The Calm Before the Vet

It was indeed calm while I loaded the photographs to this post.  That changed at 11:00 when I took both Bart and Hercules to the vet.  Hercules, for a 4.4 kilo cat sure packs a lot of muscle; I was practically doing windmills with my arm that was holding his cage.  At the vet's office he managed to tumble his cage from a chair onto the floor scaring poor Bart into the shakes - that was until he discovered there were treats there.   Vet visit went well - $290 later - two pets for the price of what our dear Saint Agatha used to be - armed with heartworm medication and a shot certificate for Herc - we're done for the next 6 months.

During my quick spin around the garden this a.m. I discovered that it was pollen central.  Everything was covered.

The Aruncus dioicus is just starting to bloom.  Such a dependable perennial.

A trick photograph - can you guess what it is?

It is a Trollius seedhead resting perfectly in the neck of Saruma leaf.  Here's what the real seedheads look like.  The little seeds just roll out and onto the ground.  It's taken many years, but I finally I have a few extra plants to share.  The leaves are some of the softest, furriest I've ever felt.

A lovely unusual colour in a sea of green.

Macro shot of the day.  Fly & chippie poop on cedar rail.

Was surprised to find this little creature at the base of the bird bath.....

And, a little closer you can see Pinellia tripartita.  Folks, if you want to try aroids from seed, I'd recommend it.  Not only is the germination good, it doesn't appear to be overly fussy about what kind of soil it likes.....

The weather has been downright weird.  This week is roughly half the temperature of last week (in C doesn't work in F).  Yesterday's high was about 16C which is a smidge over 60F.  The good part is many plants seemed have progressed so far and stopped.  This poppy has lasted for a week.  Love the fact the colour has bled from the edges.

 
Verbascum 'Sugar Plum' is two different colours - the older paler blossoms aren't falling off before the new darker buds begin which is something I've never seen. Perhaps the cold again?

Also noticed the new Calycanthus florida blossoms aren't getting the brown, round stuntie shapes - definitely more elegant looking.  See the difference between the blooms at the bottom of the stems compared with those at the top.

So, a bit of a short post today - really have to get outside to tackle another bed.  When I reseeded the lawn I discovered how well the grass took in the garden beds to my chagrin.  I've got one of those spin-o-rama grass seeders rather than the drop and roll.  While it gives me a great feeling of accomplishment as the seed sprays everywhere, at that moment when I'm down on my hands and knees yanking, I long for those old V-shaped roll and drop varieties that Dad used to have.