Vera, You're scaring me! :-) "Big Head" is definitely going to be cut for flowers or the point before it goes to seed...most definitely...and then, it's getting watched real closely for signs of "bully-ism". Tiffy, The big leafed plant with the purple edge is Coral Bells Purple Palace (at least I'm 90 % sure it is). I did WS Ligularia "Othello" last year, planted it out in the fall, but I don't see it at all this year. I'm not sure if it survived. I did two other types of Ligularia this year, one was "clivorum" rather than "dentata". That one has a little sprout and I'm nursing it carefully (and afraid to transplant it yet. I probably should just go for it and put it out-- but out of all the seeds in the packets for the two different varieties, I only have one seedling.) PV, The shade garden is just starting to do it's thing...the white Astilbes are just starting to come out. I figure the shade garden will be ready for a picture in a day or two. I'm thinking of getting some white Stargazer lillies to put there and move the pinkish/orange ones to the patio bed. What do you think? Drippy and Rosepedal, Thanks so much for the comments :-) I do like that Malva...it's one of the things I can depend on popping up and giving me something nice to look at while I wait for other things to bloom. I have Mystic Merlin seedlings, but I'm still trying to figure out where to put those. I don't want to put them close to the Zebrina because I had Zebrina before, and it seemed to meld into looking just like the Zebrina the following year. Funny how that happens. (I hope it warms up for you, Barb). Linda

Oh MY!...More beauties!!..Not a whole lot more new ones this week but the beds are filling out great now the foxy foxgloves at starting to bloom Prairie Sun rudbeckia..it has taken a couple weeks for this bloom to get to this size (about 6 inches across) zinnia..I didnt mark down where I planted which kind of zinnia..so this could be a candy cane,cherry+ivory or saved seed from apricot ones..I thought I would be able to recognize them as they bloomed..laff..it doesnt seem tall enough to be a candycane one conjoined twin zinnias savona

Beautiful roses. I love Flower Girl and Berries & Cream!! All of your bouquets are gorgeous as well. Would love to see some of your bed shots and bush shots. BTW, are you within driving distance to S & W Greenhouse? They have sent me some great plants in the past and when I talked to them the other day they had alot of their potted roses on sale. I would love to go but I am about 4 or 5 hours away I believe. Let me know if you have ever been. Thanks, Judy

Beautiful gardens everyone!! Yours all look so nice and clean and organized. Mine is a hodge podge mess that's overrun with weeds, underplantings, blackberries and grasses, and pine needles. Unfinished beds, ugly equipment that my husband leaves lying around (me too I'm afraid), the messy work areas and the chicken run! There are some nice little vignettes and pretty things here and there tho... if you look hard enough! LOL Here's a few of my garden shots... One of my dogwoods that finally bloomed this spring... Old wheelbarrow turned into a planter inside the veggie pen (that used to be a dog run)... My husband's Santa Rosa plums hanging almost over the back patio... My rhodie BLUE PETER in the backyard "oasis bed" as I call it. The rose in the pot (not blooming) is SWEET SAN CARLOS. This is basically a purple and magenta bed... This is one section of what I call my DA "corral beds." Notice the junk to the left. That's stuff my husband brought from his parents' house after it sold. It's a big rototiller, an ironing board and a bunch of other crap, most of which is still sitting there. LOL That tree is the plum tree. A scrub jay on the bird-feeding pergola.. This was one of my Xmas presents last yr. My bottle tree. Wow that whole background area is now all overgrown with plants (and undesirables...) This is the bird-feeder pergola earlier in the yr. I have since weeded that area and put down weed barrier to slow down the growth of the grasses that keep popping up there!! It's all a work in progress, albeit a slooooow progress... LOL Inside the veggie pen.... this was the Yellow Brandywine tomato from hell! It took forever to grow, until it was too late in the summer. I only got 2 halfway decent tomatoes off it, and they were lacking in flavor. The dang thing took over the raised bed like a giant octopus! There are about 8 roses in there that were supposed to be there "temporarily." (You guessed it! They're still there...) And the requisite chicken pen shot... This was before we added the corrugated metal roofing over the coop and extended the run out another 16ft to the left. Heck... This must've been before we even put the first batch of chickies out there last yr. I guess they were still little babies inside the house at this point! My how time flies... The rose bed in the foreground is totally overrun with blackberries right now. We just haven't had the time or energy to get out and clear them out. Yep, my garden is a big mess! It'll probably be this way til we retire, which is only a handful of yrs from now... Then I'll be even more tired and will probably end up giving it up at some point. Getting to be too much I'm afraid.