Hopes and Blooms

Spring is running about 10 days ahead of schedule here in New England
Today was a lovely day, bright and warm so gardening took priority
So you get to see garden photos!
The Japonica has just begun to bloom


This is the very first garden I put in when we moved here 10 years ago.
I was very proud of my dry laid stone wall, time for some repairs a bit of it has begun to tumble


This is the only one of these tulips that has come back with a bloom, I suspect they require feeding .

This is the second garden I put in. It is really hard to get things to grow in it as it is nearly desert dry in the summer. Catmint and Phlox do pretty well here.


I finished putting the bird garden in two years ago. Last year I began the long process of establishing some of the larger plants. Looking a bit skimpy but I'm trying to avoid my most common mistake of cramming it full and losing plants


One of my flowering trees is actually flowering! I got these from the Arbor Day society, bare root stock, and a rough few first year or so but they seem to be coming into their own now.


This bed has a color focus of yellow/purple in the summer right now it is more green and orange.

Another view of it

Our property has a huge retaining wall of rocks in the back. Some of those suckers are 1/2 the size of a VW Bug. I added a border a few years ago and the plantings are starting to come along.
Its taken me awhile to figure out which plant can survive my neglect. I don't water or feed as much as I need to. Last year it was a huge disappointment, alot of deer damage early in the season followed by a very wet early summer left it looking very poorly. I'm hoping it will do a bit better this year.


Spirea is one of the plants that seem to do well in spite of me. I love the spring color.


I have a thing for bronze colored foliage. Not sure what this shrub is but its really pretty.


Brunneria is blooming, love that blue!


I love red leaves too, my Japanese maple is unfurling its leaves.


Hucherea more beautiful leaves. I figure I will be looking at leaves more than flowers so I tend to choose based on the colors and textures of the plants when they aren't in bloom.

This was a new purchase today called Blue Star Creeper its supposed to do well along walkways and between step stones... I put it into the bird garden with high hopes.


Mostly today I spent a great deal of time dividing up Creeping Phlox. I have some nice sized plants and it is just so extravagantly pretty at this time of year, I want more of it in the yard.
Tomorrow is supposed to be cool and rainy and tonight I will be out late as Lar has a gig that I plan to go to. It will be a good day to think about the background for this...