This morning I decided to bag some blossoms. I used bridal tulle circles to cover the blossoms. A bagged blossom. The clothespins are holding the "bags" together and their weight is supported by clipping them over the cages. I will remove the bags once I see tomatoes forming.
Fused tomato stems on my Lucky Cross tomato plant.
Copra and Red Zeppelin onions starting to bulb up.
Reliance Grapes
Blueray Blueberry
Newly expanded front garden. The entire middle portion was grass in the beginning of the season. Now it is filled with marigolds, dwarf sunflowers, lots of carrots, and other assorted annuals as fillers.
Scarlet Oklahoma Red Zinnia
Jacob Kline Monarda
Purple Coneflower

Blooms From Around the Garden and HAPPY EARTH DAY!

Above is my son's container. Right now he has Little Marvel peas growing on the trellis he made out of butterfly bush branches. There is also one strawberry plant and onion start hidden among the peas. Just yesterday (after this picture was taken) he added a bean plant that he started in school. Although it's still too early for beans here, I figure I can protect it pretty easily in this container.

The chives are opening. I was surprised to find that the flowers have a surprisingly pleasant, floral scent. I guess I expected them to smell oniony.

Below is the newly expanded bed. You can see the bricks that still mark where the old bed ended and the grass began. Keeping the grass trimmed between the sidewalk and old bed was must too much work. This is easier, and it gives me more room to plant!

HAPPY EARTH DAY EVERYONE!

Time for Change

We purchased our house a few years ago. I've always hated the front pachysandra bed along the sidewalk. As of this season it is officially gone! After pulling as many runners out by hand as possible, I finally had the chance to start planting. Once they fill in it will be a huge improvement. In my eyes it already is. :) I did place chunky, bark nugget mulch on the bed to also help prevent erosion while the plants are rooting out. This bed now has the following plants for more curb appeal:

Hostas: Guacamole, Patriot, Paul's Glory, Wide Brim, William Frances

Heuchera: Creme Brulee, Peach Melba, Can Can, Silvery Scrolls

Unnamed blue columbine

Stella de Oro daylilies

Impatiens (as filler to prevent soil erosion on this steep slope)

Two unknown azaleas, a pink and white one, are at the back of the bed.

I love green!

Everything is turning green. Flowers have begun to bloom. It's a beautiful time of year. Here are some pictures that I took today of the garden. Luckily the brush with a frost last night didn't cause any noticable damage. I did cover up most of my annuals and tomatoes last night with sheets, blankets, and towels though.

This first photo is of my 'Pink Champagne' clematis that I purchased at Lowes last year. It is the first clematis that I ever had bloom...I just bought my first ones last season. This year the three I bought are branching out nicely.

'Eskimo Pie' hosta. What a beautiful hosta. I've heard recently that it can be finicky. For it beingmy first hosta EVER, it's great! I just LOVE the coloring of this hosta. I ordered it from Jung Seed Company last year, and it appears to be thriving. I hear that it is quite a sight in its maturity. I hope to be lucky enough to see it for myself.

As for an update on my 'Lady Emma Hamilton' rose, it is branching out nicely. The new foliage is a beautiful shade of burgundy. There are no signs of pests or diseases on this rose. I am very happy with my first order from David Austin Roses so far.

This final picture is of a shade/part shade section of the front yard. In the back you can see a pink azalea in full bloom. The cultivar is unknown. It came with the house.

There are also many types of heuchera in this section. Five 'Hollywood' (left of the pink azalea, 'Lime Rickey', 'Plum Pudding', and 'Midnight Rose' heucheras. Last season I bought my first heucheras, and I'm hooked. They are leafing out beautifully and have delicate-looking blooms. The variations in the cultivars are astounding.

In front of the azaleas and to the left are three 'Razzmatazz' daylilies and the rest are 'Stella de Oro' daylilies. The Stellas have already put out a bloom and are getting ready for their big opening show in the next few weeks.

The taller plant in front of the azalea and to the right of the photo is a 'Black Adder' agastache. Toward the front, right (you can just see some of the foliage in the corner) is another agastache called 'Acapulco Salmon and Pink'. Both were new to me last season. This will be the first time I see the 'Acapulco Salmon and Pink' in bloom. I can't wait. If it looks anything like it does in pictures, it will be a real stunner.

Finally, that is an unknown bearded iris in the front of the photo. This iris came with the house as well. The white foliage below the iris are from some annual dusty miller plants.