I've got tons of bees. Many different kinds, including honeybees. I have large gardens and grow lots of pollinator-friendly plants, neighbors have gardens, and there are several farms in the neighborhood. At least one of the farm has bee hives, which are about 1/2 mile away, and I wouldn't be surprised if they all did. Across the street is a certified organic field growing squash. There is also plenty of natural habitat in my back yard and the neighborhood for them to make nests. My town doesn't spray insecticides for mosquitoes. So conditions are good in this area to support healthy populations of bees. Albert135, I started some nice Lemon Queen and Mammoth sunflowers, planted them, spread slug bait and Critter ridder, and then a dumb Robin pulled them all up! (Perhaps, from the Robin's point of view, this wasn't dumb?) So no bee-counting on those or sunflower seeds for me (or the birdies).

I added 6 fruit trees. Planted them in the big veggie garden out back. It is the best place for a small orchard. Sunny location with sandy soil, good drainage and higher in elevation, so late frosts in Spring won't settle up there like they do down in the lower orchard. The wind blows up there too, and that helps prevent frost settling. The trees are spaced at 15 feet, so there will be room to grow veggies between. I am going to keep them trimmed back to about 8 ft. tall. The trees will provide light shade during midday, and that will protect the veggies in the heat of summer from our southerly hot, drying winds. That's the plan anyway. I have one peach tree there already and it does really well. I trimmed it back last spring and it is looking good. I have peaches growing throughout the garden. They are blooming in colors of deep coral pink and soft pink, and soon the plums, cherries and pears will add their white blooms to the garden. The little Apricot I just planted this past weekend has blooms already because of the sunshine and warm weather. They are all so pretty! As for veggies, the Italian Parsley I sowed in the Rose Garden has sprouted.There will be Hot Red Peppers in there and purple Cabbages with purple Sweet Allysum. There are Leeks (big purple blooms) and garlic (big white blooms) growing in between several of the roses. There are strawberries growing along the pathway, with Love-in-a-mist. Maybe a couple of big pots of Sweet Olive grape-type tomatoes in there somewhere, growing up on pretty supports. The Lemon Cukes will go in at the back and climb up the rose arch. The last time I planted them there, they surpassed the arch and climbed on up into the plum tree! I had to get out the extension ladder to pick the cucumbers! It looked really cool, too. On the west side, below the rose garden, is a great place to plant the Heirloom tomatoes. I have been composting in there for a couple of years, and adding mulch which has rotted down to dirt, so they should do really well in there. Here in Oklahoma, you need a little afternoon shade for the big heirlooms like the Brandywines, and you need space as they grow very big. This site has everything they need. And thinking one small pie-pumpkin vine. I like the way they look in the flower garden. I have seeds of Love-Lies-Bleeding. Those are so pretty hanging down over the rails like that. Exquisite! Every year I say I am going to grow them, but I never figure out just where! Anyway, that is what I have planned this year. Just going to play it by ear as the season progresses. Who knows what the weather will be like this year.

Hi Claire...Great shots of those Hummers! At last they have arrived...whew! It looks like you have some tired but happy Hummers. I counted Herring this morning. I saw 8 during my 10 minute count time. The sun was bright, water was clear and the gulls were happy. We have found that Herring like to run when the water temps reach 13C. Last year we recorded the largest number of Herring making the final run into the Mill Pond between May 11th & 18th. Interesting little tid-bit...when the adult Herring return to the sea, they do so tail first...facing upstream. They allow themselves to be swept backwards with the current. In 2003 the herring run in Bournedale River in Buzzards Bay numbered approximately 200,000 herring. The herring in that run are/were counted using an electronic counting tube...a camera. I find it all very interesting. I need to get out and walk around the yard today. If the Hummers are here, I should find a lot of new growth, buds and hope for color to come...or not. I've seen some hanging baskets of impatients on houses already. It seems a little early to see such color. Nice, but early. Our nights are still cold. Soon it will be time to get my house plants outside...the start of summer camp. sooey

Roxana, yes I was...95% I’d say. It still pops up but much more manageable. I go around every couple of months in spring and summer to catch stragglers but it’s almost entirely gone from lawn and easy to pull if it pops up in the bed. it was creeping up from an adjoining ditch and I battled it unsuccessfully for 10 years! Oddly, it seems to only expand in one direction. So now I’ve cut it off from my yard the ditch is even doing better. It seems not to be able to expand backwards where it has already grown and maybe depleted soil. Just my unscientific observation. Lol It also doesn’t like lime so be diligent about liming your lawn as you try to get rid of it. Aerating the lawn annually also helps improve drainage. good luck!