Rainy Day. It's Monday.

It's raining. It's Monday. I'm not down. It's been too long since we've had rain. Right now, it's a nice gentle rain falling. It'll turn into storms before the afternoon is done. The line of storms is moving Northeast at a steady pace. I hope it rains all day. It's 77 degrees.



It always rains just as the peonies come into full bloom.



Mr. Lincoln is really impressing me this year. I had a few blooms like this last year, but only one at a time. I love this plant.



Massive.



Lagerfeld smells great. The pink coloring disappears as the blooms open to a silvery lavender.



The pink hybrid tea is impressive this year too.



My first strawberry.



Beans. I need to redo the teepee poles I set up for these. All of them are leaning due to high wind yesterday. I need to lash them together with some horizontal bamboo poles. I have plenty left.

Fragrances

Mr Lincoln, this morning.



Mr Lincoln, at lunch.



Context.



Karl Rosenfeld peony. Knockouts, Lagerfeld and Blue Girl in the background.



Lagerfeld.



Blue Girl.



Sweet Williams.



This is the "Orange Rose" purchased last year. The pink blooms come from one side of the plant. Orange blooms will appear later. Neither have a fragrance. It might be moved if I find a suitable reblooming fragrant replacement.



It's 82 degrees. My scalp is fried.

Sunlight.

On a cloudless day, the colors are more vivid.



Every flaw, every weed, every nuance is highlighted. Texture is more visible with hard shadows. Fuzzy becomes apparent.



Red is true.



Orange.



In dappled sunlight, things are fuzzier. Weeds blend with the foliage of other plants making them less recognizable.



Backlighting is useful when photographing dark colors.



In deep shade, the colors are more muted.



Details are clear if you can focus.



But once in a while, the sun breaks through for just a few moments.



It's 57 degrees. The chance of rain has been downgraded to sunny and warm. The high will be in the upper 80s today.

The Tradition Continues.

When it's warm enough, I like to take my coffee outside in the mornings. It's 60 degrees and the coffee is warm.

Red clover in the meadow is starting to show blooms. A little rain on Thursday will send it over the edge.



A better shot of my baby peaches. It's going to hurt thinning these, but I know the tree isn't strong enough to hold all the peaches that are growing. I'll probably start thinning them in a week. 35 leaves per peach is the recommended amount of fruit a tree can support.



Baby figs on last year's plant. This is the breba crop. I'm going to leave them to see how they taste. I already know what the main fall crop is like, sweet and golden.



Mr. Lincoln.



Golden Showers. I have this free blooming rose planted on the arbor at the perennial bed. From what I've read, it should grow 12' - 15' at maturity. I've paired it on the other side with Carolina Jasmine for yellow blooms during a good portion of the year. A clematis vine on each side should intertwine and make for a stunning display in a couple of years. I can't remember which is which, but both should bloom this year.



A gerber daisy made it through the winter. I'm surprised given the cold and wet weather we had.



The backyard is filling in quickly. The neighbors' houses are disappearing. Brown Avenue is becoming a distant memory.



The high today should reach 91. Tomorrow, the chance of rain has been downgraded from 80% to 50%. Everything is yellow, including the cat.

Red and Green

Two of the colors of Christmas.

Nandinas.









Camellia.



Bloody Dock.



Sedum.



Knockout Rose.



Burford Holly.



Mr. Lincoln.



Japanese Blood Grass and Clover.



Pineapple sage in the basement.



It's clear and 36 degrees. The overnight low was 24. The birdbath is still frozen. High today of 50.

Blurry Sunday.

I make no apologies.

The perennial bed.



The backyard is full of green and brown. I need more winter interest in the form of color.



The birdbath still has ice in it. The one I made a couple weeks ago cracked when I removed it from the "form". I'll try again this spring, casting it in place in a bed in the backyard. I might scatter a few around the meadow garden.



Mr. Lincoln, after several nights in the low 20s and many heavy frosts.



Nandinas along the back of the house. The dead ivy is dead.



It's 34 degrees, drizzly and foggy. Last night I saw the first snowflakes of the year. I was on the way home from the family gathering just over an hour south of here. When I arrived home, it was just beginning to rain here. My mom gave me her electric blanket. The cat is very appreciative.

Today, I've already swept and mopped the floors twice. Dust from sanding the kitchen has permeated every room and surface in the house. I'll be mopping dusty floors for weeks. The seed swap will be finished as more rain moves in this afternoon. It's supposed to warm up a bit to the mid-40s. We'll see.

Daffodils and muscari

I spent most of the day planting bulbs. It's currently 69 degrees and, um...breezy. It feels like spring. I had 400 daffodils to plant and 150 muscari, or so I thought. Here's the final tally, so I can be disappointed in the spring when nothing comes up.

Daffodils:

* 200 on the front slope
* 100 scattered in the shrub island, rose garden, and around the lilac.
* 35 in the shady corner where a frost killed brugmansia still stands.
* 33 around the legs of the swing.
* 35 behind the upper potager/hoophouse.
* 6 in the neighbor's corner.

That's more than 400, right?

Muscari:

* 90 on the front slope.
* 10 along the backyard fence
* 60 in the crape myrtle bed.

Yes, I can add. Along with the bulbs I planted last year in the perennial bed, the bulbs that pop up here and there, planted by someone else years ago, and whatever spring flower plants I may or may not have, it should be a colorful time in the yard in just a few months. Christmas is just around the corner. Then there's New Years Day. I'll be busy all through January sowing and planting out early sprouts from my wintersowing. In February, it'll be really cold for a couple of weeks. Then there's my birthday. Peas will be planted in the lower potager about that time. Next thing you know, it'll be spring. It's like 2 weeks, tops.

I also spent an hour moving pavers from the driveway to the hoophouse. I laid down cardboard then three 16' long rows of pavers. These will heat up a little during the day and radiate heat back at night. At least that's the plan. They might not be thick enough to really warm up. Still, the roots of tender perennials not yet sown should be okay once it's closed up.



I've got a few left. The ones in the hoophouse will be stacked to create a couple of resting spots in the backyard when the hoophouse comes down. I'll reuse them again later. The patio idea is on hold indefinitely for now.



The front slope area where periwinkle was killed. Here's where I planted the majority of the bulbs.



I found a few sprouting daffs in a spot I thought would be perfect for some spring flowers. Guess I was right.



I collected moonvine seeds from the back of the house. I was surprised to find 8 seed pods. I don't recall seeing but a couple blooms all summer. Must have been while I was laid up with my leg.



Mr. Lincoln.



The "orange" rose.



Sunny Knockout.



After all this, it was time to have a sit...



and watch the clouds race by.



It's still 69 degrees. A gorgeous day.

I guess someone will be expecting me in Atlanta soon, and a bit further Southwest after that. I'm not sure my back can handle another 200+ bulbs.