Garden Tales FROM the Garden

I love wireless internet. Hunter's napping, and I have the monitor outside here with us. Ben's happily playing right beside in the sandbox, and I'm blogging about my garden as I sit in it. Love technology. Cool stuff to report. Well, cool if your a garden/bird nerd like me.

What a difference a few weeks make for Clematis. These vines unfurling are so beautiful to me. I have pictured here the Elsa Spath, Nelly Moser, and the one that was here when I moved in, more than likely a Jackmani (sp?). The Elsa Spath is not established yet, it's the one I killed two years in row before it could climb anything. Rigth now it's 10-12 inches tall, looking promising. Finally! The Nelly Moser is only 2 years old, and is really well established. It blooms all season long. I love watching them coming... I get SO excited.

Drinking this morning's coffee I picked up a Birds and Blooms and read a reader questions about Iris. Specifically, why haven't they bloomed? I had the same question. When I moved in here there wa sa cluster of Iris in our rock garden, almost full shade. I didn't know much of anything about them, accept what they were, and that they have not bloomed since I moved in. I was a gardener in a past life. I have this garden dictionary in my mind, and I can usually tell what something is even if I don't recall ever seeing it before. It's strange people, very strange. Anyway, as I always do, I acted instinctively, and moved the Iris towards more sun. I also spaced them apart more. Sure enough, that is exactly what the magazine's letter response says to do. Yay for me. Here are some of the spots I put them. Bummer, it also says they may not bloom until next year once moved. Oh well, they wouldn't have bloomed this year either.

The lilacs are so close. They have formed their blooms, and are ready to burst. I love this part, I can almost smell them!

Oh, and the roses have come far in just a few weeks, too. Here are two little sneak peeks.

Lilies, lilies, lilies... all kind are coming up. If I could go back in time, I would make an all lily place out here. I have asiatic, oriental, and daylilies. Love them all. Isn't it great how they pop up and push the rocks out of the way.

Ben helped me fill the birdfeeders, and give the squirrels corn. He loves this.

And this bird came along while I was outside. Blackbird, I think?

There is just something about the plants I grew from seed. Each time they come back I feel mother-like. So excited. And since I'm such a frugal nerd, I get excited that I paid next to nothing for them to grow. Painted Daisy and Black Eyed Susan here:

Allelujia Foxgloves! At least one plant came back. Grrr to the rest of them, but this yellow digitalis is looking strong, furry little leaves and all.

I took a chance on moving and dividing early this year. So far, looks good. I moved some hollyhocks to the back of the bed. They get 10 feet tall, and re-seed themselves, so you can never tell where the next one will come up. I found 5 or so along, and I put them behind the roses. I also divided my David Phlox for the first time. read somewhere I could do that, and I had an empty spot to fill. Looks good so far. What else is gardening but play? I love to play, and treat this big backyard like a canvas. No perfection here, that's for sure. Pictured here are Hollyhocks, then the Phlox:

Look at how purple these Hosta's are? I love not knowing what kind of hostas we have. It's like a puzzle. We moved in and there were dozens of hostas going all the way around the house. These grow slower. While the rest of the leaves are unfurling, these are just poking up. So purple.

Finally, here is the new bed I dug out a couple nights ago. It's clearly in our front yard. I can't wait to fill it up. I re-buried the tulip bulbs so they can come back next year (not expecting anything this year, but I didn't want to throw them in the compost pile with the grass). So far there are the hostas & divided coneflower (as you can see).