The Tiniest Star!

Nothing is compared to the excitement...at least for me...of the first daylily bloom! Aptly named 'Eenie Weenie', she is only 10" tall and bloom measures under 2"! A very bright shade of yellow with paler midribs and re-curved petals. Other than Stella d'Oros, Eenie Weenie is the FIRST daylily to bloom in my garden! Other daylilies are weeks away from color so I'll enjoy this one even more. I'm sorry to say this picture does not do justice..she is totally sweet and cheerful in person! As the show of peonies fade, and bearded irises cut back, these new flush of blooms are taking over the garden.
Feverfew with Rose Campions Visions of pink/purple blooms now change to a sea of yellow...primroses! Everywhere! Summer has officially begun!

Bizzy little worker... Next flower...

Variegated Loosestrife

'Purpleicious' veronica...

...with Coral Bells

This 'Arctic Queen' clematis bloom is huge!

First asiatic lily to bloom

After a night of torrential downpour, with thunder rocking the house, the sun is finally peeking out, but I am NOT heading out for yard work! Nuh-Uh! A trip to the airport at 4 am has put yours truly in serious need of a nap!

On With the Show

My pots are done...YAY! All the annuals purchased last week filled out 5 large containers and a few small ones. This is the planter I have between the garage doors. The tall light green plant is actually a perennial privet from last year's planting. The other 'unusual' flower is the red draping amaranthus called "Love Lies Bleeding"..the rest I'm sure you all recognize. And, as you can see, I CRAM for instant effect! I'll share the other containers in another post...on with what's blooming in the garden...

An agastache...I'm just not sure what kind...anyone? At 4 ft. tall, she's hard to miss though.

Gosh, I don't remember planting this ansonia but HERE she is...blending happily with the purple salvia.

A perfect white poppy...well, just shy by a few hours! Too bad the blooms don't last long.

This is my newly planted tri-colored beech. Not a common stocked item so I'm thrilled to have found her. It's fairly small at 5 ft. and sparsely branched, but isn't the foliage beautiful? I paid a whopping $99 for her, and hopefully, she'll thrive in her new home.

This kousa dogwood has an unusual shade of peachy/pink blooms.

A wonderful (and no fuss) perennial for the front border is the hardy geranium. Extended bloom period (4+ wks ), easy to propagate, spreads quickly...what's not to love? Oh, and deer resistant, too!

Look how wide this clump is. Ha, Bandit...always sneaking into my pictures...

Roses are putting on a great show but look closely and you can see the damage being done by aphids...even this easy care Knock Out.

This is the view as I'm standing on the deck steps, looking into the garden. This pink rose is pretty but no fragrance whatsover...ZILCH...NADA...

Colors displayed here and there, but what you see is mostly still green. In a few days, however, this bed will be a sea of yellow as sun drops are ready to burst...unless the rain returns...Ugh!

Let's Take a Drive...

What's a gardener to do when it's drizzly out and not gardening weather? Go nursery hopping, of course! One of my all time favorite hobbies!

So one state, two counties, and 45 miles later...I reach my first destination. I love to just browse and sometimes even leave without a purchase...GASP!! Keeping mental notes (I'm not a list maker!) of what costs what and which nursery had that particular plant, keeps me occupied for hours! Walk into a greenhouse filled with colorful hanging pots in every color of the rainbow, and you just can't NOT go nuts! Then I start daydreaming how great it would be to run a nursery... just to enjoy the eye candy...not how much work it would involve!

Six hours and 5 nurseries later, I'm tired but very happy! Besides the prerequisite annuals for pots, my new treasure is a tri-color beech tree! And what else...new daylilies!

This picture had to stand alone as it's my favorite scene of the day...all colors of the wave petunias. A great choice for containers but I like it in ground too, as they really do spread!
So get out and enjoy your local nurseries...or cross the state line...and find a new favorite!

P.S. What a headache trying to create this collage...any tips out there from the experts?