Beautiful, Marie!

:)
Dee

Marie -- your gardens are stunning! Wish mine looked so good. =)

Marie, thank you for sharing your pristine moment! The tree is beautiful, as is the surrounding area. PM, one of my pets (most likely) broke an oriental lily off to about 2" above the ground last week. I'm assuming they did it when they were racing around the yard. That's one yellow flower I won't see this year. >:- [

On a better note, this is the first year several hundred slugs (and I'm not exaggerating) didn't completely defoliate every single emerging shoot of my Sun King Aralia..over and over.. I got the slug traps out early. It's amazing to see it actually grow! I did leave some Golden Jubilee agastache under the Leaf Tarp and the slugs at al of those shoots. Just some nice green stems sticking out of the ground now. They should have enough oomph to make more, though.

• Thanks for the compliments, friends. My greatest feeling of success comes from finally figuring out how many times I have to hit "submit' for photos to actually load. Houz's is not a real streamlined system.
• The pink is a Polly Hill Azaela. I tried looking it up a few ways with no luck. It really is a stunning pink, perfectly clear, not a hint of purple or fushia.

1. Sorry about the bullets...I don't talk that way!
2. Deanna, I'm surprised you usually have slugs so early. I bought more Rabbit Scram today, but didn't think about sluggo. My SK aralia is only about 10" high.

They have gone by now but my mini daffodils bought by mistake are the earliest to bloom and have multiplied. These were bargain bulbs bought at Ocean State Job Lots.

Defrost those mini diffs look very happy there. I bought a mini daffodil mix from John Scheepers 3 years ago and the individual daffodils in the mix are all great. They are doing very well too and I'm planning on buying more in the Fall. What I like about them the most is how much smaller the foliage is when it is ripening, they make a lot less of a mess than their bigger siblings.

• Marie, I added bullet points to be in solidarity with you. Just sell it, girl, and say you are an organized writer!
• I have never been overly enthused with daffodils, and I don't know why. Over the years all of these nice pictures have changed my mind. I think I know what I like and will buy some bulbs this fall. I like a bulb that lasts forever!

^^^ Deanna -- Forever, yes. But they do dwindle in blooms as they get crowded. Guess what needs doing here with massive clumps of daffs that were planted nearly 20 years ago, in groups of 10-25, and now have spread to 3foot circles... LOL!!! A fearsome job that I plan to hire out to some young&strong person soon (grandson, bless that boy). I adore daffs of many varieties.

PM, thank you for offering to share some seed of the lunaria! It's really beautiful, and that's very kind of you.

Roxanna, thanks for the daff tip. I didn't realize they would peter out if crowded. I can't imagine 3' circles! That's huge!

We are so dry here. I have some areas where the mulch is gone, and my soil is at the point where water won't soak down, even though the soil is not hard on top. Doing some periodic watering to get the soil under the surface is wet and will then put mulch on it.

I'm not taking many pictures this year. Maybe the dryness is keeping things on hold, but I still have mostly greenery. My tiarella and Madonna Snowdrop Anemone are NOT happy this year. Last year may have been too dry for them.

The gold heart Dicentra is still fantastic, though. Will add a photo next as it is easier straight from my phone.

Goldheart

I'm still struggling to use photos in more than the most primitive way. Is there a way to change the order once you've got them "in" the post? I like to use latin names but I'm tired and have forgotten them. Click to enlarge photos. Houzz shrinks them and you lose 1/3 of the picture if you don't enlarge them.

Azaela "Mother's Day" which after two moves and two near-death experiences finally found a home it likes. Jacob's Ladder at bottom

Below:

From top to right: Frankie's swing, white noid rhodie, rhodo. Yaku Prince (maybe princess?) wood peony, and shredded umbrella plant. Wood peony story: bought it about 12 years ago. One bud a year for 2 years, added a bud every year. This year 10, which opened all at once,followed by a very hot day when they all blasted. There was 1 which I got a photo of. The shredded umbrella plant was a lesson in misplaced generosity. I divided it to give away pieces. the next year, no stems, the year after 1 stem, this year 3. I don't regret sharing it; I regret not knowing it would sulk for 3 years after division.

Below: The best year this Rhodie has ever had. Blossoms fade to white soon. It looks like a yak but is too big to be one, I think?

Below:The wood peony flower that survived a hot day.

Below:Clematis Guernsey Cream, a type 2. Clematis bloom better when you don't prune their buds off for 3 years. Don't ask how stupid I felt.

These photos reveal I have some bare spots, heaven forbid! Must remedy that.

Haven't had time to mulch. Dread the thought (and reality) of dragging bags of mulch around. However it is so dry that it's pointless to water unless I mulch. Onward and upward in the Garden!

Centaurea and a Heuchera that came with the house:

I like this combination of self seeded forget me nots and Phlox — a little faded now:

And the ornamental Alliums are at their peak now, including a few that ended up in odd spots (thanks, squirrels?)

Marie, you have so many plants! And I love that Rhododendron and your Clematis. It's such an early variety. We barely started mulching, but we've gone through 15 bags of mulch and have another 12 waiting to be used. And I'm sure I'll have to order more too. I usually open a bag and fill a 5gallon bucket and take that with me. If we have to cart the bags of mulch, we use a two wheeler. I couldn't go without mulch for long at all. Right now I have some leaf litter but not as much as usual due to how much wind we've had this year. So before I end up with dried up plants and wall to wall weeds, we've got to get on the ball too.

Nekobus - such a nice big Allium. They're so pretty this time of year!

Marie, I'm pretty sure your rhododendron that begins with magenta buds and fades to white/cream is Percy Wiseman. I have several, and they have been amazing survivors. They were planted in 2018 along with probably at least six other varieties, made it through the disastrous winter of 2018-19, and came back the strongest of all the others, including standards like Nova Zembla. It and Mt St Helens are my top two favorite rhodies. Marie, your garden is just lovely. i don't remember seeing as many photos of it before, so these are a treat.

Nekobus, the Centaurea and Heuchera combo is perfect! The Forget me nots that seed everywhere do often pop up in advantageous places, don't they? I like how mine find a little bare spot and fill it nicely. I know they can be aggressive, but their easy to weed out and control. It found a perfect neighbor in the phlox.

Marie, I just ordered 8 cubic yd of mulch and will be waiting for a little rain to spread it around. Glad I still have some teenagers, and a wheelbarrow. I should have mulched long before this year. My garden is telling me that I waited too long! I'll probably need more later, but it is a start. Wanted to buy compost, but it is all sold out. Going to try more vendors today and hopefully find some.

Deanna - Thanks for naming that Rhodie and I’m interested to hear it is a survivor. I heard that about Nova Zembla and I managed to kill that one. [g] I planted it under my large Maple that has a dense canopy and aggressive root system and it took the next 3 years to turn into a half dead specimen and I put it out of it’s misery. I do have two azaleas that do fine and my neighbor has a huge rhododendron that blooms beautifully every year, so I think my yard should grow them well. I might try Marie’s if that’s the name, and see if I can pick a better spot for it.

I’ve ordered mulch by the yard before, delivered, but we don’t have teenagers at home any more and that’s a lot of shoveling. The bagged mulch works out much better for us, because we can stack them behind the garage and they are not unsightly, like a loose pile of mulch sitting in the driveway getting in the way for the 2-3 weeks it would take us to use it all. This way we just keep replenishing the supply when we get low and we always have a few bags to use when we need them. I pile them 4 -6 bags high and then put a 5 gallon bucket under the top bag and open the end and fill the bucket. It's much easier for us that way.

I was going to order compost by the yard this year, but I never did get around to it. I was planning to add it to one long bed that is a project I wanted to work on this year, but - it’s looking like I’m not going to get to it again, unless maybe in the fall. Instead I’ve bought triple the number of bags of Coast of Maine organic compost and I’m using that as I’ve been getting the garden ready for the season. Everything seemed to need it and I added my favorite fertilizer, organic alfalfa meal and I’m getting a good response to that.

You might find more available in the Fall.

I just buckled down and made myself learn how to do it (load photos)

Perhsos sometime this year I lowered my standards about what was presentable. Maybe I got older and realized I could die of old age before I got Around to posting photos and figured “now or never”

and will I have ugly ones to show after the spring bloom is just a memory!!

PM you're encouraging me to get the bags of mulch. I have several that have been sitting where they were put 2 months ago and haven't moved an inch. I like the 5 gallon bucket idea. That's about my weight limit and the hand truck's my speed.

We called our tree company and asked for a load of wood chips. The first dump is lovely: uniform chips, no branches. The second 'dump' had been in the truck a week. It was on its way to being compost and not such great quality. In early spring there are no leaves which is good. One fall I got a load of maple wood chips. I didn't know it was full of maple samaras, which germinated next spring into thousands of maple seedlings.

We'll use these 'arborist chips' in the back, which is all rough area. The last spread lasted about 3 years and kept the weeds o-u-t. I don't care for the way it looks in perennial beds with more delicate plants. But it's fine out in the woods, along paths and unplanted areas we want to keep clear of weeds. My guess is it's two or three yards.

It's like eating an elephant: one bite (wheelbarrow) at a time. No need to hurry. It just needs to be completed 'eventually"

In the lower left are concrete forms my SIL bought for weight in back of pick up truck.

He and family moved and he left these ugly things. And there are the golf clubs in the tool shed, the blue plastic ride-on car that's Frankie's. I vacillate between annoyed and nostalgic.

No human relationships are uncomplicated......

the Iberis Nearly died out after the winter of 2018 - 19, but it has come back very strong. I might try to move this to a more visible place. I have always liked perennial candytuft. The lemon candy Ninebark behind it sets it off nicely but struggles. It will get some loving care this summer, and I believe I need to begin giving it some winter protection as it is in the wind tunnel when wins come out of the south. The drought did it no favors. Some insect defoliates it at the end of summer but it grows back leaves in the same season and is fine.

Last year I redid the foundation plantings after removing the unwelcome wintercreeper. My first Percy Wiseman bloomed here.

I was hoping the Towhead rhododendron would complement Percy Wiseman but it was an alternate choice. Maybe as they get bigger they will blend more. Looking forward to giving this bed some compost and mulch!

nekobus I was walking through my yard the other evening and saw this stray allium - have NO idea how it got there as I didn't plant any! There are some other kind of allium next to it, I believe (can't remember what they are but they're more droopy or hanging in form) but never had this globe type. Enjoying it just the same.

Here is my red/yellow/orange bed. Yes, that's right lol. I tend to let the columbines reseed at will and then rip out what's in the way. I particularly love this patch of pink and purple ones (have way too many white ones that I tolerate just because it's a nice swath of spring bloom). I just don't have the heart to rip these out. I am trying to establish a similar colony in a more pink/purple area of the garden, but even here, the pink and purple blooms are gone before the red/yellow/orange blooms get into full swing!

Two of my favorite hostas about a week or so ago, the one on the right emerging MUCH later. May have to move these as this once-shade bed is now sunny thanks to the loss of my oak, and the hostas burn by August. My deutzia to the left is just beginning to bloom here. I took another picture of it yesterday but it's just not a good photo. On the right are the remnants of some Virginia bluebells.

Lastly, some of my clumps of Spanish bluebells. Love these. I don't know why people say they are aggressive. I got mine from a gardening friend here on the NE forum almost 20 years ago, and each clump has stayed in its place and not changed much at all in all those years. I kinda wouldn't mind if they spread a bit!

Lovely photos everyone! Marie, so glad you figured out how to post - beautiful pics! Deanna, I've been eyeing photos of Percy Wiseman here on the forums for a few years. Was at a garden center the other day and a rhodie took my breath away it was so gorgeous. Checked the tag - Percy Wiseman! This might be the year lol!

:)
Dee

Dee is this the first time I've seen photos of your garden?! [g] You have a really pretty mature garden. I love the Spanish bluebells and thought they were supposed to be invasive.

Deanna, I really like Iberis but it hasn't grown for me for some reason. Such pretty Rhododendrons and I love that decorative grate. Very pretty design.

Glad everyone is finding their cameras and figuring out posting their photos!

PM2, I finally got a (non-flip, lol) phone that takes decent (sorta) photos, but then my email got messed up and I couldn't email them to myself. And I don't do GW (or anything, lol) on my phone (calls and texting. That's it. Very tech challenged!). But I got my email straightened out and now I can both take photos AND email them so I can post them!

"Mature" is one word to describe my garden, lol. It really needs a huge overhaul and rearranging, not to mention a good cleanup. It's a lot to take care of by myself and I'm trying to transition to more shrubs (although I've been saying that for five years haha!) Just can't seem to let go of my cutting garden.....

Weigela just starting to bloom....

:)
Dee

Tree peony located on Cape Cod.

A few spots of calm amid the usual spring garden chaos.

Allium Globemaster, self seeded violas. Lawn edge needs trimming.

Front garden featuring Cornus mas Variegata

Iris Immortality

Garden statue gift from a friend. It was in her Dad's garden for many years.

A few Hostas from my old garden, Daybreak, Halcyon and Summer Music

Geum Totally Tangerine, Geranium Boom Chocolatta and a seedling Caryopteris.

Dee, I still only have a flip phone and a $15. phone plan. LoL We have had a land line at the same house for 40+ years and it’s good enough for me. I keep the flip phone for emergencies on the road, since I had an accident and found myself by the side of the highway without a phone. My kids all love to text, and now I can text from my laptop and that works for me.

I LOVE mature gardens which is a compliment and something that is not easy to come by. Especially when you keep moving things and ripping them out. [g] If you want to keep your cutting garden, and can’t blame you, you just have to transition to another level of gardening - ninja gardening.

Your weigela reminds me of my kolkwitzia which is just starting to bloom too, pretty color pink.

PRN - Such a pretty yellow Tree peony!

Sue, you have such a good eye and attention to detail. I really enjoy that second photo with the silver gazing ball and that Cornus mas in the background. That berries, right? I thought that was a shrub, has it been pruned like a tree? I've been thinking of getting one as a screen and didn't realize they had a variegated one.

Does your Immortality rebloom for you?

I’d like to see that Geranium Boom Chocolate when it blooms. Some of the plant names are so fun.

I am adding more vegetables to my perennial bed for the sun, since my community garden trial never got off the ground. I usually have no more than one tomato but I took out Mums and added 5 tomatoes this year. Some of the stakes are Dahlias too which is new for me this year. I left some photos with turned over containers that are covering over pepper plants I just added. I left two uncovered Saturday night and some animal dug them up, so I'm covering until they get settled in.

Julia Child - just about back from the dead.

Savannah rose - looks very healthy with fat buds and two years ago it had what seemed like a foliage disease of some sort, but I left it alone and it came back perfect the next season and this spring too. Kolkwitzia behind, just opening.

More tomatoes and peppers this year...Hydrangea 'Little Lime' in the center.

This robin follows me around, having got the idea there are worms available when ever I'm out there digging things up. He is making a mess around my tomato that is in the cage he's sitting on...

First tomatoes of the season, seems early.

The only Bleeding Heart in the garden that is living up to it's potential...

I enjoy the gold leaved Aquilegia next to the darker green...

First light on a pot of pansies and another tomato in a pot.

Wow, PM2, it does seem early for tomatoes to be flowering. But then, I wintersow mine and they are still only about two or three inches high, lol.

Love your bleeding heart. I love the white ones. I had one once in a small shade garden and for some reason my husband weed-whacked the whole garden, despite the fact it had been there for years and had a japanese lantern in the middle of it. Why do the weeds always come back after whacking, but my plants didn't? LOL

Think it's kinda neat that you have a bird that follows you around!

Looking good, Sue! That geranium is beautiful - I wouldn't even need that to ever bloom lol. Have to look into geum. Wasn't aware it bloomed so early in the season. It's quite lovely - love that color.

Took a stroll through the yard last night and noticed a climbing rose which had been doing so well had some droopy arches on it. I went closet to inspect, my heart sank, I reached for a cane and gave a gentle tug - and yup, the whole darn rose lifted right up. Drat!!! Must be voles running around I guess. Hoping the rest of the bed is not targeted next!

:)
Dee

Dee, I'll have to try another time of day to take a photo of the tomato plant, it actually has little green cherry tomatoes on it. [g] Yes, I don't start tomatoes or peppers with winter sowing. I found I can actually get volunteers in the garden growing at the same rate of growth I'm going to get from that. Since I don't grow a lot of tomatoes, some years I just buy organic starts, when I can, I like to start my own from seed, which I did do this year.

That robin looks like an adolescent to me, probably without much experience. I tried talking to him today to see how he would respond, because he was quite bold landing close to me and not bothered by my movements. I started cocking my head from side to side at him and whistling and he just cocked his head back at me. [g] He really is making a mess to my tomato plant, I'm going to have to figure a way to keep him off the cage.

My husband went out to weed once a long time ago and pulled out blueberry bushes I was given as a gift. Small ones, but still. I don't think he's ever going to live that one down. [g]

OMGosh, Dee....that is horrible about your rose. I would be so upset. It might be time to figure out a way to get rid of them. I don't have any ideas, but, I hope you can find an answer. Maybe you can take cuttings of the rose to save it?

PM2 I potted the rose up. There are a few, tiny roots on it, so we'll see. I'm quite disappointed but what can you do? I don't do well with cuttings but maybe I'll take a few. If the thing is going to die, what do I have to lose?

I looked more closely at your tomato plant photo and yes! I do see the actual tomatoes! Wow, that's awesome. Funny, my wintersown tomatoes are always so small, and every year a friend of mine gives me her green-house started plants, and by the end of June or so you can't tell which is which, even though hers are at least a foot tall right now. Those wintersown babies do catch up!

I think it's way cool about your robin!

:)
Dee

You make a good point, I do remember that the WS seedlings were pretty sturdy and vigorous.

Your poor rose....if there is enough of it to pot up the remainder of the root ball and still take a few tip cuttings, roses are often said to be easy to root. I personally love to stick cuttings in water, as the easiest way to do it, but if I was trying to save a plant like you are, I'd probably try both cuttings in soil and just leaving a tip cutting in a vase of water.

I've had success in summer, using a sweater box with a lid that I drilled holes in for air circulation. Then mixed up 1/2 sand and 1/2 potting soil, then using rooting hormone on the cutting. Then misting it with a spray bottle and checking it fairly often to make sure they weren't wilting or drying out. It worked with boxwood but don't remember trying roses.

Really?? You can root roses just in water? Well if it's that simple then I'll HAVE to try! I guess I might as well try a few cuttings both ways. Like I said, there's nothing to lose, right? Thanks for the tip!

:)
Dee

Well, I don't know that you can root a rose specifically in water, but I always try most plants because I've been surprised so many times when that was all it took. I have Goldfish plant on my counter in water with lots of roots right now.

Kind of sad, but yesterday I noticed that the dandelion seed puffs certainly do look good with the forget-me-nots. Kind of an allium effect. Just trying to enjoy what I can! Considering how quickly both of these can multiply, i’ll have to spend some effort making sure this lovely pairing doesn’t take over the garden.

I think we should throw a party now that Dee is TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED! Ladies, all tech questions now go to Dee.

;-)

I love the white Dicentras you all have posted. I may have to invest in one of those.

Dee, the Spanish bluebells are indeed very nice. On the one hand I'm glad they're not invasive, but a little bit of gumption might be nice, right?

PM, your tomatoes are scrumptious. The gold-leafed columbine is as nice as your earlier description. It does look wonderful against the darker greens. I sure wish I could see all of your roses. I have NO roses in my garden.

Sue, I love the violas. One of my favorite self-seeders. Agree with Dee that the geranium looks fantastic on its own. I have a chocolate geranium in its third year and it will probably impress me at maybe 5" across. It one day hopes to be yours. I moved it in fall a few inches to one side to escape a vigorous neighbor, so maybe the extra room will do it good. So many lovely textures and colors in your garden! I envy you your blue hostas. NONE of my blue hostas are really blue, and they are in shade ALL DAY. I think I got a bad clone of Blue Mammoth. It's so totally green it's boring.

Haha if I'm technologically advanced I'd hate to see someone who is technologically challenged! If we WERE having a party, I'd be sending paper invitations in the mail, complete with printed out directions haha!

Yes, I do wish those Spanish bluebells would do a little bit of SOMETHING. I'm always confused when people say how invasive they are. It took about 15 years for lily of the valley to do anything in my yard; maybe the bluebells will do something soon.

PM2 thought of you today! Saw this article about a wood grouse who follows this guy around and thought of your robin lol!

First calycanthus Venus bloom today:

Also, first iris; I don't remember the name

:)
Dee

Deanna - I agree, so glad Dee has started posting photos!

You should really have a rose, Deanna. Everyone should have at least one rose. [g] You can do it, there has to be room for one rose somewhere on your property. You do have fun sun somewhere, right?

As soon as mine start blooming you will be sick of all the photos I’ll post. [g]

You are right about the Cranesbill with the dark foliage, good enough without blooms. I used to have ‘Samobor’ which had dark markings on the leaves but I didn’t enjoy the flowers they were so tiny. I’m waiting to see a photo of the flowers on Sue’s. That foliage is much better than 'Samobor'.

Dee, that is a wild story about that bird…lol. I love the photos they took. I wish they had interviewed a bird expert to explain how this could happen. I wondered if he had fed the bird, but his wife wrote, no, he hadn’t. No, the robin in my yard is not that interested in me. [g] I think she/he is more interested in the earthworms she is going to get when I am digging. Lol

I have a young Calycanthus with the red flowers. I’m underwhelmed so far. I had a lot of die back over the winter and thought it was dead for awhile. I would think a photo would be enough. Could it be insect damage to the exterior of the bud before it opens?

That is a very pretty Iris. One of my favorite flowers, but I don’t grow many of them. I don’t have the sun and I find they want to be divided too often. AND I found dividing and replanting them a real chore. I have one that is similar to yours, with a blue bottom and without that nice purple markings. I forget the name of mine too. Lol

Quick photo. Like the colors and textures. The rain cleaned the leaves up! Nice to see them shine again. Would be nice if the ferns in the middle were more visible.

I really like that combination Deanna and it looks so lush and happy after the rain! Nice placement of the golden Bleeding Heart and you do what I should do more of - grouping multiples, like the variegated Hosta behind.

I guess it's June today. I always anticipate two things on June 1st - Kolkwitzia in bloom and has to be at least one rose open. I have a Syringa pallibin that just dropped it's petals, it was hardly in bloom 2 weeks. And now the Mock Orange is opening, so I guess I should anticipate that for June 1st every year too.

Kolkwitzia has been open a little early this year, this is after a week of bloom. And it's fragrant, especially on a warm day. I could smell it in my bedroom with the windows closed and the a/c on last week.

This one seems to be the first rose bloom open. I believe it is 'Penelope' that is one of three roses on a section of fence that is all a tangle.

And Savannah is right behind, almost there....

This is Philadelphus 'Buckley's Quill' a double. It's been in place for at least 4 years and last year was the first year I noticed it was very fragrant. I'm planning to add another one this year.

It's mountain laurel season in CT. Mine were almost dead from leaf spot when I moved in in 2018 - 100% leaf drop every year, and terribly spindly. I saved them all and they are healthy seem to be filling with various degrees of success and interest. 5 are 8ft tall, and 2 are 4ft plants that re-sprouted from stumps. They seem to alternate between a heavy flower year, and a heavy growth year.... all but one (the first pic) are in heavy flower mode this year.

Gregg, that is amazing and takes some persevereance. You must be so excited to see them doing so well. I never have had luck with Mountain Laurel. I had one that was here when I moved in and for years it looked sickly until I got rid of it. Yours look great! What did you do to save them?

Thanks pm2. It wasn't that hard except they are so large I had to spray from a step ladder for a couple. It just took a fungicide 'Chlorothalonil' as new growth was emerging, and being meticulous about cleaning up dropped matter. This is the third year and I don't see a trace, so I didn't spray. Fingers crossed they hold!

By the way I was glad to read your note about your philidelphus scent. I planted an 'innocence' which is supposed to be especially fragrant. It bloomed very well last year but I couldn't smell the slightest hint of orange scent. So you give me hope it may just need to mature a bit. It's pretty either way but would like the fragrance.

Glad you were able to bring those back, I bet it was a lot of work! I do hope you don't have to spray again.

My Philadelphus is not all the way open yet. We are due for a heat wave, which I am thinking will increase the fragrance too. I am not entirely sold on the small double star like flowers on the Buckley's Quill. I really like the look of the 'Innocence' more. I hope you will post a photo of yours when you can.

Here it is with more buds open today....It is in part sun, so I think it might have more bloom in full sun....

Still waiting for more roses to open, and the heat wave starting Saturday - sometimes that doesn't help when it's that hot for the roses, but I should have more fragrant blooms soon.

My philadelphus hasn't quite bloomed yet, but I will send a pic when it does.

Prettiest thing in my garden today is the leggiest southern magnolia in north America.... The tree looks terrible but its flowers make up for it.

Gregg, I bet those flowers are really fragrant too!

Gregg, I went out early this morning to water a couple of things before it gets too hot. It was 70F on my back porch at 5:30a and an hour later 76F and the sun was already up. I could not believe how fragrant that mock orange is! So again, this is the second year that it has been super fragrant. So today and late yesterday I noticed the fragrance so strongly and the very first blossom opened on it on June 1st. So a week into bloom it starts to get really strong. I'll have to see how long it stays that way.

I'm finding it a potent combination of the Kolkwitzia in the front yard and the Buckley's Quill Philadelphus in the back. The Kolkwitzia has been strong enough to smell in my bedroom wtih the windows closed and the a/c on. That is just finishing being fragrant when the BQ starts. I can't tell if the Philadelphus comes into the house because it is too hot to open the windows, [g] but it is planted under my DR window. So, it's decided that I am going to buy a second BQ.

So nice to see a few new names along with familiar ones. My already slow internet has been greatly challenged by the number of folks working and schooling at home, and the old copper lines don’t respond well hot or wet weather, so I have had a tough time getting on the Gardenweb forums. Everyone’s gardens look beautiful. i always love the diversity of flowers that appear.

Rododendron roseum elegans was poorly placed by the previous occupant, but it is happy here. after bloom it will be hard pruned to get back to a reasonable size.

Azalea narcissiflora in the back, Deutzia Chardonnay Pearls at the front, and Flax waiting patiently for a walk. the white flowers on the other side of the drive are a volunteer pagoda dogwood/ Cornus alternifolia.

Narcissiflora is an old deciduous hybrid with ”hose in hose” double flowers that make it look more full. Close up it looks like one flower is nested into another like a pair of kitchen bowls.

This is a really old Heuchera/coral bells from when they were grown for flowers rather than colored foliage. I got it from a plant sale at Arnold arboretum in the 1980’s or early 90’s. it has flowers for several weeks that the hummingbirds love.

And a sunset over the hayfield right after the first cutting this week.

PM, I agree that I should have a rose. I should have an AWESOME rose, and maybe this year I can start planning for one (if the heat lets me finish this year's chores). Roses are so beautiful, but I am daunted by their needs and fragility. I'll have to come to you all for recommendations on varieties suited for a naive grower.

PM, I bought Samobor after trying to find it for three years. I'm not sure it looks nice unless grown en masse. I bought two. High hopes for quick growth and lots of dividing, I guess. I do like my two, for sure. Now if they will only grow fast enough to be divided into three pieces each year. ;-)

Gregg, I am impressed with your healing skills. The laurels are BEAUTIFUL! You have been rewarded for all of your hours and efforts!

NHBabs, very happy to hear from you and your garden! The rhododendron is so nice! Too bad the house can't grow bigger so it can stay the size it is. I just planted a foundation bed last year, and it was hard to do considering the confusing information on rhododendrons. I have a Gibralter, and the tag said 8-10' wheareas almost all internet info says about 5'. That's a ridiculous difference! The heuchera looks fantastic. I did not know the hummers like it so well. I have some from seed. Maybe I'll catch some hummers drinking. As always, every photo of your fields, streams, sunsets, etc., are always such a treat. Just lovely!

Babs, Lovely photos! As they always are! Such a huge Rhododendron. My neighbor's Rhododendron is right in front of their LR window and up past their cape roofline and I always used to think, why do they leave that so large? But, I stopped wondering and just enjoy it now. It's gorgeous when it blooms! Nice to see Flax again. None of my Heucheras have opened bloom yet, although I don't have a lot, they don't do well for me. Some of mine have crispy edges with the heat this week.

I'm rushing this morning - I'll come back later Deanna, I want to talk to you about roses.

Deanna, back to roses. I was very serious when I said I thought you should get yourself a rose. I wanted a rose for the longest time and kept thinking it was a bad idea. I am very strictly organic since 1980 and I was under the impression that roses were disease and bug magnets and that I'd never be able to grow them, so I avoided them. But I realized that roses are my favorite flower and it was dumb to be a gardener and not grow your favorite. [g] So I decided to try to find a rose that was easy to grow and reliable and fragrant and repeat bloom and disease resistant. Not too much to ask, right? And that's how it all began. It's been really fun. And what I think now is that roses are really not harder to grow, in some ways I find them easier. And they are not as fragile as you think they are. I think they are pretty tough. And now there are so many disease resistant roses. So I went from one rose, to 3 roses and now I have 8. lol I think that is my limit. Although....lol. I was thinking today. I do get winter damage and end up having to prune close to the ground, which isn't a problem, they still grow very vigorously and flower every year just the same. But they don't get the size that say someone in California is able to grow them. And today I was thinking, I had in mind a larger impact and I've been waiting for the plants to get large enough for that. I am realizing that they are not going to get the size I am looking for and what I need to do is buy multiples of the same rose and plant them together to get the effect I want.

So, definitely, don't be afraid to try a rose. Have fun looking for just the one you want. Spend some time over on the rose forum and you will be hooked. lol