Some May blooms!

Red Poppies....so hard to capture the true red color of these!

Yellow Missouri Primrose blooming for the first time today. This Mini Rose (do not know the name) took a big hit with our last frost and I didn't know if it was going to make it...but it's blooming today! This is another bloom color I just can't capture.

The window box is growing well. It's too bad that the Japanese Maple was damaged, but it looks like it's going to make it.

A surprise bloom! I have a White Coneflower in this bed, and after 5 years, it reseeded!

The White Coneflower is to the left of this picture.

Behind the hanging basket is my TINY Endless Summer Hydrangea. It was planted last summer and I was hoping that it would fill the space to the left of the window box...but, just like all the other plants....it was hit hard with the frost. It's coming back, but I don't think it will grow much this year.

My front bed as you walk up the walkway.

Reseeding Love in a Mist in the front bed.

Penstemom Huskers Red.

Veronica Blue. I just love how the ends bend over...such a pretty pale blue color!

Potentilla Melton's Fire I winter sowed last year. I moved them a few days ago to the side and front bed.

A close up of the Melton's Fire bloom.

Coming around the corner to the front bed.

Surprises

The plants don't look too great, but I have my first blooms on our Water Hyacinths! They are supposed to multiply quickly, but they haven't....so I was surprised to see a bloom!

Butterfly Weed starting to bloom. I winter sowed these 3 years ago. I have white ones too.

My first winter sowed Petunia and my first Petunia bloom! I winter sowed them in the basket and just slipped it in a sweater bag.

These Geraniums were bought 3 years ago. I have overwintered them for 2 winters and they even bloomed in the garage! I didn't water them either.

Rouge Cardinal Clematis and a winter sowed Blue Veronica.

Poppies in the Poppy bed....I didn't plant any of them this year.....all reseeded.

Let the rain come through.

After the rain I took a few pictures.

Above is a view of our front bed. To the left are our window boxes. This picture was taken while standing on the driveway.

Here's a picture from the opposite way. This is the second year for this bed.

Here are some of my Red Hot Poker plants. These are at the corner of our side bed.

This Clematis in in the side bed. The buds are on the ground due to the rain, which just stopped!

More Red Hot Pokers in our front bed.

Gallardia Fanfare, which just started blooming. I bought this plant 2 years ago.

A little slice of heaven

DH surprised me with a new patio set for Mothers Day! I have hearted a set for several years now. I now have an outdoor room! Our deck is in the shade from about 4pm on, so we really use it for most of the summer. Sitting on the loveseat, watching the Cardinals and BlueJays flying around, listening to the new fountain, and having my dogs snuggled up with me was pure heaven!

He bought two extra chairs for when we have company over...now we have seating for 6! My Blue Salvia was just "plopped" into this urn. This plant, for reasons unknown, spreads rapidly through my beds, so I just stuck it in this urn and it's now blooming.

Second picture is my Petunias. I winter sowed them in this container and they are about to bloom...not bad for starting by seeds!

Just a few pictures to share. :)

It's hard to get a full picture of my yard because it's mostly full sun. Here is the side bed. Lots of green, but not many flowers yet. I still need to weed and put down mulch. The bed is straight because DH needed to get the riding mower around. I've love to shape it differently, but for now, I will have to add depth using the plants.

My Geraniums-I bought these at our plant sale last year. They took a hit with our last frost, but seem to be doing well now.

My first Carnation bloom. I winter sowed this last year and over wintered in the garage (it was in a planter). I took the plant out and planted it in the side yard. The smell is heavenly!

These are my shade pots. I have Coleus and impatiens planted. The Coleus will get about 2 feet tall.

This is my first year growing herbs. I have Oregano, Dill, and Rosemary. The Rosemary is still very tiny, but the others are growing like gang busters.

Blue Eyed Grass which started blooming today. I bought this at our plant sale last year. I need to move it, but will wait until this fall.

Our front bed, which is 2 years old. In the front are Shasta Daisies, and Sedum in the front.

This is view from around the side of the house. Red Hot Poker in the bottom, with Coreopsis to the left. RHP was winter sowed. The Coreopsis was bought last year and moved and split this spring.

A view of our backyard. This is the middle of the yard. The veggie garden is to the left. The stone bed to the left is what I have used as a holding bed, and cutting garden. I want DH to move it this fall because it gets in the way of the hose.

This is the left side of the yard.

This is the right side of the yard. The large tree is my neighbors. Our property line is where the little trees are.

This is the back of the lot. We planted the shrubs last fall. I have Hollyhocks in the back which will, hopefully, hide the neighbors ugly fence!

My first Hummingbird!

I saw my first Hummingbird today! It came right up to me when I was planting and moving plants in the side bed. It flew up to the Red Hot Pokers and took a little "sip". I was soooo excited, but sad that I didn't have my camera with me. It looks just like the one above. Another several hours in the garden today. I planted 9 Columbine in the backyard. I hope they don't take 4 years to bloom! They are Blue Stars, and should be pretty. I also planted some Blue Flax in the front bed (by the corner sidewalk) and some Snapdragons in the front, by the Cherry Tree. I transferred some Amaranthus, which reseeded in my holding bed, to the back (where my Jacob's Ladder didn't come back). It can reseed all it wants back there. I also planted several Agatache Blue, and some Veronica Blue on both sides of the tree. The Milkweed (white) should be a pretty background for them. Let's see....what else.....oh....I stuck some extra dwarf white Cosmo's in the front bed, and some by the Cherry Tree. I "think" my Marigolds reseeded. They should bloom soon, so I will know then. They are tall and have huge white flowers...very pretty! I gave my neighbor some Cherry Tomato plants and gathered all the plants I am taking to our garden club together. I am left with some stray plants, and my TINY Red Hot Pokers plants. Whew!

Becoming smaller, smaller, and even smaller

I did a lot of planting today....and I have dark arms to prove it!

I planted:

Lots of tomato plants, both grape and yellow pear.

6 green bean plants

1 cucumber plant

6 Lupine plants in front of the white Butterfly Bush

2 Painted Gallardias in the front bed

2 red Hollyhocks by the Clematis, along with 6 Glad bulbs

11 red Wave Petunias, and 1 (by accident) pink WP.

Too many to count glad bulbs! I put some in the front bed (by the boxwoods), and several in the holding bed. I've planted so many that I can't remember where they all are! I have plenty left to plant next week.

2 Blue Agastache

3 more red Hollyhocks (behind the Agastache) in the side bed

I also moved a Cantanache that was too far in the back (side yard) and moved the red Monarda from the Hosta bed and split it into 2 plants for the side bed.

Ok, I think that's it! My stash is much smaller now!

Oh, my arms!

I spent a good part of today trimming my damaged Boxwood bushes. I started off with a hand trimmer, but after an hour of painfully clipping each dead branch, I decided to pull out the big guns.....our power trimmer! It made the chore soooo much easier. It still took a good amount of time, but at least my hands are not in a lot of pain!

I also fertilized all the plants using my fish emollsion. The stuff stinks, but kind of reminds me of the ocean. LOL! I learned last year that you don't have to carry around a heavy jug of this stuff and water. I think it was Paul James that all you have to do is spray the stuff on your plants. So.....I mixed up a batch, and sprayed away. Time will tell if this works just as well.

I can't believe how much better the plants look after the rain!

Very wet clogs!

I took a break from the garden today and didn't get my fingers dirty....well....just a little (can't resist the urge to pull weeds!). My Columbine, Lime Sorbet, is going like gang busters. I can see the blooms from our deck, which is pretty far away!

Here is the bloom from my Columbine that took 4 years to bloom.

Isn't it pretty??

My Astilbe's surprised me. They were ON the ground after our last frost. Not only did it bounce back, but it has buds! I don't think it will have many, but I have to give Mother Nature high fives' for coming through!

Here's the bed where the Astilbe, Hosta's and Columbine are.

My Sweet Williams look very sparse this year....guess I don't need the plant support (wire frame in the right bottom corner of pic) this year! The Hosta in the back, between the Burning Bushes will get HUGE!....about 3 to 4 feet wide. It's slow to come up in the spring, but makes up for it quickly.

My Lettuce is coming along. I use the clog for size comparison. My side bed seems to be taking forever to bloom. It's all green now, but I still need to put down mulch and trim up the edging. Foxgloves just starting to bud out.