It's Bloomin' Tuesday!

We have had such hot, dry weather some blooms are hardly lasting long enough to get pictures. We did get a thunder storm this afternoon with hope of more. At this rate the garden will be done by the end of July!
My lupine looks the best it has ever looked. The plants are huge and the colors are bright.
They looked so good I bought a couple other colors, red and yellow.
Dead nettle is the perfect plant for around trees. I do have a brick border under all the foliage. I pulled out everything outside the border in the spring. The blooms don't last too long but I like the colors of the leaves.

The false indigo is blooming way early. It's a great plant to add color and height to the garden. The leaves have a blue tint.

The blooms remind me of sweet peas.

The thrift is going strong. I love it but I put it on the edge of the garden and the grass gets into it and drives me crazy!

Mini iris were gone in a day. The plants are spreading well so I'm expecting more blooms next season.

Another Clematis has burst open. Just like the other one, the blooms are huge and plentiful.

So what is bloomin' in your garden? Add your name and permalink to Mr Linky to give us a tour. Don't forget to add a link to this post on your post.

Happy Bloomin' Tuesday!

Thank you!

Thank you to all our past and present soldiers!

The Audubon

The girls and I took a trip to the Audubon on Monday. We walked a little and then we sat on a bench and ate our lunch. I had Payton in the stroller most of the time because she has a mind of her own about where she wants to go.

Looking for treasures.

Jerzie took her camera and here are her shots.
She took all the following pics except the last one.
The dark spot at the end of the grass is the head of a huge turtle. When we got close he quit sunbathing and got in the water.

A yellow leaf Jerzie thought was pretty.

On the far left, the white spot is a wildflower.

After showing her how the fern fronds uncurl, Jerzie decided she needed a picture.

The sky was a beautiful blue. This shot was taken intentionally.

'Time to go home, Sissy.'

'You need to leave the rocks here.'

'Good girl!'

Sisters!

A Ton of Gravel...

Literally!

I needed new gravel for the stairs to the beauty shop at the back of my house. Chris (my favorite son-in-law) picked it up Monday. I called ahead to see how much it would cost and they said $10.50 a ton. We both laughed and said we didn't need a ton.

We actually ended up with a ton and a half!
One of Jerzie and Payton's favorite thing to do at Grandma's is play in the gravel. Payton always has at least 1 stone in each hand when we come inside. I find them everywhere, including in the snack cupboard. Jerzie loves to build castles. She was very excited about all those stones!

See that look of determination as she helps Uncle Chris? Payton was in a stroller watching so I could keep track of her. She is definitely not to be trusted!

Chris and Jerzie unloaded the gravel at the top of the stairs. When Chris was leaving, Jerzie ran up from swinging with the neighbor in the backyard to thank Uncle Chris for bringing the stones. Apparently she thinks I got more stones just for her!

Yesterday, my job was to spread it down the stairs and over to the door. It was hot and muggy but the shop was open today so I had to get it done. One more huge job completed! I do not intend to spread another ton and a half of gravel any time soon!

It's Bloomin' Tuesday!

Welcome!

I'd like to thank everyone for joining our garden tour! I'm sure you are all enjoying it as much as I am. We had a couple days of rain and now some hot sunshine so things are popping out all over this week.

I'm lovin' the Clementine Aquilegia, Columbine, for the delicate blooms and lovely colors.
I just may have to look for some other colors.
The Snow in Summer is just beginning to bloom. The foliage is a wonderful gray green color and looks great even when not in bloom.

I have one lonely yellow poppy and that's only because I bought a plant with a bud. The one I planted last year is at least coming up . I don't have much luck with them so I'll really be surprised if that one blooms.

The shade garden is doing well. This area has been there for a few years so it's well established. I have sweet woodruff in several places but don't like to pull it out because then I'll want it somewhere. The buttercups are also everywhere, including the lawn. I do pull them out when they get too plentiful . Jerzie loves to pick them but she calls them peanutbutter cups!

I found out that these a Star of Bethlehem last year. The bulbs seem to be scattered everywhere. This group is actually behind my shed. They are so pretty I had to photograph them.

It must be the year for azalea. My other bush is in full bloom and it is gorgeous! I don't think it's ever looked this good. I will need to trim it this year as it's beginning to take over.

Spring is in full swing here in western New York and there are beautiful huge rhododendron blooming all over. I can't wait to see how spring looks in your garden. Simply add your name and permalink to Mr Linky below and add a link to this post on your blog. Remember you must sign up every week you want to be a part of the tour.
I had a question about the color of my mulch but we get it by the truck load and we could get either brown or black this year. I love the look of red around shrubs but in my opinion, it takes away from some flowers in blooming gardens. Help me answer Kate's question by telling us your favorite mulch color?

Happy Anniversary!

Happy Anniversary, Chris and Laurie!'I married my best friend.'

Mulch!

I decided to show you where I put all that mulch to give you an idea of my garden layout.This is the left side of my property in front. It goes right to my property line. Remember I do live in a small city so I have close neighbors.
As you can see my driveway is in my front yard, just room for 1 car . I put in the pavers last year to replace flat stones.

This is the right side of the front. The sidewalk leads to a gravel stairway that goes to the back where my beauty shop is.

What you see in the lower right corner is my other neighbors driveway. Behind this front area is my wild garden. It goes the length of the gravel walkway and to the neighbors drive.

The left of the walkway.

The back pictures were taken from the deck. The shop is under the deck in the basement. Since my house is built on a hill the basement is the first floor in the back.

The new garden opposite the former pic. The plants are 3 different cranesbill geranium and they need lots of room.
Day lilies on the left property line of backyard. The left side is a small area the I use as a 'holding cell' for plants I'm not using right now. It is wild and also holds my money plant and Chinese lanterns and a couple bushes. I have 3 hydrangea bushes at the bottom .
The back corner shade garden. The light area in the middle is a path. The front part was added last year.
I refer to this as my center garden. The Clematis on the ladder is leaning on the shed. The hedge marks the property line. The last area is backed by my neighbors garage. It features an overturned rusty wheelbarrow with sweet peas growing over it. There you have the layout of my gardens and where my mulch went.

It's Bloomin' Tuesday!

Can you guess by this picture what I did on Saturday and Sunday? This is a pickup truck load (3 yards) of mulch. I did all but my side ('wild') garden which is too full for mulch. I was a little short in the shade garden but I'll fill in with compost and peat moss. I'm certainly happy that this job is done. I lost all the mulch I had in the flood last summer. My Clematis is just beautiful this year. It didn't grow too far up the ladder but it is full of blooms, as you can see.


This plant will bloom a second time if it is deadheaded but no where near as many blooms.

There is a wonderful scent in the air when you walk by the lilies-of-the-valley. I remember them growing by my Grandma's back door with some green and white grout weed. That's why I grow them together.

If you rnlarge the last picture you may be able to tell that there are pink and white ones. I didn't know they came in pink until a customer offered them to me.

I only had one allium bloom this year. I guess I'll need to plant some more bulbs because I really like this one.

I also have lots of wood hicynth in my 'wild' garden along with the forget-me-nots.

That's what's bloomin' in my little corner of the world. Sign up and show us what's bloomin' where you are planted. Just add your name and permalink to Mr Linky, below and add a link to this post on youor post or blog. I hope you all have a very happy Bloomin' Tuesday!