Mothers, Flowers and Seedlings
We celebrated my Mother this year on the patio with a small family gathering and Maddie Rose (the pup). My sister, Annette is a big Maddie fan. This is her photo. The geranium is for Mama. She loves bold flower colors.
The weather was perfect. We set up a shade tent with bunting and fabric drapes over the patio table. It worked so well that Ian and I will explore having a retractable awning installed.
A family of blue birds visited the feeder on Mother's Day. It's looks like a family outing at a restaurant. The parents pass the sunflower meats to the fledglings.
They visited again today.
The waning daytime moon on May 5th.
This year I added white Love in a Mist seeds to the garden. They appear to be as prolific as the blue variety. Next year I need to trim these back before they bloom. I think they are leggier than the ones in the front yard. If anyone wants seed, send me an email. I can mail them to you when the seed pods mature. I have thousands of them. They are annuals.
The original Love in a mist meadow style garden in the front yard. These receive more sun than the leggy plants in the backyard.
Eastern bumblebees and honey bees use the Love in a Mist.
Jack Frost brunerra is still wonderful even without the blue blossoms. There a just a few flowers left.
The "Christmas" ferns are still going strong.
Midnight Rose heuchera is a great choice to add some purple foliage to your garden palette. They even have a sprinkling of pink in the leaves.
My erstwhile neighbor Dorrys gifted us these lovely irises just before she moved to Charlotte. They took a couple of years for them to decide that they like their new home, but this year they are spectacular. We planted these next door at the top of a bank which receives mainly western sun. We are enjoying the show from our backyard. Thank you Dorrys!
This year Ian has planted carrots, dill, cilantro and kale in his new raised cedar planter. We thought this might be the answer to nibbling rabbits. Last year they ate his morning glory seedlings and one of our dahlias which didn't survive. We have learned our lesson. This Spring the dahlias have been surrounded with some chicken wire until they get larger. I have to say that I am impressed with Ian's tidy garden. Check out those rows with labels. :)
He did throw caution to the wind in this instance. These are his morning glory seedlings. Ian issues a curb alert to the neighborhood each year for blue morning glory and moonflower seedlings once they are larger. It has become a bit of a neighborhood tradition. As you can see the wild onions like this location.
This is hidden behind our frontyard foundation plantings.
Just a few feet to the right we have golden rod and baptisia. We purchased the baptisia from the Durham's Central Park Farmer's Market about three years ago. An Eastern bumble bee was feeding on the blossoms as I took this photo, but he was too fast for me. A photo from Julie in Ft. Wayne inspired me to buy this plant.
Julie's photo- Antrim County, MI
We are expecting a cool spell later this week. Highs will be in the sixties. While I prefer warmer weather in May, it will be great for the new garden additions that we planted today: Veronica bonariensis, Eye Spy heucherella, Southern Charm verbascum, veronica Waterperry and a decorative clover, trifolium rubens. We've had a light rainfall this afternoon which will give them a good start.
Happy growing season!