Centrepiece

Our Brigg's Moonlight daphne is getting big enough to be quite stunning now as a centrepiece for my rock garden. We're still waiting to see blooms - next year :)

Cranesbill

I didn't even know I had Cranesbill. It is growing at the edge of the little house lawn and, of course, fell over when I pulled the tall grass away from it. I found some rocks and propped it back up. It already has one baby so I am hopeful it will go to seed and have more.

It's Official !

My compost is no longer just a pile that I can't put kitchen scraps in if I don't want the dogs rooting around. It is up and running, scraps and all. It is in the corner of the drive, below the deck. Next year there will be a ton of Tansy here. I pulled most of it out this year so I could get to the caragana which are also coming down. Tansy has been growing in this spot as long as I have been here and it needed the thinning anyway. You can already see it coming back and this was only days after I took it all down.

Delicate tiarella

I sometimes miss my tiarella because she sits quietly and doesn't yell out for attention.

Surviving the Storm

I think the city got hit by the storm harder than we did here. We have a lot (and I mean a lot!) of small and smaller branches down but the city looks battered today. I was worried about Judy's 'John Davis' because it was not tied up but it looks like it survived just fine!

Frilly pink

These are just soooo darn pretty in the back garden.

Peony

My peony in the bird sanctuary started to open yesterday, by today they are already spectacular!

Strange lily

OK you have to look closely at this one. Notice the lily 'stalk' is wide and thin - like those licorice strips you pull apart - over 4" wide. And it's got TONS of buds - will probably fall over under its own weight when it blooms. Weirdly deformed! (This is lily Red Hot.)

Odd Little Thing

My variegated sedum is opening, changing from red buds to bright yellow flowers.

Blue salvia

It was a windy day and these guys just wouldn't stand still!

Royal Chocolate Distinction

And this one opened today along with the 'Stella D'Oro'

Flowers are here!

 

Woke up to all kinds of blooms, including my old-fashioned orange poppy. The Chocolate Distinction is in bud but not open yet. What was open since yesterday included daisy, early orange lily, pinks, 2 more variety of roses and the variegated sedum. The front delphinium are starting to open and it is all very exciting!

The Best One

 

I think this is the best one I got today. At any rate, I am too tired to keep looking so this is the one you get to see for now. It was all very exciting.

New nails

Too much rain for outside pics. It's a shame that I can't get a good shot because my new nails are pretty darn cool. Not yellow as they look above, but rather an iridescent peachy orange.

Pink masterwort

My masterwort is huge this year and will definitely need to be divided next spring. If we'd get some sun, all those blooms would pop open!

Little yellow

These lilies are in the front rock garden and the stalks are only 4-5 inches tall. They're cute little things :)

Lots of orange

Ha ha! We have lilies blooming and no one else does ;)

Summer Sun

I didn't even notice her until I was looking at the photos on my computer.

David

I am pretty sure this is 'David' and the really good news is that I think at least two of the other phlox are back as well!

The back side

You can see the Opus One lilies are already over my head.

Snowmound Spirea

My Snowmounds are starting to open. I think you need to come and prune them for me again.

Digby blues

These are without a doubt the most impressive bearded iris we have. The flowers are big, the leaves are big, and it's tall.

I think they'd be cool right next to the yellow Japanese iris you can see in the background. Or with my early yellow Digby daylilies. There might be a change before next year :)

Oops

 

This patch has been here 9 years and this is the first time this has happened. Obviously, I got something confused when I divided last year!

The President

No, those are not tiny daylilies - the clematis flowers are huge. After 5 years I'm finally getting a beautiful show from The President this year. The blooms open dark fushia and quickly fade to this medium purple.

Buds

This is the 'Royal Chocolate Distinction' poppy and it is much bigger than last year. There are so many buds around the yard... poppy, rose, columbine, baby's breath, pinks... another week and they will all be blooms!

Frilly favourite

This columbine originally came from Mom's garden and has had a hard time surviving. It continues to come back every year but usually with only a couple of flowers. I would love for this to grow up soon!

Lawn!

The mower part arrived so we have lawn again. It does a much better job of setting off the garden when it is mowed.

Yellow pride

Herman's Pride lamium in the back fence garden is in full bloom - one of very few yellow blooming plants in the backyard.

Therese Bugnet

She is so full of flowers and buds that one of her branches is weighed down into the forget-me-nots.

Nifty Nelly

A corny subject line but a beautiful flower! Nelly Moser is the second clematis to open. The President in the ring garden beat it by a few days.

Variegated Sedum

Getting ready to open and standing tall! I love this stuff!!

June garden

After 3 days of rain it finally cleared this afternoon. It's supposed to be sunny and hot the next couple of days. The back garden looks quite lush for early June.

Siberian Iris

Yesterday they were all buds but today they started to open! Whoo Hoo!

Columbine Arrive

The columbine have all started here. It began with the pink and then the yellow. Waiting on the yellow-purple and the black.

Cotoneaster blooms

I've been wandering around out by the end of the driveway trying to figure out what smelled so nice. I've been puzzled for a week or so now - I'd catch this sweet scent but didn't know where it was coming from. Turns out it's these tiny little flowers on my cotoneaster blooming out on the corner.

Cary's Yellow

Blooming in Judy's yard now. She is moving the deep burgundy iris to beside this one for next year. This year, they bloomed at the same time. My pale yellow are all opening now too.

Mom's columbine

It's not original from mom's garden but it's a volunteer that seeded from one of hers. This one's a lighter pink than the others... nice surprise.

Pink in the woods

Front on view of the lady slipper bloom. Doesn't that look like a set of lungs? Not that I've ever seen lungs and probably mine don't look this good.

Rhubarb and Iris

My rhubarb is awesome. I plan to harvest it this week.

Blue and White Opened

The german purple are all almost done and the blue and white opened today. This is the first patch of this variety to open. It is off the front deck next to the rhubarb. Everything in that spot is early and big this year so far.

First Frost

hosta 'First Frost'

This is without a doubt my new favourite hosta - great colours and shape... and it grows fast. Hard to get a picture that doesn't have spinners from the maple trees - they've been coming down all week.

Lilac at the Gate

Miles saved it from the fallen tree. Once it was uncovered, it opened right up!

Judy's Burgundy

Judy's burgundy like your burgundy? Either way, I hope one, the other... or both bloom here soon!!

Look What I Got!

Nyla is getting rid of two of her garden beds while she is on vacation. I did some digging for her :)

I got this lady slipper, which I have already planted, a black columbine, several strawberry, three centaura and a flowering pink bleeding heart. Good day in my garden.

And... the Japanese Painted Fern is coming up !!

Frilly pink columbine

I have this big beautiful pink columbine blooming in the middle of the back garden. Danielle, you should recognize it :)

DP Notes

I needed a notebook for work so went looking through my notebook stash today and.... look what I found!

Cooking with thyme

Mom's old cast iron frying pan repurposed. Kelly's the cook in the family so I take no credit for this.

Pretty and Yellow

And to think I never used to like yellow. Blooming in Judy's backyard today.

Ghostly unknown iris

It's pretty much pure white when fully opened as opposed to the pale blue when in bud. Definitely not Orange Harvest but I'm not disappointed. This one blooms lower than many of the other bearded iris.