It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood

Despite the recent take-over of our yard by the evil mosquitoes, I have been out enjoying the plants as they bloom. I love the peonies. Two of four bushes bloomed this year. When I start to see the blooms get fatter and fatter I can't help but check them everyday waiting for them to bloom. There is an anticipation I feel when i look at them as if somehow if I stare hard enough, I can force them to open. I took a few shots after the rain (and when isn't it after the rain right now?) Enjoy!





Pots of Pansies in front of the Front Door:

My new lilac topiary tree:

Ok, this is a bit self-indulgent, Diego is so cute, isn't he? ;)

Underachieving, and loving it

I love gardening but I have to admit that sometimes I put pressure on myself to outdo the previous years' flowers. As I mentioned in a previous post, we are painting our house this summer so I figured why plant flowers that will just be trampled when the house gets painted? So I kept it simple and just planted the 2 large planters on either side of the front door and my 3 hanging baskets. It was freeing to just go and pick a few flowers without feeling the need to pick something better than last year. I went to a very small nursery and got all the flowers I wanted for a mere $20.00!!!

The amount that I got would easily have been double at another nursery. Later that evening I planted the pots and do you know what? I like my pots better than the ones I did last year! Here's to underachieving and succeeding!

Surprise on my Porch

There was a surprise waiting for me on my porch tonight at the end of my 12 hour day. Raspberry canes and rhubarb plants! I was so excited, as images of yummy pies and jams dance through my head. My wonderful mother, after hearing my desire for my own raspberry bushes and sadness over the death of my rhubarb plant, apparently found me what I was looking for. There is nothing like picking fresh, warm raspberries and eating them while weeding the garden, or taking a bite of the young rhubarb stalks that are the perfect tartness that they don't need any sugar yet. I remember my grandma letting me and my cousin pick her raspberries when we were kids, and that she didn't get mad at us when we stained her aprons after we used them to gather up all the berries. I love gardening for the result, but also all the good memories that I recall and the new memories that it creates. Now to get those plants in the ground...