After a very cold winter, I was finally starting to bring my roses that had been in containers all winter onto the porch from the garage in anticipation of planting them this spring. One such rose was Redoute - a beautiful, pink, Austin Rose - that I was looking forward to planting in the front yard. My schedule being such that it is, prevented me from accomplishing this task right away, so I gingerly placed the container in an old, rusted, plant hanger - destined to be thrown out. The placement by the front door would remind me to do both tasks. This story will explain why things didn't happen exactly as planned...

4.12.01

A robin started building a nest right there in Redoute! She lined the nest with mud (as evidenced by the mud on the porch railing and the side of the container). In this picture you can barely see the layer of mud. Click on the image to see a larger picture.

4.14.01

The Robin added another layer of grass and twigs over the mud. I didn't wash away the mud she left on the railing of the porch as I didn't want to frighten her away. I worried about how I would water this rose with the nest there, so I put a pot of water nearby and tore a strip from an old towel to wick the water into the container.

4.16.01

I worried about the nest being so exposed. It was only about three feet from the floor of the porch and about 3.5 feet from the front door. I could easily peer out of the blinds in the front door and see the mother Robin sitting there.

It didn't take long at all before the mother Robin laid an egg in the nest.