Peonies and Rain

It's a given...or so it seems - when the peonies bloom we have thunderstorms and water pours from the sky. It rains buckets...cats and dogs...and sometimes just steady, light rain. The majority of our June days held showers or thunderstorms this year, making it hard to get decent photos of the peonies before they flopped.

Some days there have been glimpses of blue sky between the clouds.....

....but more often than not, the skies have been gray. If you click to enlarge the photos you'll see that there's a border of peonies across the front yard.

The largest, most spectacular Peony blooms are in the Lilac Garden. The yellow flowers are Evening Primrose (Oenothera) and the silver foliage is artemisia, which is a pretty filler, but needs to be thinned ruthlessly.

All my peonies are passalongs and, unfortunately, the names weren't passed along with the plants.

At the other end of the Lilac Garden the same light shade of pink blooms beside huge magenta flowers.

The background shrub is Weigela, and the red in front is self-sown Sweet William.

I actually photographed this first peony bloom on June 15th, but forgot to include it in my Bloom Day post.

Foxglove is still blooming, but the Columbine flowers are gone, leaving dozens of seed heads to be cut off before they pop open and spread themselves liberally.

I love this weigela!

Sweet William is a very easy care plant, and simple to move around by division or seed collection. This clump is in the Driveway Garden.

Campanulas are adding their lovely blue to the mix of colors at the moment, with Verbascum at their feet,

....and lemon lilies behind them here.

A few lovely white Campanulas are mixed in.

Down in the Fence Garden the Foxglove are still looking good,

...but the pretty white Lupine is finished.

I was pleased to see several beautiful blooms on the two white Peony bushes this year.

There's the tiniest touch of magenta on the edge of the center petals.

I still haven't managed to capture a decent photo of this border with most of the bushes looking good. The blooms are either drooping or dropping their lovely petals on the ground.

This lovely bloom has two glorious shades of pink.

This smaller flowered magenta Peony has the most delicious scent of all.

And it stands up well against the elements.

Oh look, there's a glimpse of blue sky!

Not so on this evening! I caught this golden light through the front porch as the sun was setting during a cloudburst. The air was warm, and mist swirled up toward the sky, creating a spectacular effect...breathtaking beauty indeed!

The pouring rain didn't deter this tiny hummingbird (click to enlarge if you'd like a closer look).

The first male arrived here on May 14th this spring....3 days later than last year.

His red throat is hard to capture with the light shining on it at just the right angle to make it show.

I saw the first sweet little lady on May 18th. It's very good to have our tiny friends back.

The abundant rain certainly makes everything grow fast, including the lawn and weeds! I'm having a very hard time keeping up with everything, especially with days like yesterday, when the rain poured down for most of the day.

We've also had a visit from our son and DIL and our two little grandsons, which was wonderful fun, and a nice respite from the garden chores. But today we're seeing snatches of sun, so it's back to work, and hopefully I'll get something accomplished between the rain drops.

Oh dear, I spoke too soon and the rain is pouring down again now.....

One good thing about the rain is that I've had plenty of chances to wear my Muck Boots and I've found I like them so much that I wanted to mention them again. This is totally voluntary. It's not often I find a product I like so much and want to share. It was such a pleasure to do business with them, and they didn't request this as part of the offer (just a link in a post), but I want to put a link to the Garden Shoes Online site on my sidebar just to say thank you to those good people for these wonderful shoes.

Thanks so much to all who have visited and left a comment on my recent infrequent posts. So sorry if I haven't managed to visit and comment in return. I'm working on it, and hope to catch up with you all eventually! Isn't it ironic that when the most is going on in our Northern hemisphere gardens we're often too busy to visit each other?

Wishing all my American friends a very

happy Fourth of July,

and may God bless our country!

P.S. The rain has stopped and the sun is shining again! I'm off to the garden right after lunch, but I'd better hurry! Hope to see you soon!

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - June '09

Here we are in the middle of June already! Time really flies when you're having fun, doesn't it? I have lots to show for this June Bloom Day, so let's take a tour. I hope you're not in a hurry.

Outside the back door the cheery yellow Evening Primrose has just begun to bloom. I've been planting window boxes and containers these past few days. Once they're finished I have annuals and perennials to plant, weeds to pull, perennials to thin....the list goes on.....but that's gardening, always a work in progress. Spring is an especially busy time with so much to do all at once, but it's so good to be outdoors, digging in the dirt again after those long months of winter.

Most of my gardens are messy at the moment, but this Rose/Clematis garden is the exception. I usually work on it first so that I can walk out the back door and see at least one area looking tidy. If you click to enlarge the photo you'll have a better view of the following few plants...

Clematis Carnaby, to the right of the window, has all her blooms down low at the moment.

Iris Beverly Sills is tucked in on the other side of the window, beside Clematis Jackmanii, which is full of buds, but not yet blooming.

Just before we turn the corner there's a lovely patch of Sweet William. Pansies are smiling amid the self-sown Alyssum and Johnny-jump-ups.

Turning the corner we see columbine in a deep wine shade, a container of pansies, and another with red ivy geraniums.

Looking up the driveway toward the barn we see a nice clump of Iris Siberica. This clump will need thinning in August, but it's certainly putting on a wonderful show at the moment.

Heading down around the corner to the Spring Garden we find Bleeding Hearts blooming their heads off. The last hard frost on May 19th damaged the pink bushes quite badly, and turned most of the lovely pink strings of hearts to a pale, shriveled version of their former selves, but they have since rebounded nicely and are looking bright and pretty again. The white bush was hardly touched....I suppose because it's tucked into the corner and a little more sheltered.

Forget-me-nots are still blooming here, there and everywhere.

Hannah followed me today as I wandered around taking photos. She loves to be in the garden with me. That Bleeding Heart to the right of the steps has grown huge this spring, and with the hosta reaching over from the other side it's becoming a bit difficult to use the steps. I need to get busy with my nippers and tame them a little.

Looking up behind Hannah you can see the overwintered geranium, Vancouver Centennial, in the same container as last year.

I'm so happy with this lovely basket I put together of Pink Morn wave petunias and lavender trailing Lobelia.

Before we head down the lawn let's have a look at the Top Driveway Garden.....

where Lupines stand tall and elegant...

...next to this perky red and yellow columbine.

Further up, on one end of the grape arbor, I planted a honeysuckle last summer....a passalong from my friend, Marie. I think it's a coral honeysuckle like the one Annie in Austin has in her Texas garden. Look closely and you'll see an ant of one of the tubular flowers.

Heading down the left side of the driveway we find the magical tissue paper-like blooms of the Oriental poppies.

In vivid orange-red....

....and soft salmon pink, my personal favorite.

In the row of lilacs on the bank, the little Miss Canada, planted just last year, is a late bloomer. Her leaves were damaged by the frost and we thought at first she was dying from a dreaded disease. It was a great relief to see her recover and bloom.

We find this pretty yellow sedum down in the Rock Garden.

And over in the Lily Garden is another gorgeous clump of the Siberian Iris. Isn't the color amazing?

If we look beyond the iris we see the Driveway Garden, but let's go first to the Fence Garden at the bottom of the driveway.

Here we have white Lupines and pink Fox Gloves looking lovely together, with columbine in the background.

I love the white against the clear blue sky. We only had a few hours when the sky was clear and the sun shone warmly today. Rain showers kept spoiling my photoshoot and planting endeavours.

There's a lot of green in the gardens but we find clumps of color here and there. The pink and red is Sweet William, faithfully blooming in time to grace graduation party tables.

The Lemon Lilies are just beginning to open, and there's more Columbine.

This Salvia is a passalong from our DIL and son's garden.

Palest peach Verbascum grows in delicate spikes.

And pink columbine looks like little fairy frocks.

Next we find the Lilac Garden with more Columbine and Bearded Irises.

Pretty purple....

Two shades together with a touch of gold.....

Almost black tones, with a rich purple.

The lovely Beverly Sills again.

On the other side of the front porch Brunnera Jack Frost is surrounded on either side by a pretty Euphorbia and hostas.

See the tiny caterpillar on the Brunnera blossom?

On the north side of the house is the Daisy garden. I love the combination of pink Columbine and white Daisies.

The veggie garden is over to the left but we won't go there this tour.

Jacob's Ladder is one of many flowers growing in the North Side Garden.

Here we are at the Pink Garden, opposite the back door. The Lamium has spread into too large an area and needs to be cut back. I'll plant some as ground cover on the front bank, down by the road. Pretty purple Aubrietta is still blooming. It lasts longer than Creeping Phlox.

Outside the back door blooms a basket of one of my favorite Petunias...Rasberry Blast (a Proven Winner). This is the 3rd year I've bought this one because it lasts so well. I feed it a weak solution of plant food each time I water it.

Now are you ready for a nice cup of tea or coffee, or a tall glass of iced tea?

To see what's blooming in many more gardens, go and visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens, where Bloom Day's seed took root over 2 years ago. It has grown amazingly well since then!

Happy Bloom Day everyone!

Appreciating the Beauty

There's just so much beauty to appreciate with spring bringing color back to the landscape, flowers to the gardens, leaves to the trees, birds, bees and other critters, large and small to keep us entertained....
My camera has had quite a workout these past couple of months, but unfortunately, I haven't been able to squeeze in much time to post or read blogs. However, I want to share some of the beauty with you, so here is a look back at May.....

Just after Bloom Day these gorgeous pink tulips opened fully,

along with the creeping phlox,

and the combination delighted us from early morning until late evening for the rest of the month.

The last petals are falling now, and sadly, the show is over until next year, although the phlox are still blooming,

And so it the dainty Aubrietta.

I love this pretty pastel mix of colors.

The Dynasty tulips looked more orange in some lights, and in others, more pink. They have both colors in the large blooms.

Angelique gets the prize for the longest blooming tulips. She's still going, but is beginning to fade now.

Such sweet double blooms.

Down in the Rock Garden they paired nicely with the Basket of Gold perennial allysum.

Hannah was enjoying the morning tour of the gardens with me, along with Jasmine, who was just out of the picture.

These frilly blooms beg for close-ups!

I like the Basket of Gold against the rocks.

These dark Johnny Jump-ups popped up next to another rock.

It was hard to resist taking lots of shots of the pink and purple mix. Isn't that a beautiful blue sky?

May certainly was a month of purple! Alium is still blooming in several gardens, but the biggest clump is in the Driveway Garden.

It's a relative of the onion, but much prettier....clusters of purple stars!

I've seen it in a gorgeous deep purple, paired with this lighter shade, in a garden I pass on the way to work. It's someone I know.....I wonder if they'd be willing to share....maybe I have something they'd like.

Johnny Jump-ups (viola cornuta, aka Heartease) are just the right color to tuck in next to them.

Chives, a smaller look-alike, and another onion relative, are beginning to bloom now, as well.

Centaurea (perennial Bachelor's Button or Cornflower) is still going strong.

The white tulips bloomed with the lilacs.....

...up in the Top Driveway Garden.....

...along with a clump of the purple iris.

Isn't this the most delectable color?

You may have noticed that I find myself taking lots of photos of those peacefully grazing cows :)

We are so enjoying seeing them in the pasture! (click to enlarge any photo)

The Rose/Clematis Garden gets plenty of morning sun....

...and in this garden the iris are almost finished, but the peach colored Beverly Sills began blooming today. She'll have to wait for another post because I haven't tranferred her photos from the camera yet, and this post is already too long.

The lilacs really deserve a post of their own because they were so glorious this year, but they'll have to squeeze into this one.

My dear husband has planted a row of several different colored lilacs over the past several years, but they're still small. The larger ones are 3 varieties of the common color.

They're finished now after what seemed a very short period of time, but it was actually about 3 weeks.

This old lilac has been here for a very long time. My husband thinks it was here when they moved into this house when he was a little boy.

It was prettier this year than I can ever remember noticing before.

I'll have to save pictures of the bleeding hearts, and more, for next time.

I really am hoping to find time for blog reading soon, and hopefully then I'll catch up with you and see what you've all been up to. Meanwhile, I'll just wave at you from here, and assure you that I haven't forgotten you. In fact, I think of you often!

I hope you're enjoying your gardens as much as I am.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - May '09

Here in upstate NY, our May garden is alive with tulips, lilacs and crabapple blooms, with a few other flowers tucked in between. Cows are grazing happily in the meadow, creating a peaceful scene.

The lawn is bright green and has been mowed twice. Dandelions have sprung up after our recent rains and the grass is in dire need of another mowing.

Spring is such a glorious time, but it brings lots of work. There's too much to do all at once!

Centaurea (Perennial cornflower or Bachelor's Button) grows on the edge of the garden above.

The two biggest crabapples are putting on their best display ever, while the two small ones have no blooms at all. Those rosy pink blooms are such a delight to see as the afternoon sun backlights them.

In other years the blooms have been mostly concentrated on one side, but this year they're spread all over the branches.

Wind and rain have taken a toll on the tulips and many of them, like these Van Eijks, are beginning to drop their lovely petals.

Just a few days ago they looked like this.

I don't recall ever seeing the old lilac bush in such full bloom. This is a wonderful lilac year!

These red tulips, however, haven't come back as well as they have in past years.

These pretties are "Passionale".
Notice the peonies shooting up on the right of the photo. Everything grows so fast after a good rain....especially the weeds!

Down in the lily garden there's a lovely mix of purple and pink.
Hannah is keeping me company.
I've been working at pulling out most of the Johnny Jump Ups that grow like weeds in this garden. There are still a bunch to pull on the left of the photo.

At the moment though, they look pretty with the tulips.

Over in the rock garden are these lovely Angelique tulips.

And Basket of Gold perennial Alyssum making a bright splash.

Up in the Spring Garden the Bleeding Hearts are magnificent!
Last Tuesday and Wednesday we had frost, but luckily it wasn't severe enough to damage these beautiful blooms.
Last year we had a hard frost just after they began blooming and it set them back a little. They bounced back fairly quickly though.

They're surprisingly tough for such delicate looking plants.

The white one is always a little later with it's blooms than the pinks.

Arabis (rock cress) blooms beside the big pink bush above,

....as well as Forgetmenots.

There's a bloom stalk above the lovely leaves of the Brunnera "Jack Frost". The tiny blue flowers resemble forgetmenots.

I love the combination of the Red Emporer tulips....

....and grape hyacinths.

Up around the corner in the Rose/Clematis Garden there's more purple to be found.

The gorgeous purple Iris unfolded their lovely petals just a couple of days ago.

And the Blue Heron fringed tulips have been going strong for about 2 weeks. I'm always sad to see the tulips fade.

This little beauty is Blue Ribbon.

Across the driveway is the Top Lilac Garden and the bushes are laden with blooms. I have yet to see a butterfly, but guess who showed up yesterday? The hummingbirds! It's such a joy to have them back! They're loving the Bleeding Hearts.

White tulips hold their graceful blooms high between the lilac bushes.
Do you see Hannah in the garden?

This sweet flower is Aubrietta, aka purple rock cress. It's up in the Pink Garden....

....and so are these "Dynasty" tulips.

The creeping phlox is just beginning to bloom, and there are flowers on the lamium as well, but they're not showing in this photo.

My dear hubby planted tulips and daffodils in the veggie garden to be used for church bouquets. These reds are "Oxford", Darwin hybrids.

The "Salome" daffs are still blooming. The purple tulips are "Negrita".

Isn't she lovely?

Happy Bloom Day everyone!

Be sure to stop by Carol's May Dreams Gardens to see what's blooming in gardens all over the world.
I'll try hard to catch up with as many of you as I can during the next few weeks. I've missed reading your blogs!
Isn't May rushing by?

Spring Brings.....

Color back to the landscape....

Joyful flowers back to the gardens.

Just 6 days ago the fields were pale shades of green.

We've had a few days of unseasonably hot weather since then, and the greens are brightening.

Cows are back in this pasture today for the first time in 9 years!

The lawn has turned bright green and is ready to mow for the first time this year.

In the neighbors' barn....

......there's a new baby named Pocahontas. Isn't she sweet?

Trays of seedlings line these shelves that my dear hubby made for me.

I hadn't expected such a large and handsome set of shelves.

My plan was to start fewer seeds than last year, but with so much space I ended up starting more! Who could resist?

He also added a second shelf to the plant light I used last year.

He's such an enabler!

My 2 African violets haven't bloomed all winter, but since I moved them to the shelves this one has begun blooming....

.....and the other one has buds forming. I've also begun feeding them African violet food whenever I water them. Apparently they're happy with this treatment.

I've had quite a battle with aphids on some of the seedlings, and eventually ended up spraying them with an insect killer (outside) after trying a few other friendlier methods, including a mild soap and water spray and picking the little beasts off with tweezers. The soapy water killed the tiny seedlings and the hand picking was far too tedious and time consuming. The spray seems to be keeping them under control. If anyone has other advise on combating the critters I'd be happy to hear it.

Those top 2 geraniums are blooming nicely now, and I've cut them back and started cuttings with the trimmings. Soon I'll begin hanging them outside to get a little sunshine on the warmer days. This will harden them off before they're moved outdoors for the summer.

I began this post over a week ago and just haven't had the time or energy to finish it until now. Days are busy with work and gardening, and my poor tired brain won't function well these nights.

The sweet scented hyacinths are blooming, but the beautiful blues, which opened first, have faded already because of the heat, and yesterday's horrible gusty wind.

Unfortunately, the bloom time of a lot of the daffodils was shortened as well,

.......but there are still quite a few putting on a pretty show.

The pink hyacinths added their color a few days after the blues began blooming.

Did you notice the robin? I managed to get a little closer for this shot.

He lets me get quite close at times, and often sits in the Silver Maple singing very sweetly.

This little clump of daffodils marks the site of an old compost pile where these bulbs were tossed long ago. I thought they were no good at the time, but they survived and have bloomed for many years since, making me smile each time I see them.

Spring is a time of yellow.......

bringing the bright yellow plumage back to the American Goldfinches.

....and misty mornings.....

....golden afternoons....

.....soft evening light as the sun sets....

.....and tulips!

I hope you're enjoying spring as much as I am.

(Or autumn if you're on the other side of the equator).

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - April '09

We've had glorious sunshine, blue skies and daffodils on this April Bloom Day!

The chill wind was not so bad today, but still it persists, as it has done on most days for weeks on end, making today's mid-sixties temperatures (approximately 18ºC) feel not quite as warm as they otherwise would have.

The daffodils nodded their pretty heads in the morning breeze and bright sunshine this morning.

Yesterday, Hannah was out enjoying the garden with me as I did some clean-up work. She has recently moved back from the Big Apple after being a city cat for over a year, but that's a story for another post.

(Click any photo to enlarge for details)

The purple striped crocuses/croci (take your pick...the dictionaries list both!) are still blooming in the Lilac Garden shown above, where Hannah is investigating.

There were also 2 nice clumps of these beautiful bright yellow crocuses, but I found the telltale signs of moles in the areas where the clumps were, so I'm guessing the nasty little critters must've eaten them for a tasty winter snack. This little clump is in another garden.

Scilla sibirica (Siberian Squill) also blooms in the Lilac Garden.

That rich blue makes it a lovely companion plant for the daffs.

It spreads itself around liberally and is easily moved to fill in other spots.

I found this busy bee enjoying the blooms. Can you see the blue pollen sack on its leg? I've only ever noticed yellow sacks before, and didn't realize they could be different colors, did you? It's amazing to see the details the camera captures.

These little beauties are almost finished now, but they've been putting on a wonderful show by the side porch. They're especially beautiful in the late afternoon sunlight. There are 2 varieties here.

This clump has a smaller bloom....

....and these are bigger with rounded petals.

I planted all the crocuses years ago and didn't keep a record of the names.

The lawn began greening up at the beginning of April as the first crocuses began to bloom. If you enlarge this photo you'll be able to see the red flowers on the Maple tree.

Here they are closer. Aren't they pretty?

There's a little clump of white crocuses in this garden.

And I found another busy bee enjoying them.

These purple striped crocuses are a different shape to the ones in the Lilac Garden.

I love to see them in the glow of the afternoon sunshine.

This clump of sweet snowdrops is still hanging on, but they're almost finished and not looking as good as they did 5 days ago when this photo was taken.

This was a very large bee with an orange band on its back. Unfortunately it didn't hang around long enough for me to get a better shot of the band.

One of my favorite springtime views is of the daffodils backlit by the late afternoon sun. I find it very hard to capture....

....but I keep trying.

I'm always reminded of William Wordsworth's poem,
The Daffodils,
which begins.....

I wander'd lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils,
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

You can read the entire poem here if you'd like to.
It makes me think of my father, as it was one of his favorites.

Don't forget to stop and smell the flowers!

Happy Bloom Day everyone!

Be sure to visit Carol's May Dreams Gardens to see more colorful blooms all over the world!

Down by the Riverside

Two weeks ago I noticed a large flock of geese foraging for leftover corn in a field across the road. I thought I'd try to capture a shot of them with my camera, but first I needed to feed the barn cats. By the time I'd done that the geese were gone from the field, but I could hear them on the river, so I walked down to look for them.

Along the path I noticed this crow sitting in a tree and it let me get quite close before it flew off.

The morning was pleasant, but still chilly enough for long underwear. Frost covered a shady area of the path.

I found the geese floating peacefully on the river, but unfortunately my presence disturbed them.......

.....and they took flight.

They didn't go far, just around a few bends in the river, so I followed the path, hoping to catch a few more shots of them.

Just a little way along I found this pair, and a male mallard duck.

They swam away from me, around the first bend....

...and there was the little female mallard.

These 2 geese were bolder than the others had been, and let me walk a little closer....

....before they took flight. I wondered if they were the same pair my daughter and I had seen in that spot the week before, and if perhaps they were nesting in the area. I'd love to find a nest with eggs when and if they do. I've looked in previous years, but haven't been lucky enough to find one yet.

Continuing around the bend, I found some of the first group in a cornfield. Of course, they weren't going to hang around and pose for me....

....so they were off again.

They're so beautiful in flight.

Walking back I noticed this little creek, which runs into the river, had ice along the edges....

......forming some interesting patterns.

The skeletons of last summer's milkweed pods still stood on the creek bank.

And I found this fascinating seedpod on a scrub tree.

There's the old barn next to the shale bed.

There was still plenty of ice where this creek runs through the culvert under the road.

I love the red stems on this weedy shrub that grows prolifically around here. Its name escapes me at the moment.

I cut a small bunch of pussywillow branches growing down by the river to make a nice arrangement for the dining room table.

Mother Nature has only allowed us a few warm, sunny days so far....little tastes of spring to tease us. We've had rain, mud, and gray skies for the most part......even snow flurries for the past couple of days. And the frigid winds just won't go away!

For a long time I've wanted a pair of shoes for this time of the year that will keep my feet warm and dry during mud season, and I've finally found a pair that fits the bill. Garden Shoes Online offers these Muck Boots, as well as lots of other neat garden shoes, gloves and other garden accessories, and though I don't normally choose to advertise on my blog, I'm adding the link in this case, because I like the product so much.

A good pair of garden shoes is the way to this gardener's heart, and they graciously offered me the chance to try them. I'm very glad I did!

We may be wishing for sunshine, but the daffodils are soaking up the rain and beginning to open their buds. They're about a week earlier than last year. The grass is greening nicely and my hubby found a patch by the outdoor furnace that actually needs mowing! That's a chore I'm not anxious to start!

I've been helping out at my favorite nursery as well as working at school, plus starting lots of seeds, so I'm not finding much time to visit all my blog friends lately. I'll be around to catch up on you as soon as time allows. Meanwhile, I hope you're enjoying all that's going on in your gardens!