Hi dear blogging friends! It has been over a week since I last posted-where does the time go?? For me it has been work, gardening and granddaughters. and of course getting ready for Spring Fling. :)

Our weather has cleared and we have had glorious warm sunny days that are finally drying out the ground enough to get a few plants in. I have managed to get some new plants-annuals and perennials planted, and have done a few containers. That's the good news. The bad is I still have several more to plant and of course lots of weeds to pull. I also need to put down a lot of mulch!

The Painted Daises are blooming. I love their hot pink color against the deep green of the ground cover vinca. Unfortunately, blogger or my Internet connection is not letting me add any more photos at this time so you will have to take my word for it.

My clematis unknownist is blooming! This year it has more than one bloom. I have babied this plant for 3 years now and it looks as though this may be the year it finally comes into it's own.

What would a post by me be without a super macro shot??

As I said above, I have been having a lot of trouble with either blogger or my Internet. I can't visit from my side bar and even when I go to one of your posts, I often can't leave a comment. But I am reading most of your posts and enjoying seeing your late spring gardens.

I first noticed this on Perennial Garden Lover's sight. So Racquel, if you are reading this....I have been reading your delightful posts. It may have something to do with my security settings-I am going to have my son-in-law check it out soon.

I have had bird photo envy for a long time. Actually ever since I started reading blogs. When I was deciding about a new camera, I had to chose between super macro and super zoom due to the budget. :) Really I have not been sorry that I went with the macro, but every once in a while... So you have to click to enlarge this and the next picture to really see them. The cat and I were walking the gardens the other evening when I heard lots of scolding. Looking up I saw this female cardinal first and then---

very close by the male cardinal. I have a feeling there is a nest in this tree and we were getting too close. Especially the cat. After a couple of quick pictures we left the area and let them get back to the business of nesting. ( The cat had to be physically persuaded to leave!)

Spring Fling is next weekend and I am sooo looking forward to meeting all the bloggers and seeing the gardens Chicago has to offer. It sounds as if we will be very busy. After we get home and I get all my photos downloaded, I want to get back to the business of blogging on a regular basis. Surely by then, life will be less complicated(famous last words). Until then...

Have a Wonderful Memorial Day and enjoy your gardens!

Mish Mash Monday!

Good Monday morning to all! I hope you are ready to start another week of gardening fun and of course maybe work. :) It was a beautiful weekend here with the sun shinning, little wind blowing and temps in the mid 60's. Perfect weather to be out side working in and enjoying the gardens.
* this post was written this am, so go with me here. :)




Monica of Garden Faerie's Musing did a post last Monday called Mish Mash Monday and I thought it such a great way to show the odds and ends of photos and to tell of this and that. I don't have too much of this and that and seem to have mostly pictures of coming attractions in my garden, but did want to share them with you. I would have had a few more...but sometime last evening blogger quit loading photos for me. I don't know if this is just my problem or if it is something new (else) with blogger. I suppose time will tell.




Remember my attempt at a rock garden last year? This is Rock Soapwort, Saponaria ocymoides. Covered with these tiny pink blooms, it is very attractive in amongst the rocks. Honestly, I was going to show a full picture of it. When I planted this last summer, it was already done blooming, so this has been a pleasant surprise to see the delicate blooms.

The wild violets are really coming into their own this past week. Who could not love these sweet little mounds of blooms. I do admit to pulling some new starts out here and there, but a few have placed themselves very strategically and add a spot of color to bare areas.

Can you guess what bloom this is?? Of course this is a super macro photo so you know their blooms are very tiny. Give up? It is the flower on my Bayberry bush. The underside of it's arching branches are just covered with these delicate little beauties.

I transplanted a couple of Heavenly Blue morning glories and Moon flowers into bigger containers. It is still a little early to plant them in the ground. Last week I put all my seedlings outside in a semi-protected place. They are getting morning sun and are doing very well.

The cone flowers are sending up shoots in all sorts of places. I will have plenty to share at Spring Fling! Aren't you getting excited about going? I have started my lists of things to take. If I don't make lists, it doesn't seem to get done. I am sure none of you have that problem though.

One of the iris I transplanted from my Mother-in-law's last summer has a bud already. Not sure what color this one will be. And when they bloom this year, I am going to see if I missed getting any colors. It was the middle of summer when I mentioned that I would like to transplant some of these from her yard, but thought I should wait until fall. Lisa commented she thought it would be fine to do it any time and I did-right in the heat! They all grew and I am so pleased. Thanks, Lisa for the great gardening tip!

The cornflowers have triplied in size from the starts I planted that were pass-alongs from my cousin. And now they are getting buds. I am so excited to have these great old fashioned flowers in my garden!

The artemesia is also budding. This was one of the mystery plants that I didn't remember planting and had no clue as to what it was. But thanks to several bloggers it was identified. I still don't remember planting it, but the cousin who gave me the cornflowers says it was from her, also.

And finally, I have buds in my daisies. These were the very dark pink ones that we finally decided were Painted Daisies last summer. The mound of them is getting quite large and I think I will try to divide it after they bloom. I love dividing plants...freebies to plant in the garden.

Hopefully, next post I will be able to upload photos once again. I want to show the 2 new roses we planted and the bluebells my neighbors gave me.

Until then, have a great garden week!

Pity Party and Bad Connections!

My dry spell between postings is partially self imposed and partially due to trouble with my Internet connection. I have been down for a while now with some family issues that I can't seem to resolve. I know that it will all work out eventually and have just been having a pity party for myself. Since Thursday last week, my Internet connection has been sporadic at best. Finally, I have been promised a visit from the technician tomorrow and I hope that will help.

The roof is progressing, even though rain and a holiday have caused some delay. There have been some pluses along the way. One is having our lightening rods taken down to facilitate the removal of the shingles. There are 3 of them and they were attached to the roof with copper cable run through the bottoms and down each side of the house. I have always liked the look of them on the roof and maybe they did protect us as we have never had lightning strike the house.
The glass ball sits on a pointed copper piece and that sits in a metal frame that is attached to the roof. The bottom of the cooper tube was then connected to copper cable.

Once down, I decided to use them in the gardens rather than put them back up.


The 2 with the glass balls still intact will be used as obelisks and will have clematis growing up them. The one without the ball I'm not sure about where it will end up. I do know they will all stay in the garden as part of the history that goes with the house.

The painted daisy is in full bloom and I am really enjoying the bright color.

These dark centered cloverleafs are a bulb of unknown name that came as a bonus with an order for plants earlier this spring. They were simply named 'exotic bulbs'. So I am watching them with anticipation.

The 'sum and substance' hosta that I received as a birthday gift from Rose a couple of years ago, is really starting to live up to it's name. We had seen one of these at a garden in the Chicago area and both fell in love with the huge leaves.

I have trimmed my lilacs-the taller one a lot. I know the 1/3 rule, but decided if I had to do without blooms next year, so be it. It was just getting away from me and the blooms were almost too high to enjoy this year.

I have embraced weeding about as much as I can stand and am going to mulch heavily to keep them at bay. Of course that will have to wait until the roof is done. As will the container planting. So still much to do in the gardens, but with things on hold for a few days yet, I will just enjoy what is there. Don't forget to enjoy your gardens in this busy season.

More Perennials!

Well the mystery has been solved. The plant below is one I asked about a while back. From the leaves it was thought to be a fern leaf tanzy. But after blooming, it was decided not to be. While plant browsing this week, I came upon one in bloom-the exact same color even. It is a Tanacetum, or 'painted daisy'. The color was not mentioned as they were mixed in the pot. So I have written it's name in my garden journal, crossing out the tanzy. This is one of those DIPT plants and even after finding out it's name have no recollection of buying or planting.


Rose and I got in one more plant shopping excursion this week with me supposedly only looking again. With the work on the roof still in progress, I was not ready to start planting any annuals.
But as Carol has said, if you see a plant that just reaches out and grabs you, you should go ahead and buy it. I saw two. This one is Artemisia schmidtiana, 'silver mound'.



This one Sedum rupestre, 'Angelina'. Isn't it beautiful now?! And in the fall it gets a reddish tint to the tips of the leaves.

Those I planted this afternoon along with a couple of pass-along plants from Rose. A yarrow, which she warned me would spread, and a ground cover which I have already forgotten the name of.

Do Cats like Yarrow?

While planting those, I happen to walk down by the 'climbing tree'. I have several hostas planted around the base. Evidently this past weekend was hard on a couple of them...I have a feeling this is where the girls came down out of the tree. Hopefully they will come back at least some. In the meantime, I guess the girls and I are going to have a talk about not stepping on plants-please!

As I mentioned earlier, the work on the roof continues. They have found a several places where water has damaged the plywood and are having to replace it. Also, they are replacing most of our soffits-more water damage. Hopefully, by this time next week all will be done and I can show the finished project. And get my containers planted!

I hope everyone has a great Memorial Day weekend. I wish you sun, fun, family and friends!