My mom, sister, brother, husband and I traveled to New Orleans on our way to see our mother’s home town in Louisiana.

These are pictures of two gardens we walked through on March 19, 2010.

It’s hard to tell that they are recovering from Hurricane Katrina because everything was so beautiful. I took pictures of some flowers because I have no idea what they are so I could look for their names. By any other name .. they are lovely.

Click on any picture to start a slide show ..

Bees

Bees are a necessity in our gardens and although we are familiar with Honey Bees and Bumbles Bees, there 100’s of different kinds of bees. In the spring, Bumble Bees pollinate most flowers in the spring; they wear that “fur coat” after all and therefore are more tolerant of the cold.

On a typical spring day you will see Bumble Bees in the early morning and late afternoon, and Honey Bees in the warmer afternoon.

Some early Spring flowers that attract these bees are Hepatica, Trout-Lily, Bloodroot, Spring-beauty, Cut-leaved Toothwort, Wild Oats, Mayapple and Trilliums. It’s too early in our yard for these beauties, and we don’t have all of them (yet), but when they appear I’ll post pictures.

Here is a wonderful article about Mason Bees and how to add them to your yard. I will be adding more and more information here about bees, so please keep coming back.

In the meantime, enjoy the bees that are so busy at work making sure that our flowers and crops are pollinated and rewarding us with their delicious honey. I think of them each morning as I drink by honey and apple cider vinegar tea.

Check out Duncraft – they are also running a special.Bird Supplies – every kind you can imagine .. and even some you can’t!

Gardener’s Supply is running a cool special that last’s until April 15th (a deadline date if I ever heard one).

So why not use their special to get some of those items into your landscape that will attract birds and butterflies to your garden. (Don’t worry, the bees will come along too.)

Your yard, no matter what size it is, needs essentials like food, water, shelter, and a place to raise their babies.

Of course, while you are providing what they need, be careful to not provide what they don’t need – pesticides. If you have a cat, make sure it has a bell around its neck to warn your flying friends of its approach.

Even small gardens can provide for these beautiful creatures by planting their favorite flowers and adding some water into your design.

Hummingbirds love red and purple tubular flowers, and butterflies love flat faced flowers like zinnias, daises, heliotrope and marigolds.

Add those extra plants that provide food and hiding places for caterpillars like parsley, dill, and butterfly weed.

One of the joys of spring is watching birds build nests. They will find the most amazing materials all on their own, but putting out extra kinds of nesting materials will be helpful. If you have an extra hanger that usually holds suet, you could fill it with string, or dryer lint, or .. well .. use your imagination.

Don’t forget this really cute butterfly house: Butterfly House.

Here is an article that lists lots of plants you could use. Click Here

Here in northeast Ohio, the days are getting warmer and as I stare out at the mud in our yard, I am visualizing gardens of all kinds.

Today I am venturing out into the yard to cut back the grasses, clean the birdbath, and hang at least one hose so I can clean the birdbath.

But, before I head out there I am thinking food. Not food now, food later, and specifically – Tomatoes! There is nothing like fresh tomatoes and I make the best salsa from them ever.

I promise, this summer when I make my first batch I will list the recipe here.

This year, I am going to try Heirloom tomatoes, to go along with the bigger garden we will be planting.

One of my favorite garden websites, White Flower Farm , has a special running on these delicious tomatoes. While you are checking out the tomatoes, sign up for their newsletter, you won’t believe how inspired you will be by what you see!

Here’s their offer: Get 6 Tomato Plants for only $40. Top Quality, Guaranteed to Please. Ships in Spring 2010. Use Code AS308
Click Here!

And this year nature might be on our side.Most long-range forecasts suggest a hot, dry summer, which is ideal for Tomatoes.

Here’s a short summary of our White Flower Farm’s tips for growing Tomatoes:

Buy healthy, pest-free plants from a reliable supplier who can vouch for their origins. For the record, we grow 130 varieties of modern and heirloom Tomatoes from seed sown in our own greenhouses. These plants are delivered to you at the right time for planting and we NEVER ship a plant we would not buy ourselves.

Pick a site with plenty of sun, good air movement, and rich, friable soil. Turn the ground over at least twice as the soil warms and remove all weeds, especially Tomato seedlings that may be volunteers from last year’s dropped fruit. Further encourage light and air movement by open spacing and by staking plants.

Avoid overhead watering or handling Tomato plants when they are wet, since both practices can help transmit any diseases in the area.

While your mind is on the subject, and your salivary glands are active, why not click here and make your selections right now? Early orders are assured of getting the full range of varieties.

Good Monday morning!

Over the weekend the birds in my yard appear to have gone to a bird convention.

The suet feeder and the sunflower feeder are mostly vacant where last week there were all kinds of birds sharing food, dropping food, and waiting in waiting in line for more food.

Perhaps they are all talking about starting a family, and preparing their nests. Which means it is definitely the time time to set out some more bird houses. Perhaps a bluebird house?

Don’t put it off, you want to be providing homes now. Here are some really good choices.

My daughter sent this lovely picture of a chickadee coming to call. She has been known to feed them from the palm of her hand. I saw her do it in the middle of a woods walk she used to go on. They were waiting for her. Perhaps this one heard about it and wanted to see if it was true.

She loves to get birdhouses so I got her this one and she loves it! Go get those houses, the more birds the happier the garden!

If you like to try your hand at building your own birdhouses here is a free site to that teaches you how. Birdhouse Builds