May 29, 2009 and there are bigger and stronger leaves with blooms beginning to show their heads. The temperature of the soil is warm enough to wake up the grass also. 
June 3, 2009 and we have full Butterfly Bushes complete with blooms! 
The male Eastern Blue Bird and Titmouse are collecting meal worms from the tray nestled in the middle of the Butterfly Bushes. The hummingbird feeders are providing sweet treats for the hummers also but no pics of them this spring... 
The Bush you see in the middle of this grouping of three is lucky to be with us. It was planted in the spot where a tree once stood. We had the stump ground into mulch. A stump grinder can only go so deep into the soil and in time the stump below breaks down and the soil caves in. This happened and the bush became too heavy for the loose soil to support it. After I pruned the bush, the Saint dug it out for me and we filled the hole with many bags of fresh soil and we replanted the bush hoping for the best. As you can see, it is a bit smaller then the others but growing just fine. One good thing to all the Spring Rains I guess.
Butterflies are already visiting the bushes even though they have more TIME TO GROW, In the Garden...
I bought another red Azalea from Lowe's this Thursday, it is only $1 at the clearance section.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning Skeeter girl ! I also have pictures of a BIG bee on my Tiarella .. your video is perfect and yes ! only other gardeners would understand that type of mission! haha
ReplyDeleteI trim my buddleia in late spring .. they are just beginning to show growth at the bottom of each plant .. we are way behind you in growth because of our zone.
Your garden is gorgeous !! : )
P.S. I seem to be the one that picks "In the Garden" posts because I am up so early in the morning , haha.
Can you guess spell check isn't on here ?
Your video is pretty good, Skeeter!
ReplyDeleteLove the butterfly bushes! Ours are just starting to show color... just in time for the Monarch butterflies (first one arrived yesterday).
We cut ours back more severely than ever this year. I was worried, but they were getting too thick in the trunk. They are now up to normal size, so I will be ruthless again in late winter next year, too.
Cameron
Good morning Skeeter, you get a blogger medal for standing there for so long to get that video!
ReplyDeleteYour butterfly bushes look great!! Sometime they get kind of leggy and not attractive, but yours a gorgeous! I love bluebirds, just had to get up and put more worms out for them. Nice to have a Saint around to lend a hand.
Good Morning All.
ReplyDeleteSkeeter I love you Butterfly Bush Garden. You have provided food for quite a few of your friends.
That took quite a feat to stand there that long waiting for the little fellow to do his thing.
I hope all have a glorious day.
Hi Skeeter, I love watching the progression from month to month. It amazes me how fast things grow with your TLC. I'm sure you've seen hummingbirds by now --I forgot to put the feeders out this year. My mom was down visiting and asked where the hummingbirds were this year?? Um --no food here so they don't stop by to visit:) Sidekick was the ONLY kiddo to catch fish yesterday. Off to take care of my lil bundle. Have a great day --hopefully on that liquid asset soaking in some down time:)
ReplyDeleteWhen Katrina came through, a white butterfly bush was 99% pulled out of the ground. My husband replanted it the best he could. When we moved to this house 1 1/2 years ago, he dug this very same bush out of the ground and brought it here. I just knew it would die, but it didn't and is blooming today. And by the way, that bush was at least 6 feet tall when Katrina pulled it up and it was almost that big when my husband dug it up to bring here.
ReplyDeleteMy butterfly bushes are in part sun...will never look so healthy.
ReplyDeleteOf course pruning may help :(
Skeeter,
ReplyDeleteI'm jealous! Everyone seems to have Butterflies but us... I wonder where they are?
Oh my the bird is absolutly gorgeous! I wish we had such blue up here, *sign* only the bluejays. Love the butterfly bushes, they are on my list!
ReplyDeleteGood Morning everyone! The Saint is hooking the boat to the truck so to the lake we go!
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to pop in here and see what you all had to say before we took off. I am impressed that a bush taken by a hurricane and then moved a second time survived! But then again, these are very durable bushes!
Have a Great Day all....
Wow! Your longer and warmer growing season makes for much bigger butterfly bushes than we have in Michigan!
ReplyDeleteGreat video Skeeter. It was worth a half hours work.
ReplyDeleteLove the picture of the Titmouse and Bluebird. Butterfly Bushes are wonderful aren't they? We have some planted at the back of the house and they perfume the whole back porch.
ReplyDeleteYour butterfly bushes have really filled out nicely from their early spring haircut. Mine is getting ready to bloom soon too. ;)
ReplyDeleteYes, only a blogger would stand in her driveway for 30 minutes! It is a great video. Not contrived at all and Hollywood would surely be jealous. Don't see too many natural videos there.
ReplyDeleteThe buddleias are fabulous. I'm glad you righted that one bush. They look fine. I agree, this rainy spring has been purrrfect for all plant growth. Helps to make up for the last two years of no rain in spring.
Have a fantastic day on your liquid asset and to all my blogging friends too.
What a difference, I bet they are busy when all the flowers are blooming! It always surprise me how fast their leaves come on since they seem so slow to start. How lucky to get such pretty birds!
ReplyDeletehi skeeter, liebe Grüsse von Kathrin und Hopkins
ReplyDeleteThe only complaint I have about your video, Skeeter, is that it's too short! I was just getting into watching that bumble about his business, and it ended too soon. They are fascinating things, those bees. I was getting a little concerned because I haven't noticed very many honeybees around here, and then this morning I saw several visiting the veggie garden. Ahh! Now I'm happy. I added a few tiny buddleias last year to a couple of different beds, and they are blooming and perfuming already. They were another one of those straggly bargains at Lowe's.
ReplyDeleteYou've created a hummingbird/bird/butterfly paradise there Skeeter! It's incredible that your butterfly bushes are already in full bloom! We won't see blooms here until the end of July. I have to cut mine practically to the ground each spring tho.
ReplyDeleteGood evening everyone! We had a great day at the lake and did not get caught in the rain which arrived just as we were getting out of the water!
ReplyDeleteOnce home, I was able to work on my “beach planter” a bit more. Will show you that fun planter soon.
I am really happy with the butterfly bushes! They are a great bush to welcome in the wildlife and seem to thrive with little care. If the power lines were not above the bushes, we would let them be and not cut them back. But we must keep them in control of the powers lines. I long for a house with underground power lines but the birds do enjoy using them as a perch while hunting for bugs. That is the positive I am always looking for :-)
I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! We sure did. Off to bed now...
Your butterfly/bird feeder area is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI love butterfly bushes, and yours are nice and large. looking forward to more pictures of them, and hopefully some more rain. On a side note hopefully on wed. they will get rid of the watering ban. I wrote about the up coming meeting on my blog earlier tonight. **crosses fingers**
ReplyDeleteYes, only a garden blogger would stand by the road trying to get such a video while passersby are probably giving her curious looks:) But so glad you did! Your butterfly bushes look great after their haircut, and obviously the birds are enjoying them. I saw my first butterfly here on Friday--hooray!
ReplyDeleteDan, We enjoy sitting at the nearby swing and watching all the activity at the feeders and on the butterfly bush blooms!
ReplyDeleteBen, Hello and Welcome to the world of Garden Blogging! Even though we are receiving plenty of rain now, we will probably remain under water restrictions forever since the last drought. The Corps. Of Engineers have even changed the way they release water through the dam at the lake. They have finally decided that the rains will no longer fall as they have in the past which is now, history.
Your blog looks great and keep up the good work!
Rose, we were commenting at the same time! :) Yep, when I am by the road with camera in hand, I wonder what the passer bys think. Probably that Crazy Lady with the camera again or is it that Crazy Cat Lady. lol... We see butterflies as soon as the air turns warm here which is around Feb. I have seen them in Dec and Jan also during unexpected warmer days. One good thing from being in the Deep South I reckon...
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