Pretty combination.  Double Knockout rose, Maynight Salvia, daylily, and heuchera.

 A surprise volunteer.  I haven't grown coreopsis in two years.  I used to grow Tequila Sunrise.  A lovely dwarf variety with variegated foliage.  It only survived about 3 years.  Two years later...surprise.  What a fun plant to pop up in the crack between the house and sidewalk.

 My dwarf Alberta spruce has had issues since I planted it last summer.  Lots of browning along the bottom and huge sections died off.  Since we had such a severe drought last season, I figured that I must not have been supplementing it enough with moisture.  Turns out, mites are most likely the continuing problem.  Check out all the webbing.  Ugh.

 Guacamole hosta shaded with pink and white azaleas.

 My Golden Delicious apple tree had some funky leaves.  I peeked inside to find lots of ants and aphids.  Yum.

 After unrolling the leaf, here's what was inside.  Where are the ladybugs when you need them?

 Felix Crousse peony with my new birdhouse in the far back (left side).  We just put the birdhouse up today.  I can't wait to see if we get some curious renters.

 Fat N Sassy peppers are loving the heat today.  The Kennebec potatoes are doing well in their containers.  I will have to fill them up the rest of the way with soil now that they are tall enough.

 Reliance grapes are starting to form.

 The entire vine.  Now I only hope I can keep the birds away from them this season.  They ate EVERY grape OVERNIGHT last season.  EVERY GRAPE!

 Ville de Lyon clematis gracing the porch.

 Navaho blackberries are blooming their hearts out.

 Raspberries are already in bloom!

Double Knockout Rose.

Right now it is pouring AGAIN. While there was a bit of a break this morning, I ran out to see what was in bloom. This is what I saw. Alexander Fleming peony. It is supposed to be fragrant, but I guess the wet weather is interfering with that.
Felix Crousse
Felix Crousse up close
William Baffin climbing roses starting to open up.
Golden Zest rose. Lemon-scented! Although not with all the rain.
Jacob Kline monarda. Just added last fall. Initially there were 3 plants but one died. The two remaining are really taking off. I can see how these would get a bit pushy in the garden.
"Climbing" the wall on a trellis is Brite Eyes rose. To the left of it is a Double Knockout rose.
Brite Eyes up close.
Maynight Salvia with a Navaho blackberry flower that just opened.
The rain isn't all bad. Everything is getting pretty lush.

Spring Has Sprung!

Things are starting to show signs of life again. Here is a Heritage raspberry plant that was added last season. Off to the right is a Caroline raspberry added last fall that I ordered from Stark Bros. So far those are still dormant...I hope.I planted peas back on the 6th of March. They are finally starting to come up. I was really worried about these. Especially after seeing my resident mockingbird eating away at the peas on one very cold, frosty morning.
Below is my Frances Williams hosta. The first hosta to emerge this season.
Chives that I left out in this pot, unprotected, all winter. They didn't miss a beat.
My biggest disappointment. I really wanted this one to work out. :( I ordered this Black and Blue salvia last season. It got off to a slow start and then took off. It was absolutely gorgeous. The hummingbirds and bumble bees loved it too. I have a bad feeling about its survival. We're right on the border of hardiness. Although it was well mulched......
Hyacinths are in full bloom right now.
A Golden Acre cabbage that I planted last fall. I planted it too late and it didn't have time to produce a head. It survived unprotected in one of my raised beds...along with two others. I have doubts that it will produce a head of cabbage, but I wouldn't mind some free seed for next season from it.
German Extra Hardy and Musik garlic that was planted in mid-October. It is off to a great start. Very strong and healthy.
I just planted my onion plants from Dixondale Farms. Red Zeppelin and Copra again this season. They stored well into January...when I ran out. This time I ordered a full bunch of each. The only downside about growing onions is that the squirrels like to pull them out, so I have to replant quite a few of them each season. They tug them out. I put them back in.
Karl Rosenfeld peony coming up.
My Alberta Spruce appears happy. It is just starting to put on some new growth. That's a good sign.
One of my absolute favorite spring bulbs. My Tete-a-Tete daffodils. The cutest miniature flowers I have ever seen.

Hail. Hail. Grass Be Gone!

Boy has it been a cold spring. Temperatures should average in the 50s with 30s at night. Not so here. It's about 10 degrees below normal around here lately. And what is that? Snow? Nope. We had ourselves a nice thunderstorm that produced pea-sized hail this past week.
Despite temperatures in the 30s yesterday, I found myself outside digging and tearing out the grass out front. Now there is no need for my hubby to line trim around the edge or "fancy" mow around the new bird bath. :) I'm sore today, but it's so much fun while I'm working in the garden. It took about two hours, but I was able to save and replant the bulbs that were growing up through the grass. Lots of crocuses, tiny tulips, and a hyacinth or two.
.
The best part....Now I have just the spot for my new Mrs. F. D. Roosevelt peony that I ordered! I also ordered an American Revolution, Bright Sunset, and Eenie Allegro daylily that will grace this new section. The border will consist of Citrus Mix marigolds that my children are growing and carrots....for their foliage. Hoping the carrots will serves as host plants for the black swallowtails again this season. Any carrots that endure the constant foliage-munching are just a bonus.

What's Blooming in the Garden?

POST NUMBER 2 FOR THE DAY
Graham Thomas rose (tea scent...only medium-strength fragrance in my garden) hiding amongst May Night salvia.

Felix Crousse peony. Just added a few weeks ago from Jake's Greenhouse. Lightly scented. Blooms can fill up your hand. Stems need support to hold large blossoms upright.
Magnifica coral honeysuckle purchased from Michigan Bulb. Unscented. Planted to lure in some hummingbirds! I'm waiting patiently.

Rosy Returns daylilies (two plants) in front, May Night salvia (three plants) in bloom, and one Little Joe Joe Pye Weed in back.

Asiatic Lily (cultivar unknown)

Garden Pictures

Below is my backyard. It is on a very steep slope. This area used to be covered by a very large, diseased bush. That was removed when we moved in. Now this is my perennial and vegetable garden.
On the far left, drooped over by blossoms, is my Bristol Ruby weigela. There is a Pink Knockout rose in bloom to the right of the weigela.
On the far right is my Knockout rose and Pink Delight butterfly bush.
In the bad middle are two climbing roses, William Baffin. The thorns are vicious, but it's just starting to bloom. It will reach its peak very soon. It's very large arching canes work very well at filling in the empty air space below the blue spruces. The spruces won't allow anything to grow in that middle sections due to the canopy created by it's branches. The soil is bone dry. Baffin helps to fill in that area.
Although you can't tell from the picture, there are two large open areas. One on the back left (behind the Walker's Low nepeta) and in front of my Blue Hill salvia on the right. On the left I will be planting a hybrid, bush pumpkin with compact vines, Spirit. On the right I will be planting one Verde tomatillo and one Black Beauty zucchini.

These are my five square foot beds. From front to back I plan on using them for the following:

Bed #1 (front bed): Right now there is Jericho and Little Gem romaine and Bloomsdale Long Standing spinach. Soon it will be the bed used for my Serendipity sweet corn.

Beds #2-4 (the middle three) will hold my tomato plants. One plant in each corner and one in the middle. That's 5 tomatoes per bed.

Bed #5 (last bed) currently holds my garlic that was planted last fall in six squares (16 cloves per square). Another square holds a Fort Laraumie strawberry plant, and one will be for my celery (4 per square foot).

Normally I wouldn't say that thorns are pretty, but the thorns on my Golden Zest rose that I planted last season are quite breathtaking. Who knew?

These are my onions from Dixondale Farms. The long day storage sampler. They are all doing beautifully. I think my first time growing onions from starts is going to turn out very well. The black plastic is just leftover weed barrier that I didn't fully get around to pulling up yet.

:)

Little Marvel peas. These are the peas that my son planted in his large container. They are performing better than any of the other three varieties planted around the garden. I wouldn't exactly call these peas little though. The vines are already over two feet tall. They are very vigorous and blooming heavily. It's great that my son is having such good garden success his first time around!

Lady Emma Hamilton rose by David Austin. These flowers really pop in the garden. They look like little bursts of flame. They have a strong citrus fragrance. I can't wait to bring some of these indoors. As you can see in the picture, the aphid infestation that has subsided left behind some damage to a few of the leaves.

Immaculee peony. I purchased this peony on clearance at the grocery store last season. It has a light-moderate spicy fragrance. It isn't fully open yet, but I wanted to get a picture in case the thunderstorms knock it down tomorrow.

I call this picture 'Wishful Thinking'. It is one of my five new hummingbird feeders (for a total of six). Every year I only have a couple of sightings. I'm determined to see more! Not only have I purchased the feeders, but I planted some Jacob Cline monarda and red impatiens. I've also have Flare salvia and Empress of India nasturtium ready to plant once the weather stabilizes a bit more. They seem to like my Royal Red butterfly bush in past seasons. My Magnifica coral honeysuckle is blooming heavily right now, but I haven't had a sighting yet. That doesn't mean much though since it is on the side of the house that doesn't get paid much attention.