billeyler | 7am garden walk through (Reply)

Looking out the kitchen window as I was making coffee, I always get a smile seeing this 3 year old smoke tree with the sun gleaming through the spray of 'smoke'. I missed the prime time for the sun, but did catch this bit.

The bird feeder is high up in this area that used to be a dog run years ago. The honeysuckle has mostly rejuvenated. I caught a tiny bit of Spanish Broom (yellow) in bloom, which is massive in front of the house and this side. A bit of the little cactus garden is showing, too. The yard is fragrant with the gentle aroma of all the Hall's Honeysuckle I have around.

Danny first noticed that the iceberg rose flowers are very pink tinged this year. Normally, they are pure white. Don't know if it was the wild winter we had, or something in the soil now.

About 10 years ago, I loaded up a little planting area with a wildflower mix. I still have lots of volunteers around, like this bachelor's button.

I didn't realize how eclectic the garden is. Here is a mix of roses, rosemary, valerian, sage, agave, and the purple flowering plant I can never remember the name of (it's not foxglove).

The Early Girl tomatoes I grew from seeds indoors didn't make it when I transplanted them. None of them--I figure they were too young and it was too windy out. Several days ago, I ran over to Walmart and picked up 8 50-cent tomato starts and planted them instead. Being so cheap, they are a generic tomato with no name on them. Just "tomato". They'll probably grow quite happily, being of such low origin.

In spite of a good bit of die-back, the Spanish Broom was glorious again. It's a bit past its peak today. Below is another sage I bought two weeks ago to replace the old cotoneaster that croaked. If you don't know Spanish Broom, the flowers compete with the Russian Olive as being the most highly perfumed possible.

Two years ago, Turtle-Bear gave me a bit of Red Hot Poker (aka Torch Lily) to try. I had it in the area by the garage, but it never bloomed. I had to move it again, since the new fencing was going right where it was. I transplanted it in the spot by the front door where an old Forsythia died and the cinquefoil I tried last year didn't make it. Surprise, surprise! It's still a small plant, but it has shot out a small bloom! This should be fun!