Monday, May 21, 2018

around my yard in late may

 We're on day two of rain and cold. I actually had to turn on the heat in the house this morning. I just went outside quickly to snap this picture of the pansies on my front porch. They're obviously loving the rain and cold, but I think they're the only ones.


I much prefer warmer, sunny mornings on the patio.


My yard and gardens are really starting to fill in nicely, though I still have more work to do. This ladder needs a paint job. And more pots of flowers. The bench in the background needs the same. There's a nursery a few miles from here that we've never been to and we're going to explore it later this week when Brian has a day off work. IF it's not raining.


 Clematis is filled out with hundreds of buds. I can only imagine how beautiful this is going to be when they all open!


The only vegetable we're growing this year besides tomatoes are sugar snap peas. Last year we tried pole beans and didn't get many. These peas were only a few inches tall a couple of weeks ago. It's amazing how quickly they grow.


I'm excited at having a peony bush. My mom bought this bush for me last year and it was just a couple of tiny twigs that never did anything. It came back tall and strong this spring and is producing blooms, so I think we're in luck.


Our one huge lilac bush in the back yard is in full bloom, but already fading. Lilacs are gorgeous, but only last a few weeks. I love when we're sitting on the patio and we get whiffs of lilacs when the wind blows. There are so many varieties of lilacs; I love seeing all the different colors as I walk or drive around the neighborhood. Our bush has very pale blooms.


Our neighbor's bush has vivid purple blooms.


My aunt's back yard is filled with a variety of lilac bushes. I particularly love this one. Amazing how each little petal is outlined in white!


 Columbine in the butterfly garden is starting to grow shoots, which will develop beautiful pink flowers in the next week or so.


I bought this Celadine Poppy plant last year at a native plant sale and now I'm wishing I had bought a few more. It's really thriving in the mostly shady, moist area by the patio.


I planted a couple of large pots of flowers for the porch and patio, but they never truly look nice until they're filled out. 



Another thing I did this past weekend while it was dry was to take all the cuttings I had from my ginormous jade plant that I pruned in March and plant them in a mixture of cactus soil and compost. Now I have eleven more jade plants! I'm not keeping all of them. Most of them are already spoken for.


We finally have a break in the rain where it's lightly drizzling instead of pouring, so I'm donning my rain jacket and heading out to run some errands.

Have a great week!

17 comments:

  1. One of my clematis doesn't seem to be doing anything....I'm praying it made it through the winter. Another one is covered in buds and this will be the first season I see a bloom on it - I'm so excited to see what they look like!

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  2. Wow, things are really starting to sprout in your neck of the woods. Lots of flowers blooming, fabulous! We're having a terrible spring here, lots of cold and rainy days. The flowers are all still sleeping.

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  3. I can hardly wait to see your peony blooms and the blooms on your clematis. I love pansies, they are such happy flowers. The lilacs are wonderful.

    We've had a lot of rain here also, raining every day last week. Today was the first day with no rain so far, and the grass dried up so that I could get out and mow. A window of opportunity and I took it as more rain is expected.

    Have a great week ~ FlowerLady

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  4. Everything is looking good. I don't plant much where I live because this side of the street gets so much sun it just bakes things. We have a few things that do OK. The birds have found my new feeders and that makes me super happy!

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  5. Your yard looks beautiful, but I'm so sorry to hear that you are needing to turn on the heat. That's so wrong . . . you deserve warm weather and sunshine. If I could sent you some, I would be off to the post office in the morning . . . express mail!

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  6. Your plants are all looking great so far. I love lilacs sooo much, I wish I had a bigger one. I have a tiny one that seems to have seeded itself in my front yard; I don't know exactly how it got there but it wasn't there a few years ago! Your pansies are so pretty. I really love how full and lush the pot of them looks. Hope you're having a good week so far and that your weather warms up a little bit!

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  7. It is looking beautiful, Melanie! Everything is growing so nicely! Isn't it great to finally have spring?

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  8. I love seeing your all plants and gardens. We've had a lot of rain, so everything is really sprouting up and taking off. I've been out of the loop with blogging for the past couple weeks, so am just now catching up. I enjoyed your Daybook, especially the photo of the open window. Such a breath of Spring, to get those windows open! Yoga is something I'd like to try someday, and I'm sure it would be good for me. Have a good week, Melanie.

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  9. I just adore that enclosed space of yours. Seems like it would feel so cozy and soothing sitting in there. I love my patio, but the cement is hotter than other surfaces. I wanted columbine, but read it's bad for dogs somewhere.
    Brenda

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  10. I love this time of year. LIFE. I have missed LIFE so much this winter.

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  11. I can't believe it was cold enough for putting the heat on. But your garden is coming along and looking lovely already. Have fun at the garden center. I'm fighting mealy bugs again. Last year was the first time I had them. They were all over my tomato plants which I had to pull and trash. Really irritating that they are back again so every day I'm out there squishing and pinching. I should try and propagate my elephant bush. I lost a huge one years ago because my husband failed to water plants on one of our balconies while I was away for the summer. :( We are having a mild May here so still able to take walks.

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  12. Melanie, I really envy your beautiful lilac! And your cool weather. It went from winter here in April, where it froze all the lilac buds, to summer in May, 10 degrees or more over average. I'm loving how everything has grown in May here and our two clematis bloomed spectacularly but wonder if it means record breaking June to August. Your peony success inspires me to try one here after all. The gorgeous one at our other house was so old that I wondered if it was worth it planting one here. I've always loved your hosta path leading to a terrace! I enjoyed viewing your garden, Melanie!

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  13. we often have the same weather ( yours comes my way here in southwestern pa ) so while you were turning on the heat I was in HEAVEN, lol! All the windows open on a 52 degree morning wearing a sweater, morning walk in a sweater etc.

    Lovely blooms ! I have a lilac.. enjoyed it for about a week and its almost done now

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  14. IT is raining here but I am finding it quite cozy. I love all your flowers but especially the lilacs, we can't grow them here and they are my favorite. Have a great weekend.

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  15. I hope, by now, you have been able to turn off the heat. I loved your garden tour. Everything seems to be thriving and looking so pretty. I would love a whiff of those beautiful lilacs.
    Great idea with your jade plants. How fun to watch all of the new little plants grow.

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  16. Such lovely flowers...don't waste any money buying more Woodland Poppies they replicate quite easily. You'll have many grandchildren and the will be giving them away!

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  17. I hope you’ve had better weather since this post! Spring flowers are so exciting that we should all have plenty.

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