Thank you, Prairiemoon! That bed and a couple raised beds for veggies were my Mother’s Day gift last year. I think building them was easier than filling them with dirt. I had to help with that job.

I’ll keep posting pictures as plants come into bloom. I think these Dahlias are suppose to be around 4 ft

tall? I did pinch them back so maybe they won’t reach their maximum height. I went a little dahlia crazy this year and have them planted all over. Hopefully, the ones in my flower bed do well.

This was my first year for Ranunculus. I think they’re so pretty and they seem to last a while as a cut flower.

I have to say that by April I was ready to be done with all of the plants I started. I went a little overboard this year, hopefully I’ll remember that next winter lol.

I do love seeing everyone’s pictures! It’s so nice to see the variety of plants everyone grows. I’m not very good at mixing in shrubs in my beds so I love seeing how others accomplish it. I get ideas for my own yard :)

rouge that John Cabot is glorious. Love the color combination in that photo, especially the alliums with what looks like a bright green hosta?

Yesterday evening noticed my mockorange bloomed! Woo-hoo, second time in 20 years! Was too far away to see if there was any fragrance. Was going to check today after work but we're having a nice steady gentle rain now (thank goodness!) so I'll go sniff tomorrow. This thing must know when I decide to finally take it out - it blooms almost on cue!

:)

Dee

Rouge21- Your John Cabot rose is gorgeous! I love how its climbing around your window. Such a statement.

that John Cabot is glorious. Love the color combination in that photo, especially the alliums with what looks like a bright green hosta?

Thanks for that.

Actually the chartreuse coloured plant....too hard for you to see details is not a hosta but rather a persicaria...GOLDEN ARROWS.

Here is a bit better of a shot showing GA closer up:

Marie its a young P. Pungens the blues in full sun.

Rouge I agree with the others...that rose is stunning!

Thank you GH.

It is approaching 20 years old. I cut it back significantly in 2019. And now in 2021 it has mostly fully "recovered".

20 years wow!!

Rouge - Nice John Cabot! I love to see a rose growing on the side of a house. LOVE the brick too! I think I have a geranium that looks similar but it’s called ‘New Hampshire’. They are such reliable plants. I really like ‘First Frost’ and something about it reminds me of ‘June’ I wonder if it has any ‘June’ in it’s parentage, if that’s the right term?

Cab, wow, can I relate to that. Our son built us some raised beds about 6 years ago, wow where does the time fly, and I ordered a lot of compost to fill the beds with. Wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow from the driveway to the back for a few days.

I went plant crazy this past winter. I ordered a little more than I usually do and Dahlia tubers were part of that. I have them all in the ground now, but I am sure I got them in late and now wonder how much bloom I will even see before a frost in the Fall.

You’ll have to let me know if it was too much trouble to grow Ranunculus. Did you start them from seed? I remember doing a lot of starts under lights one winter, just being so enthusiastic in January and having second thoughts by April. [g] It is a lot of work every day, keeping at it.

Dee, congratulations that your Mock Orange bloomed! The timing is so funny. [g]

The Ranunculus wasn’t difficult to start. I started them in my garage in March and moved them inside under lights once they sprouted. I moved them

out in April to start hardening them off. They’re pretty, but kinda small because I can’t start them in the fall because I’m in a colder zone (Michigan).

I’m sure you’ll get dahlia flowers this year. I started mine early June last year and got flowers before frosts came.

Cab, that's great that you didn't have to start them until March. Did they have to have a cold period to germinate? Do they bloom in hot weather? For some reason I thought they were cold season, like pansies.

Thanks, good to know I will still see flowers on the Dahlias this year!

Well, we’ve had high 80s up to 90 off

and on for the last week or so and they look ok. Not sure if they’re going to grow and create any more buds, but I have gotten some flowers. Not all the plants have made buds and I’m not sure if they will. The early heat we’ve been getting is part of the reason I’m not sure if I would grow them again. I have to see how they do over the next few weeks.

I would be surprised if you didnt get dahlia flowers. I was told by the local dahlia society to plant after Memorial Day.

Rouge, I just laughed out loud at myself. Are you a Seinfeld fan? If so, you know when they realize Newman did something and they make that face and say "Newman!"?

Well, when I read your answer to me about the hosta, and you said it wasn't a hosta but Golden Arrows persicaria, I immediately said to myself "Golden Arrows!" in the exact same way hahaha! And then laughed out loud at myself for doing that! Because I now remember that there was a thread where this plant appeared (possibly your plant??) and I made a note to myself to add it to my garden because I so admired it. And I completely forgot. Till just now. Newman!

:)

Dee

So funny Dee :)!

Eleanora Monkshood (We especially like this monkshood, mostly because of its bloom time ie the spring):

The ever bloomin' Corydalis Lutea:

Primrose:

Cool, rouge! I wasn't aware there were spring-blooming monkshood!

I've got lots and lots of digitalis grandiflora in bloom. It reseeds a lot but I let it go. I think this year I will clamp down a bit on it as it is getting a bit much. But like my columbines and now my feverfew, it does make nice swaths through the gardens and kind of ties things together.

Here they are looking very white, lol. They are really more of a soft yellow. I love the color

With my green and yellow hosta

My feverfew is starting to bloom. I have a few kinds but this is the first to bloom. Used to use lots of this when I sold bouquets, always wishing it would bloom a bit earlier or a bit later! It would have been nice to have as much then as I do now too!

Another name-forgotten rose, possibly Heritage.

This was really hard to get a picture of, but I have this reseeded larkspur that's as tall as I am! Usually they are about 2-3 feet tall; this one is over 5 feet. Absolutely LOVE the color of these, although it's not really captured by my phone.

Never mind the jungle surrounding it lol.

:)

Dee

I also was unaware of a spring blooming monkshood-I really hope I can find it. Here is some of what’s blooming here

OS I love your roses with the allium!

First white swirl iris

Delphiniums

Noid Peonies on slope..weird angle looking down the driveway

Just wow everyone! Missed out on May but enjoyed it as well. June is bursting forth.

Baptisia, Lupins and Peony just starting.

Dictamnus

Gillenia trifoliata

Lupins, Siberian Iris & Poppy in the background.

Climbing Hydrangea

Cypripedium reginae - Showy Lady's Slipper

Peony 'Duchesse de Nemours'

Trollius 'Golden Queen'

Rodgersia p. 'Elegans'.

Rouge - Add me to the list of those who were unaware there was a spring Monkshood. I didn’t know there was a white one either. Nice!

Is that yellow plant Evening Primrose? And what is the blue flower near it?

Dee, I love your foxglove, the flowers are so big and they are growing so straight. Did you start those from seed?

I would grow a ton of feverfew if it would grow for me, but I think my soil is too heavy. The larkspur is growing very straight too. Are you supporting it at all?

Sometimes I enjoy roses before they are fully open, as they are changing their look every day from a bud to a fully open bloom, like your photo.

Oursteelers - What is the tree in the background middle of your first photo? And those are foxglove? Very tall! Hostas are all looking healthy and a nice grouping. That’s a very pretty pink rose, is it fragrant?

GH - Did you start your Delphiniums from seed? In your 3rd photo, is that a bed along your driveway? I would really enjoy that large bed and having a slope is great for all those plants that like good drainage.

Peren.All - That first photo, what catches my eye right away are the two trees. They look so well pruned and symmetrical, they are a great design element. What kind of trees are they? Beautiful big Baptisia!

For a minute I thought your Dictamnus was a Gaura, but it looked too dense to be one. Really pretty, how long does it bloom? Is that the gas plant that you can light gas coming from it? [g]

What is that very large blue hosta in the background behind your Gillenia, which looks so well cared for!

The Climbing Hydrangea, I always love those, Lady Slippers…you are so lucky!! Gorgeous white Peony.

(Great post 'pm2')

Is that yellow plant Evening Primrose? And what is the blue flower near it?

Yes and Arabella clematis on the ground.

'peren.all', that Trollius flower is so 'perfect' isnt it?

Your rodgersia looks absolutely pristine.

I am so glad I planted a couple awhile back. (I was so impressed with esteemed member 'woody's' specimens when I visited several years ago).

Here are our two today:

Wow lots of great stuff here!

GardenHo, that iris is exquisite!!!

oursteelers, love the allium/rose combo. What is the name of the hosta in the middle of your second photo. Because I really need another variegated hosta haha!

peren.all, what a fabulous garden! That must be a full-time job, taking care of all that! It's so lovely. And the lady's slippers are gorgeous!

PM2, I honestly can't remember, lol, but I do think I purchased the digitalis grandiflora. However, the hundreds of them now spread over my yard are definitely reseeders. I've never touched or moved the original plant, and now I have it everywhere. I do rip out clumps of it when it's in the way, but again, it's a nice unifying swath of color throughout the garden, and sometimes it just happens to reseed in the perfect spot!

rouge, you've got me wondering why I STILL don't have a rodgersia...

:)

Dee

Prairiemoon, the tree is a big leaf maple; they pretty much surround the property. The pink roses are a mingling of The Ancient Mariner and Olivia, both are fragrant but The Ancient Mariner more so.

Yes, the foxglove and delphinium are loving our drawn out, cool and wet spring.

Diggerdee, not sure which hosta you are talking about. Could you describe it a little?

So many beautiful photos of everyone's plants and gardens!

GardenHo, your no id Peony looks like Bowl of Beauty to me. I see catalog pics where it's darker or more vivid in color, but mine is light and more pink like yours.

peren.all, you know I have Rodgersia envy when I see yours! So pretty. Those Lady Slippers are special! I was also wondering what those trees are that add to the whole big pic look you have going on. Looks like such a nice garden to stroll through on a lazy day.

I have never grown foxglove, delphiniums and lupins and so it is so good to see your offerings. Thank you.

PM The delphiniums were purchased at a farmers market. I planted many of them in several different beds to try to insure at least some would come back. Pleasantly surprised that almost all of them did! Those above are the first to bloom...the others are not far behind.

The sloped bed lines one side of my drivaway yes. It is a dry bed thanks to an old thirsty Maple nearby. Surprisingly everything does pretty well....

Thanks Peren for posting my favorite lady slippers....just beautiful!!

Sandy thats the first time anyone said bowl of beauty...ive always thought they were darker like you said and have always wanted one..or two lol. Now that you mention it, it does look light a lighter version! hmmmm

Oursteelers, Big leaf Maple must be different than our Maples. Our trunk and leaves don't look like that. Is that two tree trunks or multiple trunks on one tree and did your tree get limbed up? the branches seem to start so high, but I don't see where any were removed.

Ancient Mariner - love that name!

GH - I wonder if they might have been Millennial Delphiniums? Dodswell? Very pretty! That would be a driveway I'd like to drive down...lol. Great bed!

Pm thank you! Im not sure what variety they are? Now youve got me curious, I’ll have to google lol.

Lol I looked and that was a waste of time...they all look pretty much the same lol!!

Here are some from last year before planting. As you can see they all have a slightly diff type of bloom....

Actually, I think that Milennial [Dodswell] has been so popular that a lot of nurseries sell them now. I started those from seed, that at the time were not easy to find here, so I sent to NZ for them. I really enjoyed them and they did come back for a couple of years. I don't remember why they petered out for me.

Dodswell Delphiniums

Such a pretty photo of yours!

Thank you prairiemoon & sandyslopes. The two trees are very old McIntosh apple. I am in the process of pruning to reduce foliage and remove water sprouts. We have had a very bad infestation of gypsy moth and of course they found these trees delectable. These disgusting creatures have certainly helped reduce the foliage.

prairiemoon the Dictamnus blooms for approx. 3 weeks but the quick to form seed pods are extremely attractive and the foliage is always stellar. Yes, if you hold a match under a bloom there is a small poof. I did it once just to say I had!

The Hosta is 'Blue Angel' and it is over 81/2' across after being in the garden for many years.

I am very lucky to have the Lady's Slipper. A neighbour asked me to take half of his after he changed his eavestroughing. He was worried it might not get enough moisture. I was more than happy to help him out lol!

rouge Trollius really are perfect blooms! So glad you got a couple of Rodgersia. I adore mine and added a third last fall.

Aww thank you diggerdee! I adore Digitalis g. too. I try and deadhead more now since yes I have sooo many but I do think a large swath of them looks great!

Thank you sandyslopes. I do hope you have or will try a Rodgersia (or more than one). Do you grow it? Everyone who can should lol!

You are most welcome GardenHo!

We finally had rain today! I lost my response earlier today when the power went out.

Pm thanks for the link....they sure do look like those, but honestly I dont know if I could tell the difference lol. Sorry to hear yours petered out. Im hoping mine stick around for years to come. I have some on my dry slope that are going on their 5th year so...fingers crossed!

Here is a new one for me, I cant help but laugh since seeing it bloom. It‘s one that surely needs to be massed lol....

I do have another one but its way behind this one (more shaded).

Phlomis Tuberosa

GardenHo that is quite a cool plant!

oursteelers, sorry, looking back I see there are several (lovely) variegated hostas in your photo. It's just that the one I asked about immediately jumped out at me so I didn't notice the others so much. This is the one I meant:

Thanks!

:)

Dee

That is Brother Stefan, he’s a good one here. A little slow to get started but stands up pretty well to slugs which is very important to me

OMG, I have a Brother Stefan, hahaha! Actually, I bought one a few years ago, and it was attacked by something (voles? can't quite remember). I dug what was left of it up and moved it, but then the next forgot what the hosta in that new spot was lol. It has been recovering a bit each year and now thank you, because you just reminded what the name of it is! It's in a neglected bit of garden that I was just staring at the other evening, thinking how I need to rip out some of the lily of the valley because the poor (unknown) hosta probably had too much root competition. After seeing your photo, not only do I now have an ID but I also have renewed motivation to give my little guy better growing conditions! Thanks!

:)

Dee

Wanted to share with the beautiful sunset....

Not much to share this year as I moved into a new home last year and things are still on its way to establishing but this sedum rupifragum caught my eye today in my rock garden. 3rd year cutting grown, planted last fall. It’s quite slow growing compared to other sedums.

A few pics from my gardens.

Peony before the heat set in.....

I like these Poppies 'Turkenlouis' because they're a little different with a fringy edge and a touch of red in them.

Thanks for helping my lawn, Robin!

Anyone know which Clematis this is? My old records are hard to access, but I might recognize the name.

Dianthus like growing in the rock wall

Hosta 'Mourning Dove' likes the shade of the rock wall and hanging out with the orange Trollius.

Group of annuals on the deck

Your pictures tripled. I don't mind but you should be able to delete the duplicates if they irk you. I could look at your photos of the peony and poppies all day, three times a day!

Beautiful peonies! I had turkenlouis once, as a very new gardener. They were doing great in a pot on my front steps, when someone told me I should put them in the ground. I did. And they died lol. Oh well.

Love, love LOVE the annuals! What a great combination!

:)

Dee

Thanks Marie! I tried to get a bit more yard in those two pics. And I did delete all the extras. I never had that happen before.

Dee, sorry your poppies didn't make it in the ground. I feel like I got lucky with these and they somehow ended up in a place they like. ...Annuals for the deck are something I look forward to potting up every year. So many tempting ones in the nurseries these days.

sandyslopes you are lucky if you find many tempting annuals! I love to have pots of annuals on the patio, front steps, even placed in the perennial beds, but I'm finding less and less choice at the nurseries and garden centers. And this year, in addition to the limited choice I didn't think the quality was there either. I actually ended up buying the bulk of my annuals at Walmart. They didn't have a much better selection but their stock was in much better shape. I usually try to support the nurseries and local businesses but was really disappointed in the selection and more importantly the quality, and things are too expensive to buy inferior product. It makes me sad because we've lost so many small nurseries and garden centers in the past few years, but how can you give your hard-earned money to a place that puts out inferior plants? Sad.

But your lovely annuals cheered me up lol. Thanks for sharing! And I may just try the poppies again! Was actually just thinking a few weeks back that I need poppies in my garden!

:)

Dee

P Polymoprha:

(Even this water sipping plant was looking the worse for wear last week....lucky for a good rain this past week).

I know that many of you have this impressive plant...show us the 2021 edition.

Nice rouge...How old is yours? I planted 2 little div last year. The one in more shade is way ahead of the other...looks like ill get a small bloom soon.

Here are some tea roses? i picked up at the grocery store last year. I decided to plant them to see what they would do...and sure enough to my surprise the came back this year!!

with veronica white wands...

More delphiniums

A few more picutres of flowers that jat started blooming.

Polka- hopefully it’ll want to be a climber at some point. It had a lot

of cane dieback so it was cut basically to the ground.

Plum Perfect

My first dahlia bloom! Bishop of Dover

Newly planted Distant Drums. Hopefully, it does ok. I’ve read a lot of mixed reviews on its health, but it’s so pretty...

I admire you rose growers...so pretty!

Daisies and friends..

My hydrangeas are starting to bloom. I have a huge White Dome (which I don't have a current picture of), a Quickfire which is still in young bud stage and three other white hydrangeas. I'm still trying to figure out how I ended up with so many white hydrangeas! I don't even particularly like white flowers lol. The White Dome and a Bombshell were purchases. The others, including the Quickfire which I do love, were plant swap items, likely items which I was persuaded to take as the swap broke up and which needed a home, lol! I'm trying to persuade my daughter to take one for her new home with absolutely no garden or plantings, but she's a mophead fan. I figure I'l give her a few years to learn about plants and she'll gladly take one lol.

Anyway, here is a NOID given to me over 20 years ago by a friend, which I've divided in two by now. Think it may be a Nikko Blue - it will likely end up being much bluer than this

Lavender and veronica are blooming, my daisies and rudbeckia are about to pop, a few coneflowers in bloom, a few roses hanging on, and lots of reseeded larkspur adding a touch of absolutely luxurious and rich purple around the garden. Also LOTS of feverfew and digitalis grandiflora.

Oh, and my two fave hostas still impressing. These are in the full shade bed that is no longer a full shade bed due to to a tree loss. They end up being burned by August as I try to decide what kind of tree to plant in the oak's place, but now they're still looking great. Here is one of them (need to ID them!)

Lastly, last month I took a photo of some reseeded nigella, but don't think I ever posted it as it wasn't a good photo. But I am so enjoying the seed heads now, so I took another photo. Still not a good photo lol (my phone doesn't take great photos) but maybe if you enlarge or zoom in you can enjoy the seed heads too!

:)

Dee

Here is my achillea sibirica subsp. camtschatica again this year, this time it is cutting grown 3rd year, planted in my rock garden last year.

The clematis are now showing their stuff:

POLISH SPIRIT:

MADAME JULIA CORREVON: