Common Lilac as Phenological Indicator

In Creative Homeowner's Gardening For All Seasons, it states that the "Common lilac is a good phenological indicator".


"Phenological indicators are natural timekeepers" supposedly better at telling us when to plant rather than going by the calendar or last frost dates.

It states, "Because weather conditions vary from year to year, timing some of your plantings by the development of lilacs in your neighborhood can be a more reliable guide than mere calendar dates."

"When lilacs begin to leaf out, (that is, when the widest part of the leaves grows out past the bud scales that had enclosed the leaf), it is safe to plant hardy annuals such as sweet alyssum, pansies, and calendulas. And when the lilacs are in full bloom it's time to plant tender annuals, such as impatiens and marigolds, as well as summer bulbs such as dahlias, gladiolas and tuberous begonias."

Considering we have a freeze warning again tonight and my lilacs already have significant bud formation, I wonder if this is truly a reliable indicator of when to plant tender annuals. I sure hope so, because I have a lot of plants inside that are getting huge and desperately need to go into the flower beds. A few plants have wilted and dropped over dead, I've probably over-watered and caused damping off disease. I also have an infestation of aphids, white flies and gnats on my indoor seedlings. I am so ready to move these plants outdoors!

I was wondering what you thought. Do you think this is a reliable method for determining when to plant tender annuals?

Birds and Buds

I'm having some high blood pressure issues right now and I believe it is causing my head to ache and my eyes to hurt. I haven't been able to visit as much as I'd like on other blogs and I haven't posted in a few days. This post will be brief as well. The Bradford pear buds are about to open.

I took these pictures through the kitchen window. I had never seen a goldfinch eating Bradford pear buds before.



The little chickadee has been a frequent visitor for the last few days, I hadn't seen them for a while and I'm so glad they're back.

The blue bird and the sparrow are still battling over the nesting box. You can see them here together at the box.

The bluebird gave chase and ran off the sparrows.


He sat for a while watching over the nesting box. I checked today and there still isn't any nesting material in the box.

Buebirds Again

The bluebird is becoming a regular visitor now, I spotted him at the birdbath today. I'm not sure if he was checking out the nesting box again.

I got a few pictures before he flew away.

The ducks are so funny. I was outside on the patio this evening and spotted them coming into the yard. I walked over to Lilly and sat on the grass beside her to hold her leash so she wouldn't chase them. They walked right up to the patio and ate the sunflower seeds. I couldn't believe that they would come so close to me and the dog.

Hopefully Lilly will get used to seeing them and won't bother them, but between the cat yesterday and the neighbors dog in my yard today, they better be careful.

It was a beautiful spring day today with temperatures reaching around the low 70's. My son mowed our backyard for the first time today. It only needed it in the areas where Lilly regularly "waters".
I transplanted the zinnias and quite a few petunias. A few weeks ago, I took some cuttings from the sweet potato vines, that I had overwintered, and placed them in water.


They had nice long roots already and I put into containers today. I'm getting tired of taking care of all of these plants inside and I'm ready to do some real gardening. With temperatures in the 70's it's hard to imagine another cold snap, but I know better than to put these babies outside yet. I have so many petunias that I did get tired of re-potting them today and stuck a few into containers on the patio. I'll just have to cover them if it gets too cold.

All but two of the winter sowing containers have plants growing in them and one of those is purple fountain grass seeds that I just planted a few days ago. The other is columbine. Everything else looks great. We have rain, rain and more rain in the forecast for this week. I'm so glad I was able to play outside for awhile today.

One Year Old Today

After spending the winter months last year reading gardening blogs and enjoying them immensely. I decided to start a blog of my own. I had never even thought about having a blog before, because I couldn't imagine having personal information about myself or my family on the internet.


However, with my interest in gardening and a budding interest in photography, a garden blog seemed like a perfect fit. I took the Blogger plunge on April 7, 2007 and I'm so very glad that I did. It has been both a rewarding and pleasurable experience for me.

Because I had read other blogs and their comments for several months before starting my own gardening blog, I knew there was a very active and friendly garden blog community. I wasn't expecting the warm and friendly welcome I received though.

I was amazed at how quickly people found my blog and the wonderful, friendly comments I received.

It still amazes me and thrills me each time I receive a comment on my blog. I just want to take this opportunity to say thank you to each person who has visited me, especially to those who have left comments here at Robin's Nesting Place. You have enriched my life by your time spent here.

Since it is my blog birthday I decided to reward myself with a few little gifts. I collect teacups and teapots and it had been a while since I bought any. I loved these and couldn't pass them up.

I also decided I needed a little treat for the birds too and bought this. Now I can replace the broken clay saucer the ducks and birds have been eating from.

The weather is gorgeous and it definitely feels like spring now. I have things sprouting up all over the place and flowers are beginning to bloom.

Thank you to Mr. McGregor's Daughter for identifying the Scilla-sibirica for me. I love these tiny deep blue blooms that are spreading under my Japanese maple.

The maple trees are blooming now; I love the red blooms against the blue sky.

The young Bradford Pear trees will soon be blooming. The picture above was taken with the grass as the background, the picture below, of course, has the blue sky for its background.
Again, thank you all for making Robin's Nesting Place such a wonderful experience for me during this first year of my blogging adventure. You all are the greatest!

Goldfinch Delight

I was sitting outside today, on the ground, taking pictures of flowers when several goldfinches made their way to the feeder. I had so much fun taking picture after picture of these delightful creatures.

The maple tree had red buds and the gorgeous blue sky was a perfect backdrop for the finches. After so many dreary and gloomy days it was wonderful to see all of this color. It was almost sensory overload.







The bluebird came back and chased away the house sparrow, but neither have started building a nest yet. Several people suggested that I get another nesting box, I'll have to try that and see if it works. Thank you!

The ducks have become faithful visitors and show up everyday to eat sunflower seeds. While I was sitting at the computer today I glanced out the window and saw a cat creeping across the yard. I knew my duck visitor was in the yard because I had just taken some pictures of her eating. I flew down the stairs and ran outside to chase it away. Thankfully, the duck got away.

A robin in my neighbors birdbath.

Today was a beautiful day with temperatures in the mid-sixties. I have flowers blooming and it finally feels like spring. I'll show my blooms later.