Allium Molly

  Here is another fantastic little plant. The blooms are such a bright yellow. It is blooming right now in the flower bed It is approximately 12" high. My soil is not very good here. Quite a bit of clay.Which I never amended when I planted this.It is in full sun, but tolerates part sun as well. It is hardy in zones 3-8, and rabbit, squirrel, and deer resistant. Even when I was having a problem with the deer (before the milorganite), they never bothered this one.Its common name is Golden garlic or Lilly Leek. They can be divided in the fall if the clumps become overcrowded. This pretty little plant has never become invasive in the years I have had it. The clump just gets fuller and prettier every year.

Update: I was leaning over this plant this morning to work in the bed and noticed, true to its name "Allium", it has a mild onion like smell.Not unpleasant, but noticeable close-up.

Unknown Green and White Clematis

Still trying to ID this clematis.

PS: I found out this is actually my Clematis Henrii, I dont know white he had green spots on the early blooms this yr.

Rosa 'Madame Isaac Pereire'

      My favorite rose is finally blooming again for this year. I could smell the buds as soon as I stepped out on the front porch. I posted about this rose once before HERE. The fragrance is intoxicating, even in bud.

And all these different shades of pink are on the same rose.

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day

    I believe this is my first time to participate in Garden Blogger's Bloom Day hosted by May Dream Gardens.  This seemed like lots of fun, and I know how much I enjoy seeing what everyone else has blooming. So this is my contribution. I hope you enjoy the show :)

Welcome to my garden. 

Climbing Peace....first blooms for Spring

My favorite Iris, growing near the pond.

My first ever Lupine blooms! Luckily I have lots more on coming.

Backside of an unknown clematis i am trying to get Id'd

Second season for blooms on this gorgeous red Peony. My camera doesnt show the true deep red it really is.

Unknown red rose bud growing at the base of the front porch.

The same red rose opened fully. Again the camera doesnt show the deep jewel tones of this red.

excuse this photo, blogger is screwing up and adding the bottom of another shot to this. This is a picture of my Spiderwort.

This is the first time I have seen this clematis bloom. Now i need to get it Id'd

 This beautiful, old whitish peony is probably my favorite. This shot was taken early this morning before it had a chance to full open.

The next shot shows it opened in full, taken just a few hours later.

Got a Memory Problem?

  Do you need help remembering birthdays, when to cut back a plant, or when to plant? I found a free site I signed up for last yr, that has been working very well for me. I use it to help me remember when to cut back some of my plants, when to sow certain seeds, and reminders to contact someone.It is very easy to use, and you can set it up up to send you one or many reminders before a certain activity Also for a one-time reminder, daily, weekly, or yearly, etc.For us absent-minded professors (gardeners,wives, and mothers) it can be a great help. Those little boxes on my calender are just so big.
Anyway, here is a link to the site: Memotome.

More Frost!

   I awoke at 7 am to 30° temps, and frost again. May 15th is supposed to be our last frost date. Mother Nature is sure pushing it to the limit. We had frost in the front yard, and neighbors yards, but none again in the back, so everything was spared. Even my annuals, and tomatoes looked OK this morning. I figured last week it was safe to put the tomatoes out when the weather showed nothing lower than 50° for the next week, but things changed fast. Below shows what the weather is expected to be for the next week.

Iris Blooms

   A few more of my Irises have come into bloom. I think next yr, I shall try and purchase some more bulbs. I would love more variety.

Spiderwort

  My Spiderwort ( Tradescantia virginiana) has just begun to come into bloom. The flowers are actually a purple, but for some reason my camera is determined to show them as blue. I love how this plant looks with the gold color of the Red twig Dogwood as a backdrop. I have seen some responses on GW about a few complaining of it being an aggressive spreader. However, I have had this one plant for many years, and have never had it spread once. Its a pretty little plant that requires no care on my part.It is a perennial that grows 18"-24" tall. Its hardy in zones 4-9b. Prefers sun to partial shade. Mine is growing in full sun in clay soil. It blooms thru out most of the growing season. I have saved seeds from it, but I have never tried started them from seed.

Surprises in the Garden

  When working in the garden, one always needs to be prepared for all the little surprises that tend to occur. You never know what Mother nature is going to throw your way. Such as sudden rain storms, snakes, bugs, bird donated plants, etc. I have had all of the above, plus one more this morning. I opened a jug with one lone, Shasta Daisy seedling inside. I figured I might as well plant it out. So I carefully dug my hole, then scooped my fingers down in and under the seedling. Scooping it out gently. While picking it up and moving towards the hole, I thought it felt a little different.....a little squishy. Suddenly, I thought I felt slight movement inside the lump of dirt.Still i wasnt concerned. I just figured it was a bug, and gently laid it in the hole. Just as the clump settled into the hole, suddenly a little critter jumps from the clump as if to say, " Hey, I was sleeping there!" here is what I actually had in my hand:

Luckily, this is my daughter holding it for the close-up. I am a little more squeamish,lol

And here is the home he was so rudely evicted from:

This was actually a little better than the surprise I got while messing around in my lillies last year. I might be squeamish about the frog, but I dont like snakes.

Clematis Ramona

  I just love the color of this clematis. And when it blooms, I can see it while sitting on the couch. It is growing right outside my sliding glass doors. Last year, I left the seeds to develop after the first bloom. I didnt know it would bloom again. Those seeds took forever to ripen. This year I am pruning it back when it is done. Then if I want I can save seed from the second go round.

Early Morning Glow

  I love relaxing in my garden in the early morning hours with my favorite drink of the morning. Its my time of day. Anyone that was up are gone off to work, and the rest are still in bed. Its perfect time to reflect, and enjoy your work. I was doing the same this morning, when I noticed how much more ethereal everything looked with the soft glow of the morning sun peeking thru the trees down on my insignificant garden. Its a moment in time, that almost seems to transport you to the heavens. As if the hand of God had taken a brief moment to reach out and touch all living things as if HE was enjoying his handiwork just at the same moment you were. As always, click on the photo's for an enlarged view.

The Sun seems to make the leaves of the Penstemon Husker's Red almost glow.

I had to include this shot, even tho it was off subject slightly. This is my little kitty, birdwatching. She knows momma starling makes her nest under the eave of my porch every season.