did my walk around...

And look what I found!

"Scentimental" rose (thanks Dynochick!)

delphinium 'magic fountains lavender / white bee'

threadleaf coreopsis 'Zagreb'

we've been told this is some sort of bean...my husband HATES it and we've been trying to get rid of it for a couple of years now - we're just not very diligent when it comes to pulling it up because it's in an awkward place in the boulder garden.

Oh, and look who's here...black and white kitty. He's been hanging around but won't let you get close. I didn't know he was sleeping under one of the Japanese maples when I went to do my tour - I scared the kitty crap out of him!
bear's breech - odd plant, but very prolific. You can take one little piece that you've pulled and stick in in the ground - it will look more than dead for a while and then all of a sudden, you have a new plant.

I answered an ad on craigslist and so I've got a guy coming out today to take some of my perennials because the garden is very OVERGROWN...anyone else?

Update: Dude didn't show...

a lone cosmo...

This was a surprise yesterday. A couple of years back, I purchased a bunch of flowers to decorate our other house when we were putting it up for sale. This was one that I had purchased. After they ran their course, I planted them in my garden.

Last year, this one had leaves, but no flower so I looked them up on the internet. It says that cala lilies don't survive cold weather and need to be dug up every year. So, I thought it was a goner, for sure.

Well, last evening when I was taking pictures, I noticed this in the middle of the Star-gazer lilies!

star-gazer lilies...

when we got home...

These were some of the flowers that were blooming when we got home.

I was very surprised to see that we still had irises...two years ago when we went to France at the end of May, I totally missed the blooming of all the irises and poppies. I think that because we have been having cooler weather, it's helped the lifespan of some flowers.

Oriental Poppies - these are really all one color, but when I took the picture, the sunlight made them look like they are variegated.

Roses

Dynochick calls this Purple Pavement

RhodieSalvia meadow sage ‘east friesland’

Can anyone tell me what the name of this is? It will have some pinky-purpley flowers.  (Update: this is some sort of Sedum).

chateau sun garden...

I am back from France...over a week now.

While visiting a château (Villandry), we came across their sun garden. I couldn't believe the amount of plants that they had in the garden that I also have in my garden.

Of course, they labeled their plants and I noticed that one was named slightly differently than what I thought. The Knautia Macedonia in France was called Knautia Macedonica.

When I got home, I checked it out on-line and it seems that I had it wrong the whole time.

what to look for in june...

In June, these are the flowers in my garden that we need to watch for since this is the month that they begin to bloom:

Lavender mountain lilies
Peonies
Poppies
Roses
Bell flowers (white peach bell)
Lilies (star gazer)
Bear’s breech
Coreopsis
Day Lilies
Delphinium
Hostas

Last night as I was packing the car I noticed a little tea rose just starting to bloom. First rose of the season.

I have noticed a lot of aphids and I haven't done anything about them yet - and now won't until June.

day before we leave for france...

Again, I need help...what is this bush called?

colors of the rainbow...

ponderings of time...

It just seems like everything is on hyper mode when it comes to growing in my garden. I don't know if it's because I'm getting older and the days are going by faster or if in fact things are growing and blooming sooner.

I noticed over the weekend that the Irises already have their heads, so do the poppys and the Knautia Macedonia also have the beginnings of their heads. I don't recall that they were this advanced last year.

But in thinking back two years ago - we were leaving for France at the end of May and I was really sorry that I was going to miss the blooming of the Irises. The morning of the day we left, we were all packed and headed to work; I noticed that some of the Irises had bloomed. I quickly snapped a few pics and then we were gone for two weeks. By the time we returned, they were pretty much all done blooming and faded.

So, anyway, the point is that I don't think any growing has really sped up - it's just my measurment of time.

need names...

Not sure what either of these plants names are...can you help? The top one is a bush. Sort of looks like a laced-capped hydrangea, but I have two of those and this is not the same.

And so it is..."Shasta" Viburnum (thanks Eric).

This is a ground cover and for most of the year it is just foliage, except in the spring when it has yellow flowers.

This one is a Yellow Lamium (Galeobdelum).

wild...

flowering trees...

lilacs...

random shots...

allium - persian blue (allium purple sensation)

cherry tree

ground phlox  (phlox subulata)

garden blues...

Haven't been doing much out in the garden lately.

Sometimes it has to do with the weather. It's been either too cold, too windy or too rainy. Other times I just don't feel like it. The reason is two-fold...if not three-fold; we are leaving in two weeks for our bi-annual trip to France. We'll be gone for a couple of weeks and when we return, our garage demolition should begin.

The boulder garden butts right up against the existing garage. We've been told by the contractors that are bidding on the job that they will need to move a couple of stacks of boulders. Within these couple of stacks are several plants that will need to be moved. We have a few roses, a lace-cap hydrangea, Russian sage, tulips, garlic, a juniper, some bamboo, some knautia-Macedonia and depending how far they go, some ground phlox, garden phlox, coreopsis, blanket flower & Japanese maple.

I don't know where we are going to move all these plants!

So, I'm feeling a little like the garden is going to be a mess for most of the summer, so why even bother putting much effort in it right now.

For Dynochick - these are Knautia Macedonica "burgundy wine" (photo from last year).

They are a cottage flower. Please come by and get some...they re-seed themselves and are ALL OVER my garden. I have to do some major clean-up.

what to look for in may...

In May, these are the flowers in my garden that we need to watch for since this is the month that they begin to bloom:

Alliums
Cherry tree
Columbine
Lilies of the valley
Salvia
Crab apple
Jack-in-the-pulpits
English bluebells
Geraniums
Irises
Knautia Macedonica "burgundy wine"
Rhododendrons
Siberian irises
Stars of bethlehem
Chives