Close Ups

It's another day without rain. I've got another yellow iris.



A new Dutch iris.



More blue on the May Night Salvia. Cuttings were taken on Thursday.



Mountain Bluet. These are so intricate. I need to divide this clump in the fall. It's grown to nearly 4' across from three plants and a few self sown seedlings.



Red clover is making an impressive show. I love these blooms.



It's 45 degrees. The high today should reach 70. Rain likely Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. I hope they're right.

Laura is here visiting from New Orleans. I'm off tomorrow, so we'll probably spend the day catching up again. I won't be doing much gardening with her here. That's a good thing. It's nice to have company in the house.

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.

It's too hot.

It's 84 degrees and the sun is baking everything. It's too warm to plant out as much as I had hoped. Many of my wintersown seedlings still aren't ready. I did put out some echinacea Harvest Moon, Columbine, Painted Daisies, and a few others I forget. The majority are just sitting there still. Maybe next week.



I did mow the yard again. The wild onions and clover were getting out of control. In the backyard, I found this little blue flowering thing. I'd love to know the name.



On the front slope, the violets have taken off.



Around the oak tree in the front yard, the Purple Queen is returning. All those little green sprouts are Dayflower. Ugh.



I did a lot of weeding in the perennial bed. It's presentable now. Along the privet hedge, I planted some ferns I collected from Robert's property yesterday. They're just starting to unfurl.



The red clover went into the upper potager bed.



I tilled it into the existing leaves and soil. There's still some cardboard that hasn't broken down. I also built teepee trellises for pole beans and put my metal trellis back up for the cucumbers I'll sow in a few weeks.



The long view.



I used UV safe nylon clips to finally attach the concrete wire trellis to the four posts. I've got plans for a few vines this year including Morning Glory.



Near the swing, I noticed cosmos seedlings. There are lots of datura seedlings too.



Self sown Four O'clocks are popping up in the Shady Corner. A few more weeks and I'll stuff that area with brugs. A few hydrangeas that were rooted last summer survived. No sign of the variegated one yet.



I've had a nap in the hammock and have the sunburn to prove it. I've eaten lunch and am thinking about dinner. I'd like to do some more in the yard, but there's laundry that is calling my name right now. I'm tired, ya'll.

Wind day.

I'm off for two days starting just over an hour ago. It's been a long day. I left piles of things for others to get done while I'm not there. I don't expect much to be accomplished in that time. They're going to be too busy with temperatures in the mid 70s and sun in the forecast.

Out back, the red clover in the meadow has burst forth.



The peach tree is still blooming. I got buzzed by a couple of bees this afternoon.



The redbud is about to put on a show.



More periwinkle. The whole backyard is covered in blue flowers.



Out front, the daffodils are looking good. Over the next few years, I will add more each fall, either from purchases or through digging my own from The Wild. One day, I'll rebuild the ugly steps. I'm waiting for a sale on concrete.



In the perennial bed, lilies.



Clematis



The dark maroon tip of a stargazer has emerged from the leaves.



Green and variegated sedum foliage is holding up fine to both wind and cool nights.



Bloody Dock.



The only brown patch left in the yard is designed to be that way. Compost and leaf mulch will be spread soon over cardboard to create the new fragrant bed.



It's 64 degrees and sunny. The wind has been blowing all day. Tomorrow, 75. I can't wait. I already need a nap.