder
4. Every spring a loon stops at our lake on his way up north
3. Daffodils
2. Robins
and the number one sign spring is here:
My husband getting the deck ready for summer!
Hummingbirds!
I was looking at my new fabric Natural Garden - and noticed it had hummingbirds in it!
I wondered how these little birds where doing, we get them in June and they stay all summer. Here is a sure sign of spring coming - the humingbirds are starting to make their trip back up north! Here’s a fun link to see there progress:
