around the yard

I took photos of plants, just because they made me glad. The soft blue-green lamb's ears in front of green gladiola foliage

Deeper blue-green hostas- though I should have kicked off the sprinkling of dead leaves first.

Blue and purple salvias behind the lilac- again thinking of digging up and moving these, to clear around the skirts of the lilac. And just let the ajuga fill in. Maybe next year.

My peonies grew up quick- and already full of fat buds! To the right of it there, just out of picture- can see the mountain laurel is budding up too. I think moving that one was a success. 

I'm surprised at this plant- 'peach screamer' nicotiana. I thought wouldn't survive the winter, but would self-seed enough to keep a patch going year to year. I don't see any seedlings. They all grew back.

Plants are growing up to shroud the maple tree stump. The hostas don't show any damage from increased sun yet, though a lot of the yellow salvia have scorched leaves. Well, if they suffer a lot I will move them to more shaded areas next season, and let the turtleheads spread here.

Pink columbine!

Slope behind the large oak and the hellebores is full now- the monarda and echinacea crowd.

I'm liking how things turned out with the mayapples. They come up while the oakleaf hydrangea is still naked, and by the time the mayapples have hit their prime, oakleaf hydrangea is well-leafed out and fills in. When the mayapples fade I won't even notice because I'll be admiring the hydrangea instead.

Finally my rhododendrons are big enough to notice and actually look pretty! I would really like to put a fourth one in, where that pale narrower trunk is on the upper left. It's a small pine tree growing under the maple- overshadowed and rather scrawny anyway. In the foreground is the bayberry, which I thought was looking unkempt and sickly, but it has a sudden flush of new leaves now. 

Another I thought was doing badly- my 'limelight' coleus. I moved them too abruptly into their potted places, and they got leaf burn. 

The new emerging leaves look okay though, so I think they will adjust.

I know it wasn't cold damage because other coleus nearby that have been out overnight on the same schedule but in a more completely shaded spot, are fine.