This spring is a little bittersweet. We are so happy and excited to be building our new home and yet we still love our current home where we have shared many wonderful times. One of the things I'll really miss about this home are my gardens.
Our current home sits in the middle of our property. We have a large field in the front and woods in the back. We have landscaping at the front of the house with shrubs and flowering bushes
but my flower beds are mainly in the backyard.
I've spent 25 years pushing the woods back and, through trial, error and lots of work, have gardens that make me smile.
Wildflowers, like this wild vinca, coneflowers, may apples and monarda grow with hostas, forsythia, iris, clematis and hydrangea.
Last year I planted a new bed near the vegetable garden. It had irises, alliums and cardinal flowers.
The iris and allium bloom early and they were very showy this year!
These are what my mother used to call 'Old Fashion Iris.' I'm sure they have another name but since these are from her, that's the name I use. They are smaller than the new hybrids but are quite hardy. I've planted some of these in my holding bed at my mother-in-law's house when I separated them last year.
Mom also gave me a start from her white iris bed. These are quite large.
I have two different colors of Dutch Iris. This bright yellow is in the middle of the lily bed and blooms now. Those day lilies will bloom a bit later.
This was just after a shower last week.
My favorite one of these two is the purple. It's in one of my peony beds. I'm not sure how it wound up there but isn't it striking?
My mother really loved her peonies but was somewhat disappointed she had them growing on the north side of her house because no one could see them from the street. When they bloomed, she'd find a reason for her 'company' to walk around the house (or look out the north windows) to show them off. Mother was a fabulous gardener and could grown anything! She wasn't a proud woman but she did truly enjoy sharing the results of her gardening with others.
I have my peonies along the wood's edge of our yard.
Mom had dark red (or that's what she called them) blooms like this
and pale pink.
I have added several two-tone blooms.
This one had a visitor.
I've enjoyed watching this family of robins grow up this spring on our back deck. Their parents were determined to build their nest in a pot I've been growing a snowball bush.
(A friend gave me two of these busehes last year for our new house.
They are both about to bloom now!)
It doesn't take but a few weeks
and they've grown.
This was taken the day before they left the nest.
Thanks for strolling through my gardens today. It may take me several years but I hope to have beautiful new flower beds at our new house.
Until that happens, I'll be enjoying many of your gardens in blogland.
I'll give you a quick house update. This week, the roofing shingles, windows and doors were added. And just in time, as rain is in the forecast (on and off) for the next week! The electrician is working today and tomorrow. The plumber has completed his tasks for now. If we don't get much rain, the concrete flat work could begin by the end of the week.
Here are a few pictures including our front door.
I'm beginning to think about new flower bed possibilities already!
Zenda
Linking to these great parties:
Tuesdays With A Twist
