Dianthus

Bright Eye Dianthus

Scallops of creeping Phlox

Scallops of creeping Phlox on top of wall

The weather has been warm, windy and dry of late. So we need to keep weeding and watering. We have also put some of are flower gardens back into grass. Our health is demanding that we curtail some of our lovely gardens. So each year we will shrink the gardens until just the front contains flowers so close together that weeding won't hardly be necessary. The lower terrace on this retaining wall is almost like that now.

Rose of Sharon

Rose of Sharon

For the past several years we have been having trouble with Japanese Beetles attacking our Rose of Sharon bushes/trees. But this year we noticed that the worst of the damage is being done to this white variety. The purple flowered plants don't have near the activity from these veracious pests. And this year we have noticed that both varieties don't have this problem as bad as other years. We have been just going around and knocking off the bugs into a solution of sudsy water. Other years they have been so bad that we needed to put up beetle traps. But so far that has not been necessary this year.

Lillies

Petite Grapette

Lillies

Orchid Fancy

Lilies

Burgandy & Gold

Lillies

Peace

Lillies

Large Sunny yellow

Lilies

Happy Double Orange

Lilies

Elegant Orange

Lilies

Oro'gold

Diathus

Diathus

Stonecrop ground cover

Stonecrop ground cover

Spirea

Spirea

Pair of Daylilies

This lovely pair reminds me of the Peace Rose. The light pink outer petals gradually turn to a bright yellow inside. Daylilies are one of our favorite flowers. They are very easy to grow and come in numerous shapes, colors and sizes. We will feature some that we have growing in our gardens for the next few days.

Yucca

The yucca flowers don't last very long, only about two weeks if the weather cooperates. They always remind me of a bride adorned for a wedding. The plant itself looks like cacti and is not pleasant to work around. Sometimes weeds get a foot hold but it doesn't seem to mind being disturbed when you work out the weeds. It multiplies readily, so be sure to put it where it has plenty of room. Ours is migrating down a steep ditch and filling in very nicely. Our variety has the shorter stalks and stays upright in the wind. If you plant the taller type you may need to do some staking.

Ground cover Sedum

Kamschatka Stonecrop

This prolific plant makes a lovely overflowing fountain on our block wall at the end of our drive. There is a structural problem at that place so this plant is a beautiful camouflage. The bright yellow flowers are cheery in the spring and the foliage is an interesting contrast during the rest of the growing season.

Weigela

We have two types of Weigela and they are both very easy to grow. Both have verigated leaves, one with light pink flowers and the other with dark pink. Each of these shrubs have their own flowering time. We haven't attempted to propagate either yet, but we are thinking about it. As soon as we can find some space we will make an attempt.

Bouquet of Peonies

Bouquet of Peonies

Star Flower

These late spring bulb flowers we inherited from the previous owners of our property. The bulbs appear similar to crocus and they are easily spread by digging up and separating after the foliage dies. Just remember where you plant them because they don't last long.