Monday Garden Report

Here's the columbines, in all their splendor. These I recognize, as they are coming from an older and fairly large plant, which I've seen bloom for a few years now.

This one, however, is a new entry. Looks like it has the recurving inner petals of the blue and purple columbines we also had, but with a coloring similar to the pinks above.

Pretty cool, huh?

On a related note, this marigold has just begun blooming and in doing so, reveals itself to be very different to the single flowered yellow marigolds in who's sixpack container it had stown away.

After work tonight I hit the store for a new pair of Tevas, now that the warmer days have arrived. I'm pleased to say the ones I bought were half the price of the ones at that link.

These fantastic double rugosa roses were just starting blooming near the parking lot.


This past weekend's big discovery was that this red flowered shrub is nestled in between the white shrub I think is a spirea variety (photo below). I had thought it was weigela, but now that I compare it to Bokey's, I see it's not quite that at all.

It's very cool that these overgrown bushes are growing in between the white-flowered bushes--they've all kind of become a big wild hedge, on both the east and west edges of the property, which of course the birds love. But it seems I don't know what its called. Anyone...?


However, I sure DO know what THIS poison ivy is called. I spotted it right on the southwestern corner of our lot, and it's an old thick plant, so I expect it's woven itself pretty well into that western hedge...so I'm glad I've not done anything more than look at it.

The memory of my first and most-dreadful experience with Poison Ivy (just a year ago, in fact)remains strong in This One and I have no desire to relive it, so I'll stand well clear.

My fondness in "garden whimsy" is no secret. Our garden welcomes gnomes, leprauchauns, elves, stone dogs and ducklings, giant plastic frogs and dinosaurs big and small...and over the years, we have known a few flamingos.

Our current rental was once a preschool, so as we clean the place up, particularly the back yard, it has been a little like an archaeological dig. Instead of bones, of course, we are unearthing old Matchbox cars and toy soldiers and LEGO pieces (keeping those!) and such.

I found this little plastic hand at one point and stuck it into the bed near these pansies.

It's a whole "Spongebob Cementpants Sends Greetings From the Fabulous Meadowlands" sort of vibe that tickles me.

All along the border out front, the dianthus are one-by-one unfurling to reveal their various colors. This one caught my eye this evening...so much so that I didn't even notice that the yellow daylily behind it had begun to bloom until I looked up from the dianthus!