Iris Heaven

Sale Day

An exciting haul from a neighborhood plant sale today. Not only did I find some lovely flowers, I got to tour the extensive garden with Karen and we must have wandered for over an hour. My favorite part: 16 ducks in her back forty, bathing & drinking, one sitting on her eggs. Amazing! I promised her a Violet Lupine that doesn't get the mildew disease they are so prone to...so I will visit her again in June with a little gift (once I grow it large enough).
The Plants from Karen:
Purple Autumn Joy Sedum (Cut back half way in June to make plant branch, create strong stocky stems, and triple your flowers.)
Alstroemeria
Canpanula Takesimana (Korean Bellflower)
Coreopsis Grandiflora 'Early Summer'
Monarda
Cornus Dogwood 'Midwinter Fire'
Ligularia (likes moist soil)
Jalepeno

I also stopped at a garage sale down my street that turned out to be a master gardener moving sale! Everything seemed to be gardening related. I bought seed starting mix, seed starting trays that are very fancy with a wicking, bottom watering, and moisture gauge system. And a bunch of her left over seeds including 16 kinds of Sunflowers (Helianthus).
Snow Pea 'Oregon Sugar Pod II'
Hollyhock 'Black Watchman' Thomas Jefferson grew these at Monticello estate.
Arugula Mediterranean
Lettuce Butterhead 'Buttercrunch'
Tomato Cherry 'Sugar Sweetie'
Sunflowers:
Goldburst (double)
Chianti
Ring of Fire
Floristan
Pro Cut Peach
Pro Cut Yellow Light
Pro Cut Bicolor
Stella Gold
Claret
Soraya
Lemon Sorbet
Aura Gold
Indian Blanket
Moonshadow
Lemon Eclair
Cherry Rose

First Radish Harvest!

I was so excited when I saw the pink shoulders of the radish bumping above the soil line.

I read that you should pluck them from the ground at this early stage, so they are sweet and mild.

So I did.

Aren't they pretty?

I had them for breakfast. I tried butter on one side, cream cheese on the other. With kosher salt everywhere. Butter won.

It is a joy to eat something so delicious you just pulled from your earth, and sit and stare and hear birds, and think on all the gems still growing in that little patch.

Little Things

Some updates on the little happenings in the garden.


This emerging African Lily. A new addition this Spring. I am told the flowers will be football sized.

First bud on our clove scented rose.

First bud on my David Austin beauty.

I love this sculpture. It is from my childhood home, and I have ideas to plant her with succulents that will overflow her bangs and under her chin.


Our new mini rose has put out a couple new blooms, a good sign.

The culinary Sage is just about to bloom, it will be the first time for this little guy that grew from seed.

Anticipating Peonies.

The Rush looks very dramatic in the morning sun.

The Native Salmon Berry is doing really well since joining us last fall.

Here is my fully 100% weed free pathway. Since not being able to walk all Winter and Spring, the weeds in my gardens have taken advantage. This is the first place I have "taken back" and boy do I have a ways to go.

Rhody Love

The Rhodadendrons are just about at their peak of bloom. Delicate pinks in the back yard, and hot pinks in the front yard.