Oh Those Hot Summer Flowers!

Look outside
It's a gorgeous day,
I think all the children
Should go out and play.

The sun is shining
It's so hot outside,
The metal monkey bars are burning
And so is the enormous slide.

From that stroll we just went on
I'm exhausted, I must go rest,
For those very tired feet of mine
I am sure that will be the best.

Now that the day is over the children still ask,
"Can we play with just one more toy?",
"Tomorrow is another day", I tell them
"Another day to enjoy."

Rose Parade

It was a little budding rose,
Round like a fairy globe,
And shyly did its leaves unclose
Hid in their mossy robe,
But sweet was the slight and spicy smell
It breathed from its heart invisible.

The rose is blasted, withered, blighted,
Its root has felt a worm,
And like a heart beloved and slighted,
Failed, faded, shrunk its form.
Bud of beauty, bonnie flower,
I stole thee from thy natal bower.

I was the worm that withered thee,
Thy tears of dew all fell for me;
Leaf and stalk and rose are gone,
Exile earth they died upon.
Yes, that last breath of balmy scent
With alien breezes sadly blent!

O my Luve's like a red, red rose
That's newly sprung in June;
O my Luve's like the melodie
That's sweetly played in tune.

As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,
So deep in luve am I;
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a' the seas gang dry:

Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi' the sun;
I will luve thee still, my dear,
While the sands o' life shall run.

And fare thee weel, my only Luve,
And fare thee weel awhile!
And I will come again, my Luve,
Tho' it ware ten thousand mile.

Where have I been?

The "tulips" on the tulip tree

I have been busy with some unexpected family issues and haven't had time to even upload many pictures, although I have been taking some. The garden is growing and here I have a few pictures to share of some containers on my barn porch, a close up of a geranium and the two clematis in full bloom.

I have also, as many gardeners have been, busy IN the garden and not blogging about it. Seeds to sow, flowers to plant, annuals to pot, veggies to grow, and the never endind weeding to do.

Oh, and I almost forgot, mystery solved! Below is what bloomed when I was wondering what it was back in my April post . And Creative Country Mom was correct in her comments to me, it is a columbine.

Baby Birds in May

"The world's favorite season is the spring.
All things seem possible in May."
- Edwin Way Teale

Above is a wreath I have above my garage door. A robin decided to make a home in it.

Baby peaking out for momma. I saw the mother bird chasing off one of the neighbor cats. The cat wouldn't be able to get to the nest even if she tried.


Tulip Tree

Pretty inside the flower on the tulip tree
Container plants in this pot I have Proven Winners 'Superbells Blue' and 'Colorblaze Sedona'






And here we have scrappy relaxing in the grass on a warm day in May.

May Days

"The country ever has a lagging Spring,
Waiting for May to call its violets forth,
And June its roses--showers and sunshine bring,
Slowly, the deepening verdure o'er the earth;
To put their foliage out, the woods are slack,
And one by one the singing-birds come back.

Within the city's bounds the time of flowers
Comes earlier. Let a mild and sunny day,
Such as full often, for a few bright hours,
Breathes through the sky of March the airs of May,
Shine on our roofs and chase the wintry gloom--
And lo! our borders glow with sudden bloom."
- William Cullen Bryant, Spring in Town, 1850

Stubborn Planting Bed or Is It?

When one of my plants dies, I die a little inside, too. ~Linda Solegato

First bud this year on David Austins Abraham Derby

Only the second year of David Austins Crocus Rose

The above two roses have been successful in my garden, both planted last year and thriving better than I had ever imagined. However, I have a problem in another area.......... or do I?

It seems everything I plant in a small strip of shade against the north side of my house dies. My azalea died after surviving two years. Last year my hosta didn't come up, but this year it is, though it's tiny and only just now peeping out of the ground. The ghost fern thrives here, a few geraniums and the climbing hydrangea planted last year are growing well, so that's a plus. So I decided to fill in the gaps with Ferns.
The above picture is one of three that I planted, Osmunda 'Purpurascens', Purple Royal Fern is similar to Royal Fern, but emerging fronds and stems are reddish purple. Fronds gradually mature to bright green by summer, while stems remain purple. It tolerates more sun than most ferns. Athyruim niponicum 'Pictum' - Japanese Painted Fern and Matteuccia struthiopteris - Ostrich Fern are the other two additions. So I will keep an eye on these three and post some pictures when they burst in growth, as I know they will.......going to stay positive.