Monday, May 20, 2013

Some New Gardening Companions

An update:  we have bought a house here in Massachusetts!  It is not red, sadly, (it's green!) but it sits on a nice large lot with lots of gardening potential!  We actually bought a house that is not completely finished, so it will be another month or so before we are able to move in.  In the meantime, we are living with my in-laws.  It is hard to not have my own garden during such a glorious spring, but my mother-in-law is graciously (and rather enthusiastically) letting me help establish her new garden while we are here.

One of the several piles of plants to plant in my mother-in-law's new garden!
Several family fêtes have been planned for this summer in connection with my sister-in-law's upcoming wedding, so the backyard is being slowly transformed into a lush oasis.


Beyond this fenced-in part of their backyard is a small pond connected to a wetlands area. While out gardening we get to enjoy seeing some of the wildlife that live in the area.  Mr. and Mrs. Mallard live in the area and are frequent visitors to the pond.  I haven't seen Mrs. Mallard very much the past couple weeks - she is no doubt laying on a clutch of eggs.  

I can't wait for little baby ducklings! 
The Mallards are not the only ducks that frequent the pond - a couple of Wood Ducks also live in the area.  They are shyer than the Mallards, but oh-so-beautiful to watch!

the Wood Ducks
On several occasions we have also seen a water creature swimming around that we have affectionately named 'Chuck'.

The Loch Ness Monster's baby?
Au contraire, it's a beaver!
In addition to the waterfowl, there are a number of birds in the area.  One of the more striking ones that I've seen is a partially albino Robin.


And this gardener can never seem to get away from members of the Rodent family.  I have seen many a Chipmunk scurrying to and fro.


I haven't seen too many of those devilish Squirrels around, but I'm sure they'll come out in droves just as soon as we put the bird feeders up!

By far the cutest animal seen in this garden, though, is this little fella:


This is my in-law's new puppy, who always likes to help in the garden..


... and you can all see what a big help he is!  Well, hopefully soon he will be a well-trained gardening companion.

token flower photo
Happy Gardening, everyone!

32 comments:

  1. Congrats on the new house! And lucky you that your in-laws are letting you help with their garden. Is the puppy a labradoodle? That's the breed I'm thinking of getting. Very cute!

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    1. Very close - it's a goldendoodle! He's full of energy and very smart. He's quite the troublemaker at this age, but oh-so-cute!

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  2. Congratulations!! A new house will be excited, and helping establish a garden for your in-laws is a great gift!

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    1. It would be hard to keep me out of the garden :) I actually haven't been able to help quite as much as I want to, we've been so busy, but now most of the plants have been planted. It's nice I get to enjoy a garden even away from home.

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  3. Great news about your new house! That's exciting! I hope it's near that adorable puppy so you can visit regularly.

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    1. Not too far away! My kids adore the puppy (as well as their grandparents), so I'm sure we will be making frequent visits!

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  4. Congrats! I like the wood duck! Have fun with your mother-in-law's garden. You can get some new ideas for your own new garden.

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    1. The wood ducks are so pretty. They are always more wary, though. Every time I come close they swim away! I hope we get to see some little wood ducklings before too long as well.

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  5. Congratulations on getting a new house. I love the color green. How fun, too, that you have a garden to play in while you're waiting to work on your own. That photo of the puppy running with the flowers in his mouth is adorable. He looks so happy, too, like he really believes he's helping!

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    1. Ha, he'll do pretty much anything for some attention! He loves chewing on empty pots and plant tags as well. So far we've only found one gardening activity he's really good for - digging! Now if only we could train him to only dig where we want him to...

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  6. How lucky to have a garden to work in, even if it isn't your own, and it seems like quite an enchanting space!

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    1. My mother-in-law loves the English cottage garden look, and the garden is really shaping up like one! I am very glad to have a garden away from home to be in for awhile!

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  7. New house and new garden!!! Congratulations!

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    1. Thank you! I'm so excited for the house to be done and to start gardening!

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  8. Seen any gators in that pond? Will the blog now become Green House Garden or can you get the builders to paint it red?

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    1. No gators yet, thankfully!! There are some very loud somethings in there (frogs, I'm guessing?), but so far the largest wildlife I've seen are Canadian geese.

      I will be keeping the name Red House Garden, but sadly our house can't really be easily painted - it's colored vinyl. At some point, however, we will be building a greenhouse...which we want to paint red ;)

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  9. Who exciting to have two new gardens to plan...it's like having a double spring.

    Jen

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    1. It is fun! I'm definitely itching to see how my yard looks after everything has been finally built and the ground leveled. I'm ready to get planning!

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  10. A green house sounds lovely. I'll be looking forward to seeing the garden develop.

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    1. It's nice that pretty much any color scheme can go with a green house! I had to be a little more particular about the colors I used with my Red House. I'm thinking pastels this time!

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  11. Great to hear you can still garden and enjoy the critters....sounds like an amazing place to be while you wait...hoping you are relaxing and dreaming.

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    1. I am enjoying it, though anxious to start my new home!

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  12. That is great you have the new green house and are currently located by the wetland at the in-laws. All the creatures are so much fun to see, and the wood ducks are beautiful. Watch those beavers, they can be a bit nasty.

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    1. I haven't seen the beaver in a while. I didn't know they had nasty dispositions, though! That was the first beaver I've ever seen!

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  13. Congratulations on your new house! Your in-laws garden and surrounding looks very interesting, so much wild life! And the dog is just adorable, a great little garden helper :-)

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    1. Ha, we've kept the dog out of the garden for the past few days while planting, but he'll be let back in soon. Our garden might be in trouble! :)

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  14. You're gonna have to get the builders to repaint your new house Indie. Redhouse with a Greenhouse (I'm easily confused...DOH!) x

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    1. I wish I could! Sadly, the house is made out of colored vinyl, so it wouldn't make much sense to paint it (and it would be another expense). Buuutt.. we are thinking of getting a red greenhouse at some point! Wrap your head around that! :)

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  15. please repaint? Or not? A fresh start? Tucking you in Feedly so I catch your posts, now Blotanical is limping.

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    1. No repainting, sadly, as the house is made out of colored vinyl. But there shall be a red house of some sort in the garden.. we are thinking of making a red greenhouse at some point perhaps! Thanks for following!

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  16. Congratulations on your new house! Although I don't enjoy moving, I do love the anticipation that comes with having a new garden, where the possibilities seem endless. I'm not sure you should hire that adorable puppy to help you though, I have a feeling that planting might take a little longer with his help :P Too cute though!

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    1. Haha, the puppy is quite the digger - if only we could redirect his energy! I am excited about planning a whole new garden. I can't wait to get started!

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