Let's see what's beautiful around here.

Jon & I covered the front with shredded redwood. I used to shun bark, but I've come to appreciate this easy and natural form of water/temperature/weed control.

Here's the unfolding of the amazing "Abraham Darby" rose week by week. It starts innocently enough.

Starts to show signs of real personality.

Becomes quite full and amazingly strong with scent.

And then pow! It just keeps getting lusher. Growing such a delicious rose feels like a luxury.

At last, a puff of rose for beside the bed.

These mysterious spikes turned into Siberian Iris blooms.



The Leucuthoe was amazing in bloom! Cascades of tiny cream urns. Bees love them.


The peachy brown & lavender bronze Iris with the last show-a raggedy looking mess. But I'm very fond of them, and next year there will be a ton more blossoms!

This grass in bloom is really nice, 4 feet tall wind rattles.

The Marmalade Coral bells color keeps morphing...yummy.

The sunny yellow blooms of the sedum look extra good with the chalk blue & pink.

The fireglow Euphorbia puts it's best show on in couple months, the stems & flower bracts turn hot red and orange...stay tuned.

This bugger has been dug out, I saw it had an invasive habit in a neighbor's yard. Gave me a fright & it's been sent to a pot.

The Red hot poker surprised me by blooming! Jack says next season this will spread to a big blooming patch.

Sedum, it started apple green, I love this developement.

One last look before we say goodbye.

Another day has gone, the front yard rests in the relief of shade.

Roses

Ebb and Tide Rose, smells like clove.

A rose named Love.

Coral bells & Love Rose.

David Austin's apricot colored rose.

Rose petals scattering into the herb garden.

The beautiful Iris

Velvety red Roses & Dragonflies

Our first rose bloomed! A rich velvet red with white petal backs. Looks like paper backed velveteen.

A red hot dragonfly perched on a Rose bud next to my chair, as I drank a cup of coffee in the rose/herb garden this morning.


Sorry they are so blurry, I'm sure I was too excited to capture this moment.

The sedum will definitely survive being accosted by the racoon...I like the tulip leaves turning pink.

The apricot Iris bloomed.













The world's tiniest Astilbe! I love that it put out one set of leaves & a tiny bloom! This is where you start when you buy half price bulbs already leafing out in their bags from a hardware store...long after they should have been in the ground. I have high hopes for next year.

There are spiky dark purple blooms in front here, that haven't opened yet...I assumed it's some kind of Iris. Any day now...


Front porch plantings of Sweet Pea and Nasturtiums. A couple weeks should have them sprouted & climbing.



A happy maiden hair fern.

Another look at the front yard.

Destruction!

I came across this mess of sedum this morning.

A racoon is likely afoot!

Torn up from the middle & scattered about. I love a wild animal & wish I could have watched for the shock & awe of a beloved sedum being enjoyed with such abandon.

So I mended it as best I could, lined them up on the soil & buried their tips.

Now I will hopefully now have another sedum growing, here.