I was out walking in the garden yesterday, and I encountered a very pleasant surprise.  My Autumn Joy sedum was covered in honeybees.  I've never seen so many honeybees in one spot with the exception of being near a hive.   Yeah for happy bees!

My roses from Chamblee Roses arrived today.  What great roses they are!  The second I peeled the tape off the box, the fragrance jumped out at me.  Pure heaven.  They have blooms.  The packaging was impeccable.  They appear very healthy.  I would highly recommend Chamblee!

 I love this combination.  Double Knockout roses with Maynight salvia.

 My new favorite rose.  Abraham Darby!  The fragrance is delicious.  Plus it's strong enough to smell by just walking by.  The blooms are packed with petals once fully open (only partially open in this picture). 

LOVE THIS! I HIGHLY recommend these to clean your hummingbird feeder ports.  I purchased 25 "Economy Disposable Black Mascara Wand Brushes".  I have used pipe cleaners in the past, but wow....  I used these for the first time this morning and I'M IN LOVE!  The feeders look like new.  I found them on eBay for only $3.50 which included shipping!

Is anyone else making diagrams and plant/seed wish lists yet? With temperatures in the teens the last couple mornings, I've been daydreaming a lot about my garden. Luckily it's seed catalog time! They are tempting pieces of eye candy. Actually more than tempting. Downright convincing. After deciding that my garden is greatly lacking in one of the most important elements, fragrance, I starting flipping through them.
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I have decided to add the following fragrant annuals:
1. Old Fashioned Vining Petunia - Evening fragrance.
2. Sweet Alyssum - I think I have a packet of Carpet of Snow that I never used. Nice for edging and filler around other plants.
3. Nicotiana sylvestris - Fragrant in the evening. Large! Planting near porch to enjoy the fragrance at night. Hoping to entice some beautiful moths as well!
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There are so many plants to choose from. It was almost impossible to finally decide on just these three. My perennials, veggies, fruits, and shrubs take up most of my gardens, but I do have certain areas I try to keep open for annuals. I think these three fragrant annuals will help to fill out those areas quite nicely. I've never grown these before, so experimenting with them will be a lot of fun.