First Yard Tour of 2012

 Since we did so much yard work last year, what with putting in new beds and shrubs and whatnot, we haven't had to do as much this year.  That, and I missed my window for much of the planting I was planning on doing... Things just got away from me this year, what can I say?  Things seemed a bit easier last year when Ellie was still taking two naps a day. 

The only thing I've done this year (other than clean up the yard and the beds) is purchase hanging baskets.  Goodness knows I'm a fiend for them--a quick, easy pop of color.  :o)

I went to Lowe's with the intention of purchasing baskets of Million Bells, but my eye was caught by this beauty.  I was standing across the way from it and pondered aloud to Lil, "Is that a geranium?!?" as I'd never seen the like before.  One of the garden center associates apparently heard me and replied, "Yes!  And isn't it stunning?"

Yes, yes it is.  It's called a Martha Washington geranium and I knew it simply had to come home with me, although the employee kept trying to encourage me to purchase it by telling me it's a natural insect repellant (nice!  That's why they're hanging here on the gazebo where we eat) and that they are quite hardy and drought tolerant--which is good given my tendency to want to hang out indoors when it's blistering outside.  ;o)

So, I got this gorgeous girl and this one:

I've done nothing to enhance this photo.  They truly look like that. 

And, that deep blood red.  Oh I LOVE it!

I still had a couple of hooks that were crying out for baskets, so Sunday Lil and I made a pit stop to one of the pop-up McDonald Garden Centers. 

There were Million Bells by the billion and I had a really difficult time deciding what to do.  Then I saw this lovely lady.  :o)

Isn't she gorgeous?  I'm such a sucker for earth tones and autumn colors. 

The jasmine is slowing doing her thing.  I've been weaving her tendrils in and out of the trellis.  She's growing slowly, but I'm okay with that.  Given what happened with the perennial shade bed and the wisteria, I'm not at all worried. ;o)

Okay, this is how mild our winter was.  This was one of my giant huge humungous baskets of Million Bells from last summer.  They're annuals.  They're supposed to die in winter.  This one wintered over.  I cut it back to nada and now look at it.  I'm so chuffed!  There's no telling if it'll actually get big and fluffy and full again like last year, and I'm okay with that.  I'm just tickled I got a second year out of it.  :o)  As Lissie says, perennials may be expensive that first year, but they're free every year after that. ;o)

Over in the garden along the fence, you can see I'm inundated with tomato volunteers.  And to think I was all upset because I didn't get my toetoes started this year.  Ha!!  My difficulty is in thinning out.  I cringe every time I pluck a tomato from the ground.  :oS

And oh, oh oh oh!  My morning glories!!  More volunteers!  Yes, yes, a nuisance weed and I LOVE them!  At least I'm not planting kudzu back there...;o)

The morning glories are all over and have taken over the last two squares in the fence bed.  I'm okay with that.:oP

In the other garden, the peas are doing their thing (I planted so many more this year since the girls use them as a snack) and I failed to harvest the bok choi in time.  Whoops!  I'm hoping I can just take those yellow flowers off the end and still enjoy it.  We'll see. 

You can see Lil's garden behind this.  Those splayed greens are the remnants of the daffodils.  I just have to let them go and do their thing as you're not supposed to remove daffodil greenery. 

She also has her Princess Lily coming back as well as loads of sunflowers and morning glories.  Gotta love all those volunteers.

My irises are just about spent--this is the last bud.  They were utterly lovely this year and NOT taking over Hannah's garden--which is a good thing.

The Johnny Jump-ups have most definitely migrated.  Lily built a nest with the dried remains from the shade bed and here's the result.  I can't say I'm sad about it.

Moving across the yard, you can see what B has been hard at work on (in spite of tendonitis in his right elbow--he's on a twelve day course of Prednisone meaning he's not sleeping...hooray).

This is to be a combination planter and water feature.  The center there is where the water lily will live and I'll be planting around it.  I'm searching for butterfly loving flowers.  Anyone happen to know of any off hand?  B wants them to be not too tall so we can still see the Monkey's water lily.

Speaking of lilies, here's the bed I put in last year where the water feature used to live.  Give 'em a year and daylilies will simply thrive.

The undying dianthus.  I thought this was an annual.  It's lived through everything for 4 years now.  We're going on five years with this plant.  I'm not complaining as it is lovely.  I'm simply stunned. 

Also in Hannah's garden, the undying rose plant.  GAH!  I can't get rid of the dratted thing--it won't go away!!

The lilies are coming up beautifully in here as well.  I'm so thrilled with this little bed. :o)

And from here we're moving on to the nice part of the lawn, walking toward the shade bed.  Lil knew her Million Bells needed sun so she plopped them right down in the middle of the yard. ;o)

Over in the perennial shade bed (that was not at all shady this morning), my columbine are all going NUTS!  I love these delicate little coral flowers.  They're a sweet heirloom variety I picked up at the Smithfield Plantation plant sale about four years ago. 

It has been the sweetest little plant.

There are some Johnny Jump-ups in that bed, but nothing like there were the year Ellie was born. 

And, the Choral Bells (hucheras) are blooming. 

My purple columbine have continued to spread and multiply.  Gotta love that about perennials as well. ;o)

I started with six plants and I believe I have 16 this year.  Anyone want some columbine?? ;o)

Part of the shade bed.  Those hostas.  Boy howdy, those hostas... I'll be splitting them FOR SURE this year.  Nana? Liss?  Y'all interested?

The spirea around the gazebo have transformed from ugly skinny sticks to

these beautiful lime green plants with hot pink flowers.  I LOVE them and am SO happy we extended the bed around the gazebo last year.

Another hanging basket (obviously).  Lil liked it so I got it.  Think it had something to do with the red flowers?

I may adore earth tones and autumn colors, but I'm a huge sucker for this magenta color in petunias and Million Bells. 

They draw my eye and suck me in and before I know it, they're living at my house...

Last summer my Million Bells stopped blooming as prolifically so I'm going to be feeding these babies some Miracle Gro. ;o)  I want lots of blooms all summer long. :o)

Along the side of the swing you can see the Blue Chip bushes.  That middle one is struggling.  The kids keep falling on it...that's not good for a plant, you know. :oS  The other three in the yard look WONDERFUL and need to have the dead flowers cut off.

More wintering over goodness.

Can you see the red strawberry there?  I've already yelled at a squirrel today for trying to eat it.  I'll begrudgingly share my toetoes with them, but they better darn well leave my berries alone!  (Especially as I only have three of them. ;oP)

Just a couple of artsy fartsy shots of the flowers.  Y'all know I'm a sucker for flower photos. 

And then, we're around front.  The glads are blooming like nobody's business and I'm SO tempted to lop some off and bring them in to enjoy.

The Pinky Winkies are coming back with a vengeance.  :o)  I need to cut off the spent blossoms here as well.  I've never grown hydrangeas before and didn't want to kill them by cutting the dead blooms too soon.  I'm learning. 

The lilac.  Love love love this little guy. :o)

My front yard is a mass of weeds.  We fired the lawn company last year and didn't treat it ourselves and our neighbor's crappy yard and the alley have both encroached until it is nothing but ugly.  :sigh:  We've hired a new company but I've yet to see them.  I think B needs to give them a call...;o)

But, wouldn't you know it, smack dab there in the front yard, there's a Johnny Jump-up!

And, the daylilies.  Holy smokes these guys are healthy!!  The Bitsies and Carefree Peaches are blooming up a storm and will continue to do so for most of the summer (I LOVE reblooming plants!).

Such sunny little flowers.  They're only about 3" across, but they pack a huge punch. :o)

Yup, that settles it, this gal and her friends are coming in my house this evening. ;o)

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Sparklies:

1.  Ellie playing in the playroom kitchen:

(Yes, the room is an utter disaster area and she and I are going to be working on that this afternoon after nap.)

2.  My beautiful flowers.
3.  Ceiling fans.  I know designers loathe them with an unholy passion, but I gotta tell ya, sitting here under the fan in the living room, I don't notice it's 81 degrees in the house.  :o)  Now that May is here, I'm seeing how long I can go without turning the a/c on. ;o)
4.  "Shaun the Sheep" or, as Ellie calls it, "Sheep Shaun".  Short, sweet, funny, and without words.  So much is conveyed with facial expressions and body language. Aardman productions.  Gotta love 'em!  I'm off to see "Pirates!" with Lil sometime soon.

No milestones.