My First Hellebore Plant

I had a hard time picking out the perfect first Hellebore and here she is. I put her in the ground right away and topped the soil off with a fresh bucket of wood chips. It rained lightly overnight and I am thrilled with my new shade-loving perennial. The flowers are beautiful when there is nothing else in bloom except the snowdrops. We shall see when they bloom next year. They are also called Lenten Roses and this one is called Glenda's Gloss (Helleborus x 'Glenda's Gloss' PPAF)

I have been transplanting a huge grove of snowdrops I found in my woods where I used to dump my weeds. There is always a bulb or two in the mix and they multiply like wildfire. It's nice to have another flower in the garden before the daffodils are in bloom. 

Bluebirds in February

I could not be more excited having seen lots of bluebirds circling in my backyard this morning while brewing my coffee. This is an old photo and I recently replaced this house with a larger one from the Audubon Society. Last year the house wrens claimed it and I have high hopes the bluebirds will win out this year. I worked in the yard before the ground froze and installed a new metal post that is much sturdier than the copper pipe on the house above. Bluebirds are very picky about where they live and they were always happy here before the wrens took over. Fingers crossed. Spring is definitely in the air today and the sky is blue with no clouds. So nice after several days of rain. Enjoy your weekend. xo