Ginger and begonias.

Yesterday, at the store, we culled the last of the summer annuals for clearance. I was able to pick up 16 quart sized begonias. I pulled the impatiens and plopped the nursery pots into the window boxes. I don't know why this hasn't occurred to me before. It's so much easier than trying to transplant into the small plastic shoeboxes I was using previously.



Two years ago, I found some stray ginger lilies blooming in an abandoned lot here in town. I confiscated a few bulbs late that summer. I wasn't sure they would survive the move as they were blooming at the time. Planted along the back of the house, they didn't receive enough sun to bloom last summer. This past spring, as they started to emerge, I moved them to the perennial bed. One clump is finally blooming. The fragrance is intoxicating.



Yesterday, the Realtor stopped by to measure the house inside and out. She was heading back to the office around 5pm to finalize the listing. Just before 7, she called to schedule an appointment for a showing today. I didn't sleep well. I'm not sure what I'll do if the house sells this soon. I had planned on 6-8 months of spotless living where everything is in place. But it would be awesome to have an offer within a couple days of listing the house. The sign hasn't even been installed in the yard yet. The lockbox was placed on Thursday when the team of Realtors came for a visit.



This morning, it's 66 degrees. It doesn't feel cool outside. The humidity is near the 80% range. Hot and sunny again today. No rain in sight for the rest of the month. I'm continuing to drag the hose, watering only when absolutely necessary.

More new growth.

On the front slope, the daffodils are stealing the show.



A few interesting ones have popped up in the past few days. This one has three blooms on each stalk. There are 4 of them that I found. The centers are ringed with orange.



More hostas are emerging.



The Aucuba cutting I made last year is almost a foot tall now. It's really shot up in the past week.



A hydrangea in the corner with heuchera. I've never seen the hydrangea bloom. It's a mophead variety.



Columbine. It was labeled "purple". This one was wintersown December 2008.



Ginger lilies. I moved them a month or more ago as soon as I saw new growth. They need more sun than I had given them. I hope for many fragrant blooms this year.



It's 54 degrees. The high today should again reach into the mid 80s. There's a chance of afternoon thunderstorms around 3pm.

The sun made a rare appearance today.

It seems that lately, as soon as I walk outside, the sun disappears behind thick clouds. I know it's just my imagination, but with all the rain and even more in the forecast, I miss my shadow's company in the yard. I got a short chance to see my shadow for a few minutes during my lunch break today. I snapped some images as I walked around the yard surveying the damage.



Wine & Roses wigela with the found canna lily. Surrounding it, the purple lantana is still blooming.



Nicotiana



A red knockout is still blooming. More to come.



Sedum and sedum passed.



Next spring's red clover with Bunny Larkspur donated by Janie, the Obsessive/Compulsive Plant Collector.



I spread the love of althea all over the back edge of the perennial bed.



Alstroemeria from the Gaudy Garden's Jim with grape hyacinths



The butterfly weed finally died down. I got no seeds from these plants, but Cameron at Defining Your Home Garden sent me a few and other varieties.



Kris from The Gardens at Melissa Majora will appreciate these perennial aster seeds. I'll collect them in the morning to add to her growing pile.



Nell, the Seedscatterer, had butterfly ginger that bloomed, but mine didn't. Next year, they'll be moved in the spring to a sunnier spot.



Catherine from A Gardener in Progress grows these too. Veronica speedwell. Still blooming. Slowly spreading.



The lantana formerly known as Miss Huff.





That's about it for what's still going in the yard. It's 34 degrees and clear according to AccuWeather. My thermometer reads 42 degrees. It's been saying that for nearly a week. So much for digital accuracy. Tomorrow, I have plans.