Four Kinds of Irises

Four kinds of irises are blooming in this picture. Three are purple varieties but not the same size or shade.

These white ones are with the purple.

This iris is blooming in another bed all by itself.

All my irises came to me from either my mother-in-law or friends. I have yet to make a purchase of an iris. The ones I got from the former were labeled but I mixed up the labels so that's why there are now three purples in close proximity. One day - not this spring- I will mark them when they bloom and separate them better. A job for retirement.

For Get Me Nots

A friend gave me this plant last year. I know it will spread but I really like the blue flowers in the spring time.

First Harvest

I planted Melody Spinach too thickly so yesterday I thinned them and decided we would eat the thinings in a salad with cucumbers, green onions, and tomatoes. I dressed it with Blue Cheese dressing.

New blooms

The first iris has bloomed. Its a miniature version that my mother - in - law gave me when we moved to this house. I had had some when we lived in Columbia outside the back door by a wooden fence. Over time they stopped blooming there but I did manage to move some to other spots in the yard so we could still enjoy them.




I've been hearing a lot about Knockout Roses so I did some investigating and decided to try one. Purchase it yesterday and planted it outside Dan's study. My first attempt at digging the hole hit the footer for the stone wall. I then went out to the end of the stone wall and hit the drain field for the wall. I returned to my first position and came out from the wall more and managed to get a nice hole. I planted the rose in compost from my compost bin. I hope it likes it there.

Daffodils

All the daffodils we planted have bloomed though they took their turns coming out. One thing I noticed for all of them is that they faced the same way - south. So the ones we have along the edge of the glen face away from the house. How strange to be looking at the backs of all these flowers. And is it the sun's orientation that decides which way they face? A conundrum.
These are the ones that bloomed first. Our bedroom window looks out on them but again we only see the backs of the blooms.

What's Growing?

Ferns are showing themselves above and the jack in a pulpit looks like it survived the transplant.

Here are the raised beds with the covers.

Peas are growing as is the spinach.
Transplants from Emily in the lower left corner are holding their own.

Here's the pond that I mulched around last Saturday. We've had lots of rain so it's full.

New Faces in the Garden

On our trip to Vermont last week we walked through a statuary lot. I've been looking for some statues to add to the garden but didn't know what I wanted. There was a little boy reading a book and some other children and I had my theme. What we didn't have with us was money since we were on a walk. We said we'd come back the next day. We didn't. It was pouring rain that day, and on reconsidering realized we didn't need to bring back heavy concrete statues that we could find at home.

I searched the internet and yellow pages for similar businesses here in Maryland and couldn't find a one. On a whim I stopped in at Home Goods in Columbia and found they had an assortment of statues though not concrete. These are made of resin so I hope they last.

Here they are:


I also purchased this tower and a clematis to climb it. I hope the plant likes the spot.

Now all I need is for things to grow to see how it all works out.

Promised Photos

I spent most of the afternoon pulling up grass and planting these Stone Crop Blue Spruce Sedum. I moved the ajuga that had been there to the bed outside of Dan's study. I hope it grows better there.

We planted daffodils in four spots last fall. One spot was on the edge of the glen. In years to come this will be quite a display in spring time. For now its only single blooms with the promise of more in the future.

You know its spring when the bleeding heart is up.

I don't know the name of this wildflower that someone gave me last year after they had bloomed.

Garlic is doing super. I need to plant red onions now. They'll go in a perennial bed since the deer won't bother them.

Here's another spot we planted daffodils. I can see these outside my bedroom window except the flowers face away from the house.

What's happening in the garden?

The garlic is up and very green.

Daffodils are blooming where we planted bulbs last fall.

Spinach and peas have sprouted in the new raised beds.

Hostas are poking through the earth and will need to be sprayed so they don't become deer food.

5 yards of mulch to be delivered next week and will need to be spread.

Lavender and Russian sage needs to be pruned .

Onion sets to be planted as well as other cold weather crops.

Sitting here doesn't get it done so I best be going to do it.

I'll take some pictures today too!