Cutting the grass so often doesn't bother me much...lol...Matter fact going to cut it here soon...

WOW I just love all the great pics in this thread! Keep em coming!

My moms doing good! She has lots of doc appointments coming up soon....

That’s funny HalloBlondie. I like artsy, drama and foreign films too so I guess I have eclectic tastes. The movies I don’t like are the ones that try to fit in too much. Campy humor is great because that’s all it’s trying to be. There’s no character development. Movies that try to combine something like action and drama... it usually doesn’t work for me. 2 hrs isn’t enough time for me to get to know the characters, understand their motivations, care about them, and also see a bunch of action scenes and car chases. I love action movies though! Just not the ones that add half hearted drama between poorly developed characters. Those, I walk out of. Not worth the time to sit and watch. I digress.

How about another photo of my super old Chrysler Imperial and Pretty Lady Rose since they’re still blooming a ton! They’re each around 5 feet tall.

:-)

Here’s a photo comparison of the Super Trouper carnations with another old fashioned scented carnation I bought a few months ago. The old fashioned one is larger and has longer stems, better for cutting. It’s fragrant, but the Super Trouper type is even more fragrant. So delicious. Not sure if it will grow into larger blooms and longer stems in time.

Cori-Ann, did your neighbors always have nice yards, or did yours shame them into it?

Very nice Cori Ann! Wowser your yard is full of nice plants! :-)

I found this bug, I'm guessing just a spider on potted Fiji rose... I see a dead bug hangin in the web and also what looks like a spider...Hopefully this is a good thing...lol

JC ours was actually the shame of the neighborhood when I moved in. It was all blackberry brambles, overgrown junipers, dead grass, dead birch trees, and too many other awful things to count. It was neglected for a long time. My MIL and FIL lived here while their health deteriorated for decades and it just isn’t a priority under those conditions. We paid for someone to keep the mess trimmed up every week so it wasn’t too much of a fire hazard before they passed, but that’s really all that could be done. Then we moved in and the 1 acre yard remodel began. Slowly at first. I did everything in the front on my own for the most part. It was awful hard work and I don’t remember it fondly even though I love the result. My neighbors all had nice yards for the most part (except for one awful neighbor we share a fence with and I truly despise, not exaggerating). No HOA here, it’s semi-rural, but it’s a more mature neighborhood where the homes and land are worth a lot and everyone owns so most people keep their yards up. Everyone on the whole street has a mo/blow/gardener... except me and one other couple. Most of their yards are all low maintenance and there’s no shame it that. :-)

I’m actually helping the neighbor directly across from me redo her front yard. We are getting rid of all the grass and doing some really cool landscaping. I’m dividing some of my low water, heat loving plants like nepeta for her too. It’s a fun project and I was honored she asked for my help. She’s a really cool lady, a hard worker who likes to do a lot of DIY. I love neighbors like that. :-)

Cori Ann - wow, you are a work-ahololic!!! In a good way. :) Awesome that you are helping your neighbor. Love your roses (as always), and your Pretty Lady Rose is amazing!!!! Wow!!

Jim - cool spider! I'm thinking it's a good thing to have it in your yard. :)

Carol

Well, is it still work if you have a lot of fun and enjoy doing it? Maybe I’m a fun-aholic.... but I just happen to think most garden “work” is fun. ;-)

Jim Hope everything will be stable when you get your MRI results.

Everyone's garden is looking fabulous this year =). Gardening is such a wonderful and rewarding hobby. It is great to be able to share and enjoy all this beauty. Thank you everyone!

Hi everyone, the school year is winding down here which for me means finals and lots of odd and ends to wrap up everything. One and a half weeks of school left and then I'm off for summer, woo-hoo!

My newly purchased roses are blooming. Adobe Sunrise is turning out to be a real winner. Not only does she have lovely blooms, but smells delicious and is handling the sun well.

Also new to my garden is Plum Perfect

Not doing so well are my three Twilight Zones. The flowers are getting a bit crispy in the sun, and it's not even more than 80 degrees yet. I did read accounts where it took a few years for TZ to handle the sun/heat.

Cori Ann -- Thanks for info on how to do it. I have white and red roses growing near each other in front, but really like how you've put these two together! So nice of you to help out your neighbor. I have done projects for two of my neighbors, but my good, good friend who used to live next door moved to DC, so that's one less yard to worry about. Now they have bumper crops of lemons, plums, roses, and apples, and I think -- hey, I planted all those! My garden "work" feels like work after I've done it -- when I'm sore and sunburnt and tired. But funny how I'd rather do my garden "work" whenever I should be doing something else... :-)

HalloBlondie -- I love the Dianthus / Carnations. I have three in my garden. One is the small firewitch (I think), and two are taller carnations. My Chomley Farren (an antique variety) didn't look good in the ground, where the flowers all drooped and faced downward, so I moved him to a pot, but he didn't like it. But I like the idea of the antique flowers that our great grandmothers would have grown. I bet your dahlias will be stunning.

HB & CA: When I heard Super Trouper I thought of the Abba song. When I heard Snozzberries I thought of Willie Wonka. So obviously I'm not on the same cultural train you are!

Ann -- how do you get the vibrancy in your roses -- AND are able to capture it so well with your camera? What do you use? Gorgeous roses and stunning photos. Glad you got a little bit of rain -- was that a "microburst" ? We got one of those last year that wreaked havoc in some areas. People were at the sunny beach one second and the next second had to run for cover. Many were injured by flying beach umbrellas and patio furniture! But at our house, it was just a very brief rain, followed by more sunshine. So weird.

Reeses -- love your Adobe Sunrise and Plum Perfect! Just Dazzling!

I just had three of my friends over for morning treats in the garden. I went to the local French bakery. When I left for the bakery @ 8:00 a.m. it was blue skies and sunshine. When I got back, the marine layer was settling in. Now that everyone is gone, the sun is peeking back out. It wasn't hot, but it was a mite cold. I still had my wheelbarrow and bags of bark laying around, but I decided to ENJOY the garden and not work in it this morning! It's so fun to see what people notice and comment on. The big hits today were the agrostemma ocean pearls, the still blooming cobalt dreams delphinium, and Distant Drums rose. Now I think I need a nap. Making a big batch of split pea soup for dinner. Yum.

Happy Gardening!

Cori Ann - yes, you're a fun-aholic. :) Still it would be too exhausting for me. But you're younger than I and you're in better shape. :) It's fun to find someone close by who loves gardening.

Reese - I love your Adobe Sunrise!! And it's fragrant too!! Lovely!

Deborah - do the new neighbors appear to appreciate the fruit trees you planted? If so, then it's worth it. It would be a bummer, if they left the fruit to rot or whatever.

Weather today is 14C/57F...and I went for a walk...after 10 minutes, I was too hot. So it was a 20 minute walk. I just can't bear walking in any kind of heat. My favorite walking temp is about -4C/25F.

Carol

Thank you Deborah! I just use alfalfa pellets in the spring for now. I’m still having bad back/hip issues so I’m limited in my walking etc. so real gardening as you and many others are doing is challenging right now. I am able to walk around & take a few photos which I enjoy. I also really enjoy reading about everyone’s gardening adventures! That split pea soup sounds delicious!

Ann

Speaking of Twilight Zone... Mine bloomed super dark purple last year. The first bloom this year has a pink color. I guess maybe it was because it got so hot while it was budding? We went from freezes to 90, that has to cause some weirdness. I hope it doesn't become a habit.

Ann I’m so sorry your back/hip is still causing pain.

I agree, homemade soup sounds delicious Deborah, even though it’s hot. I don’t even remember the last time I had home made split pea soup. Is it from the peas you grew in your garden? Share the recipe? The closest blue I have to your gorgeous delphiniums is the CA native penstemon Margarita BOP. You probably grow this too. ;-)

Reese your roses are looking great! Enjoy the final countdown. :-)

@ann - I somehow missed your pics you posted last night. I have a few of the ones you posted, so I'm excited to see these blooms. Your blooms look great! I have gentle hermione, strawberry hill, gertrude & wild blue yonder. It will be neat to compare them based on living in completely different climates.

@Cori ann - your blooms still look great. That pretty lady rose, sure is an eye catcher!

@Carol - we are also having lovely spring temps right now. Today it was 18°c, perfect for doing yard work! But I can definitely handle more heat than you, lol! Did you get your strawberries? Or any perennials?

@reese - that adobe sunrise looks stunning. Going to hmf to look it up in a minute!

@Deborah - A lovely morning with friends in the garden sounds like an amazing way to enjoy your day!

Well my husband wanted to work on building the new shed today. So I thought it best to leave the house for most of the day. And my son's school had a pd day. So I took my son on errands. He got a whole new summer wardrobe! We were also buying a birthday present for his cousin too. Then we stopped in at one of my usual garden centres. They had austins on sale for 25% off. So guess who came home with me? I finally found munstead wood & boscobel. I was pretty good & got just 1 of each! But now I have to check the other garden centre for their stock. The 2 places are owned by the same people. But they usually have different stock & availability. I went to the smaller one & they only had 3 kinds - boscobel, munstead & gentle hermione (which I have). So getting 2-3 gallon austin's for $26, is pretty awesome! They also sell out very quickly. I'm still hoping for young lycidias, lady of shalott, royal jubilee, christopher marlow, paok, etc. I would like to try one of everything, haha! But now that we are doing some new areas, I will need some more plants for new garden beds!

Ann - what a shame you're suffering so much with your back/hips. Have you tried going for a therapeutic massage? I go whenever I hurt myself (like now LOL) and it really works. It's painful as hell...but I go from intense pain, to being just fine in about 5 sessions. It got rid of my migraines (10-15 years of pain). Maybe you could try that?

HalloBlondie - Nope, haven't got those yet. Probably this weekend. :) I am so excited about seeing how my roses do in my new mixture. I can hardly wait for them to bloom! I'm glad you're having lovely spring weather. :)

HalloBlondie - way to score!! You almost have a rose hat trick...so you need at least one more. :) Good luck in finding more Austins. :)

Carol

Halloblondie - I'm looking forward to seeing your pics of our common roses!

Carol & Cori Ann - thank you. I'll be trying a bunch of things to deal with this problem. Hopefully something will work!

I think the photos I posted above last night might not have appeared until today. It may be the Houzz gremlins are at it again!

Ann

My oriental lilies are blooming! This is very exciting for me. First time I have ever grown them. First bloom.

One of the first blooms of my PJP also. Wow! It’s going to be a favorite. Thank you Ben and Fragrancenutter for encouraging me to buy this one, especially on fortuniana.

Also... thank you Ben for encouraging me to add Lavender Crush to my garden. It is going to just be stunning combined here with Veilchenblau in a couple years.

The scent of all of these blooms in each photo is just pure heaven. What a wonderful way to start the morning. Today is going to be a good day!

Fabulous! And lilies, you will be hooked. They are so varied and so fragrant. I try to add a handful every year. This year my grocery store bulbs didn' do anything, dang it.

I am already hooked Kristine! I love the height and structure they bring to the garden. Even not blooming, they have such presence. :-)

I’m so sorry yours didn’t come up this year. Do you know what causes them not to come up?

Man superb pics!

I'm jealous of that Plum Perfect....LOL...I will get ours to grow and bloom if it kills me...lol

reesepbuttercup 6b-Utah, I've had first season rose blooms that even crisped here...After the first season and they matured a bit they were ok...So who knows???

Cooler here today in the 50's with rain...brrrr...chilly...lol

I wonder about squirrels eating Kristine's bulbs.

No blooming roses yet, but other things are starting.

Bartzella Itoh Peony

Geranium Rozanne. Thanks to everyone who suggested it as a companion plant. I love it and want more.

And a couple general views.

Hopefully roses soon!

Cori Ann - I would sooo love to be able to grow lilies!!! But, at least I get to see yours!! :) Your PJPII looks beautiful! And you are so right...when Veilchenblau and Lavender Crush start to "meld" it will be a sight to see! :) Wish I could smell all of your roses!

Carol

Sheila if squirrels eat lily bulbs I guess it’s just a a matter of time until mime are gone too. :-/ I better enjoy them while they’re here!

Thanks Carol. Did you get your strawberry plants? I have mine grown with sage into a criss cross pattern and I really love it, even though it was poo-pooed on the ‘companion plants’ forum. On my family ranch growing up we always grew sage and strawberries together. It wasn’t pretty like this though. We were more utilitarian than decorative on the ranch.

;-)

There’s so many ripening now it’s more than I can keep up with.

Cori Ann - maybe today! :) I've never heard of sage growing with strawberries! Sounds like a lovely pattern....could you show pictures when you take them? My strawberries have to grow in pots. I've changed the soil to the same as I'm doing with my pots...so hopefully they'll do better. Do you keep replacing your strawberry plants? Cause I thought that after a year or two...they need to be revigorated? Also, what do you do with the strawberry rootlets flinging themselves everywhere? They may ruin your pattern? I just cut them off when they get roots, and repot them. :) I never get so many strawberries ripening that I can't keep up with them. May, I hope the new soil-less "soil" works better than what I've been doing.

Carol

Greta it’s fun for me to see spring just starting in your yard while summer is starting here in mine. This forum is fantastic for that!

Those in the southern hemisphere, is fall coming to an end for you? Is it just about winter?

Hi Carol. I posted photos... I can see them. Maybe they will show up in a few moments for you. ??

I don’t replace my strawberry plants and didn’t realize that was needed. Maybe it’s not necessary in different climates? I used to do mine in pots before we redid the yard. I still have a few in pots actually.

The sage actually keeps the runners in check quite a bit. I pinch or rip out any others that get through and it isn’t a problem. Sometimes I pull up runners and pot them up, giving them to friends. :-)

Cori Ann - nope, still can't see the pictures. Darn. Maybe they'll come through later for me. Obviously if you get bountiful strawberries, my info is wrong. LOL :)

Carol

Cori Ann, I have tons of lilies from Previous plantings. Just the grocery store bulbs that I plamted this year were duds. No Freezia or Lilies came up. I got lots of Anemones though.

Sheila, I haven't seen any squirrels.

Greta, wow, your yard is a amazing. I love your Roxanne and your purple iris, yummy.

Is anyone else able to see the photos of my strawberries and sage? I can... but can others? Are we having photo issues again? Should we give it time or start yet another thread?

I’m trying to post them again below...

Photo 1...

Photo 2...

Photo 3...

I can see both postings of the photos Cori Ann. That's a really neat way to grow the sage with strawberries. I'll have to remember it for next year when I branch out to raised beds.

Glad to hear it Reese. Hopefully others can as well.

I don’t know if the sage with strawberries will work for everyone, so try it with that as full disclosure. We have done it in my family for a long time in this area, but when I posted that I grew it like this in the ‘companion plants’ forum a great gardener from a different area said it wasn’t a good idea, kind of made some negative comments (from my perspective), and discouraged them as companions. Oh well. It didn’t discourage me enough to dig it up and it obviously works well here!

I still can't see it. I see some pictures you posted of your peonies and cranesbills. But nothing with strawberries. :) I'll keep checking every once in awhile.

Carol

I didn’t see the first time you posted Cori Ann but I see both now. I think there might be a problem again. My last photo post didn’t appear for awhile but did eventually.

i can not see your photos cori ann

Hi CoriAnn -- the last photo I see from you is a post from 11 hours ago. You are talking about your lillies and being hooked. There is one photo. Then I see several lovely photos from Greta's garden (nice, Greta!). That's it. I checked iPad and iMac (27" screen) -- same.

Ok... is it happening on other threads too or just this one? Should we start a new thread again?

I need feedback since I can see the photos this time. Thanks everyone!

I see all the beautiful pictures!

Just thought I’d check if my photos would post. Mel’s Heritage is about to explode into bloom on the slope! Lisa

I also cannot see the strawberry & sage pictures. I can see a few of greta's photos though. Which look great! I love the peony! And I saw your lily photo, Cori Ann. I only have 1 lily in my garden. I like them, but they have issues here. Firstly, rabbits or squirrels sometimes get at them. Secondly, we have lily beetles here & I know quite a few people who just gave up on them because of the hassle. There are so many lovely kinds of them too! Maybe I'll try some new ones in my perennial bed.

Well I did get over to my other garden centre & sure enough I ended up with another 2 roses. I ended up getting 1 Darcey Brussel & 1 Tess of the D'uberville. We'll see how they do here. So while I was there I also picked up some other stuff and I'm going to be doing a new garden bed in my front yard. I'm calling it the red bed! We have a 3 clump white birch in the front yard, it's kind of just in the middle. So I wanted to do something with it. It's a pain to mow around because the grass is almost right to the trunk. Anyways, my husband suggested making a new bed, but he wanted a few small grasses in it. So I'm doing reds, white, silvery blue. But it's predominately red. I'll post a picture when it's done. It's not a huge bed but it is sort of kidney/heart shaped. On the back side I'm doing some clumps of japanese blood grass with red flowered helenium and really compact blue fescues. Then on the large circles of the kidney; I'm planting munstead wood on one side & darcey brussel on the other. Then towards the middle at the front curve a couple red dianthus, and some artemisia, for some silvery white. Will probably add in some red and white annuals for fillers this year.
Well now I have to start digging up the grass, not looking forward to that part at all. I have no problem getting it up, it's getting rid of it that's a pain. Fortunately, our soil is quite loose, so when I get chunks of sod up I let them dry out a bit in the sun than bang as much of the dirt off as I can. Then I can throw it in our compost/brown bags for pickup. But if they are too heavy they won't take them. It's not hard to do, but it's time consuming. If it was a bed in the backyard, I would probably make it using the cardboard and mulch method for killing off the grass. But the front yard needs to be done quickly!

I can't see any photos after gretahoney's iris

mc

Cori Ann - your photos are gone now from both of your posts! The last photos I see are from gretahoney.

Ann

Photos missing here too.

I see Cori Ann's photos on my android phone. Very strange.

Lisa, what is that pale pink rose with the purple clem in your foreground of the photo of Mel's Heritage? Excited for you. I know how much MH means to you.

Just checked again. Last photos are Greta's. I'll try some here:

Yves Piaget Just opening.

Border looking lovely.

Distant Drums.

Lots of buds on Distant Drums.

Visitor to the birdfeeder -- an Oak Titmouse! So cute.

Did brush clearing all morning. Exhausted. Have been bathing in Tecnu. I cut out (and then had to drag out) poison oak. Just took two benadryl. Heading to bed now.

HalloBlondie - a red bed sounds wonderful!! I never would have thought of that. Can't wait for pictures.

I think I'll call the death of this thread. Time 12:47 a.m. MST. Cori Ann, will you do the honors of starting the new thread?

Oh, I got my strawberries and annuals. YAY!! Can't wait to plant them now.

Carol

Sure. Maybe we should do monthly threads instead of seasonal since they have only been good for about a month lately with all our photos. :-)

Here it is... https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5312113/m=23/rosy-glow-seasonal-thread-part-three

I havent kept up with all the comments here, but i got a pic of Hibiscus thats blooming right now. Plus a purple/white "Cherry tree" outside my window. Still waiting on my roses.