Peonies

The peonies are blooming now, and they are gorgeous!! Now, if I could only get rid of the ants that come along with them.......

Happy Birthday, Mom

My Mom died three years ago, in 2004. I still miss her terribly, and especially so when I am in my garden. Plants from her former home, that I dug up, and replanted here, still bloom annually. I suppose you would call that a "sweet sorrow".

Anyway, not to be too maudlin, today would have been her birthday. Happy Birthday, Mom. You are in my thoughts, and in my heart. I love you.

Heidi's geraniums, 2004

Small Towns

Until we moved here when C. was 5 years old, I had always been a city girl. I can't say that I don't still prefer the city (and fully intend to move back to a city within a couple of years), but small towns do have their advantages. Below are images of the wildflower field across from my son's high school.

One more pic. I love these French lilacs that I planted two years ago from a cutting given to me by a friend.

The swatches below were taken from the close-up image of the wildflower field

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Pink Rhododendron

I haven't had much time to post lately, but I have been out in the garden quite a bit. My rhoadies are blooming now, and they are totally gorgeous!

So much is blooming now (bloom notes below), and everything looks fresh and beautiful at this time of the year-----it is always inspiring! See the rhoadies below.

~Bloom Note:viburnum, rhododendron, bleeding heart, forget-me-nots, dianthus, iris in the backyard, morning primroses, French lilacs, perennial geraniums, periwinkle, dogwood

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Azaleas in the Woods

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Mourning Doves..........

Have been working off and on in the garden for the last few days. C. finished painting the fence except for one small section. He was painting there, and ('our' mourning doves nest in a large willow tree right next to the fence) when he looked up as he was painting, the female was staring at him. It totally unnerved him, so he stopped and began to paint the potting shed instead

.Anyway, the birds should be finished nesting/raising babies in another month or so---- I'll try to get a pic to post here. They are such friendly birds in that they allow you to get quite close, yet remain calm. I love having them around.

The peonies should be blooming in a couple of weeks. They always remind me of how much I miss my Mom.

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Linking to a new blog...............

For a long time I've been wanting to create a blog that was only/primarily about color, since color has been my passion since I began painting 5 or so years ago. My new blog, "Color Me Sugar", can be found here.

More Chores.............

I haven't had much time to post to my blogs in the last few days, as my son and I have been working outside a good deal ot the time.
Yesterday, he painted the section of the fence on the Southern side of the house that faces the street. I was so thrilled!! He had done this without being asked, just because he saw that it needed doing. And, he plans to paint the fence on the North side of the house sometime this week, then my potting shed next weekend. What a great kid------I am very lucky.
The redbud is now blooming, as is the lilac tree on the South side. The colors are absolutely gorgeous.
Good news out of the way, now for the bad. Sigh. I think that many of my roses, having been so neglected last year, didn't make it through the winter. Many have just a tiny bit of green on one stalk. I'm going to prune and feed them all and see what happens. Crossing my fingers here.

Sheesh..........

Crying here. Yesterday, while I was at the grocery store, my son decided to do his annual thing in the garden. He knew that all my rose bushes needed pruning, so being a helpful sort, he went to work. Crying harder.
For his first job, he chose my fav climbers, "New Dawn" roses, growing on an arbor in the backyard. Thinking that he was doing me a huge favor, he cut my 4-year old canes back to the ground. Crying more.
The image is an aerial view from 2 years ago-----last year the growth was even more profuse. This year, well, I suspect that arbor will be looking very bare. Sheesh........

~Bloom Note: redbud tree, summer snow

Happy May Day............

For obvious reasons, the month of May always makes me think of crowns of flowers, party dresses, dancing around the Maypole and the time I was crowned "Queen of the May"(I was 9 or 10 and totally ecstatic about having won the crown).
May also makes me think of jumping rope as a little girl; I can't recall if we had a particular game re May Day, but I think we did. I used to love all that kind of stuff-----I was a very social child.

Wikipedia's entry re "May Day".

Spring Cleaning

Have been out in the garden for most of the day today. It felt so great to feel the sun on my face! Due to a personal situation, I have
neglected my garden since last July-----it is now very overgrown.
Cleaned up the landscaping in the front yard, which included my annual wrestling match with the English ivy. That stuff would take over the world if it were allowed to!
I also trimmed the shrubs ----a tedious task,even if the results are worthwhile. But, I do so hate the trimming!! I wonder if one of my neighbors would be willing to trade garden chores with me........think I'll ask around.
The summer snow is nearly ready to bloom, and the early tulips are close to blooming as well.
On another note, the rhody is looking pretty scroungy. I think it's probably because I didn't water after July last year--------it may have been too dried out to survive the winter without damage.Sigh.
On to the Southern side of the house tomorrow.

A gorgeous day today........

The Sun Came Out............

The rain finally ended this morning, and I did do a few things outside. Not much, due to other issues, but I did manage to prune one of my 27 (gulp) rose bushes , and I helped my neighbor prune her hydrangea. Actually, I became the neighborhood garden guru a few years ago----to think that when I first moved here, I knew nothing, NOTHING whatsoever about plants and yucky soil, etc..
That was the other thing I did today--------I ordered 2 yards of topsoil for the beds in my backyard, and it should be delivered tomorrow.Now the trick will be in sweettalking my teenager in to transporting all that dirt from the front to the back, lol.

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Rain, Day 2.............

A Favorite Poem..............

Lines Written In Early Spring

I heard a thousand blended notes,
While in a grove I sate reclined,
In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts
Bring sad thoughts to the mind.

To her fair works did Nature link
The human soul that through me ran;
And much it grieved my heart to think
What man has made of man.

Through primrose tufts, in that green bower,
The periwinkle trailed its wreaths;
And 'tis my faith that every flower
Enjoys the air it breathes.

The birds around me hopped and played,
Their thoughts I cannot measure:--
But the least motion which they made
It seemed a thrill of pleasure.

The budding twigs spread out their fan,
To catch the breezy air;
And I must think, do all I can,
That there was pleasure there.

If this belief from heaven be sent,
If such be Nature's holy plan,
Have I not reason to lament
What man has made of man?

By William Wordsworth

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Rain, Rain.............

It's raining here today, and while I sometimes do like to play outside in the rain, today is not one of those days. So.............looking out of my window, I can see that the leaves on the apple trees have "opened" overnight. They are a delightful green-------a Spring green, seen on trees at no other time of the year---------my favorite greens.
The leaves on my viburnum sprouted overnight also, and sp0rt yet another gorgeous variation on green.
My garden is still a mess! Filled with the remains of last summer's dead flowers, fallen leaves and branches. I am eager to get out there and begin the spring clean-up I am hoping to start this weekend------barring teenage crises.*smirk*

chiclet

Beginnings

Every day in the spring, I go outside to see what's poking up or blooming. I love to do this-----it always makes me happy to see signs of new life. I've never journaled about my gardening, even though it is a huge part of my life from March through October. In journaling here, I intend only to document the life of my garden for self-reference and for the simple pleasure of putting the words to paper, so to speak.
New beginnings........

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