spring flowers!

tulips (a few days ago)

and now-

spring beauty 

bleeding hearts emerging 

Camellia!

For the longest time I didn't know what this flower was coming up through my spiderwort, 

but I found out this week that it's Virginia bluebell!

There's grape hyacinths in the backyard scattered here and there

and violets everywhere.

Soon I will also have lily of the valley,

Lungwort:

Lots of hellebores this year:

and that's enough pictures for now

more things growing

Peas are coming up!

and turnips. 

The only thing that hasn't grow yet now is my carrots.

But lovage is resprouting

and my purplish hellebores look nicer than ever

in other areas-

Because even though the plants in back parts of the yard, where we have an easement so I'm reluctant to plant anything large or permanent- mostly shallow-rooted things that spread easy and if they have to get dug up by work crew someday for the storm drain pipes, well at least they're easily replaced. The pictures look pretty much the same year after year, but still I take note and try to put in new things, spread around the ones that are doing well, etc. Such as the 'chocolate' joe pye weed. This is the parent plant. There's well a dozen younger ones scattered around the easement now. I dug and moved a few to better locations. And cut off all the flowers, because much as I admire it, I don't need more 'chocolate' joe pye babies right now.

Still somewhat disappointed that my inkberry, bayberry, persimmon, and three of the redbuds, are dead and gone. This one hellebore in the rear perennial bed still looks yellowed. Either it's always sick, or there's soemthing off in the soil in that one spot. I'm going to dig it out and throw away. Let some of the babies grow in, see if they also turn yellow . . .

While all the regular hostas got eaten up completely by the deer (except the blue one in the corner by the garden, and the two buried in the perennial beds), and the sensitive ferns died back from the heat, I still have my stinkin' hellebore babies! In their second year now, not much bigger.

This one was smaller than the other two, I had planted it under the holly by the lady ferns (which also disappeared in the heat)- maybe it was too shaded so grew slower. I moved it closer to the front of that area, when transplanted the younger beautyberry into that spot.

Found quite a few of this plant along edges of the lawn down near the row of liriope. I thought it was strawberry begonia at first- and surprised if that plant had done well enough to produce and scatter itself, since I hardly notice it behind the joe pye 'chocolate' (plus don't they propagate by runners, not seed?)

So I went and cleared away leaf litter and stiltgrass in the area where the stawberry begonia is. Still there. Much smaller leaves than I recall, but seem to be more individual plants. No, it's not the same plant. I think the one pictured above is that weed I favor, that often has a blue-green look and then grows taller later in the season . . . 

today

I did an hour or two of work outside. My goal was just to clear out all the creeping jenny I could- I remember well when I was pleased how that had taken and spread! but now realize with dismay it's considered invasive in my area, and it did grow far more quickly than I expected. No way I could keep this clear of the back fence to prevent it going into the neighbor's yard and further. There was an area several feet square and it took me a while but I think I got most of it out, digging down with my fingers to extract all the root clumps and thin runners possible. I know I didn't get it all, and it will probably grow back in numerous places, but if I keep an eye out for those pale coin leaves and pull anything that recovers, I hope to get rid of it. 

While I was back there I yanked out a ton of japanese stilt grass, and weeded around the entire path of stepping stones. Found to my disappointment that the sweet woodruff is now growing in only three places between the stones, I'm pretty sure I had it around five or more stones before, I don't know why some of it didn't come back. The patch of purple lysimachia in that area is doing great, however, and the coneflowers are spreading. I don't mind them spreading sideways towards the oakleaf hydrangeas, but I pulled out quite a few that were encroaching forwards among the hellebores. 

Here's a plant I didn't really expect would survive winter in the ground, but it did: canna lily. Not sure if it will bloom for me, though. Something's been taking bites out of it (probably the deer ate that tip).

I'm glad they haven't touched my new bigger rhododendron

My two young spicebush have really grown! I hope to remove their wire protective cages, have read that deer don't really like to eat the leaves but not sure if I trust that. They've eaten other plants in my yard that were supposed to be "deer resistant".

I think my older oakleaf hydrangea will be large enough this fall to remove its protective cage- and then move that to be around the smaller one, which is getting crowded. This photo is actually from last fall- it's twice the height now!

The deer don't eat my sensitive fern clumps, but some bug or pathogen makes them look all raggedy brown and wilted partway through summer. Maybe it's just the heat. Some of mine are recovering now and growing back fresh foliage.

All the hostas are eaten to nothing below the larger sideyard, while the small group of blue ones near the garden are only half-chomped. I should have been out there more often scattering soap shavings, or buy some spray I've read is a very good repellent. (What we really need is the fence)

At least my baby stinkin' hellebores are untouched. Maybe I will just phase out hostas and grow things the deer don't like (sigh). Neighbors have said they jumped six and seven-foot fences to eat things they never had before, this year. 

Checked the milkweeds because I thought I saw bug holes- but it's not from milkweed caterpillars. Some other bug feeding on them a bit. Where are the monarchs? Come to think of it, I haven't seen any swallowtail caterpillars on the rue or lovage this year, either. 

But I did see the hummingbird again today! I was kneeling on the path behind the rear perennial bed, by the camellia, when I heard a faint buzzing hum, just louder than an insect. Looked up and there it was, hovering close over the echinacea, I even heard it give a little squeaky chirp before it darted up to perch on a twig of the oak. I almost felt like the tiny bird was checking up on what I was doing- ha. Looked it up- apparently they do feed on echinacea flowers, though I've never witnessed that. I always just see bees and butterflies at the coneflowers.

days of grey

and drizzle, perfect for planting out the new stuff. I got all of them in the ground except the new england aster, and the solidago rugosa (below) which I gave away, as I realized it's in the goldenrod family and makes sprays of yellow flowers. Just not my favorite flower color.

Near the top of the second sideyard hill, where I'm trying to establish groups of flowering plants, I put the little brown-eyed susan on the side, uphill from the new daylilies.

Further downslope, the Liatris spicata.

Opposide side of those, flanking the gladiola bed, some obdient plants. I put a few near the garden in the backyard, too. Some of these not sure if I've spaced them out enough . . . 

Here's the top of that sideyard hill. I'm very pleased with the clary sage, it really stands out when nothing else is really blooming yet. That's older daylilies to the left of the pink clary, and turtlehead filling in between and behind. In front of them are the lyreleaf sage (shorter plants) and a bunch of volunteer violets. I also put in two or three coreopsis, but the foliage is so fine, can't hardly see them.

Here's a closeup of other coreopsis I planted on the first sideyard, near the steps.

In the back near the camellia, I put the late thoroughwort, or boneset.

These are the lady ferns, in where took out the small-leaved holly.

While doing all this, I found a small baby stinkin' hellebore on the second sideyard! It's probably too sunny for it there now, so I dug it up and moved to grow behind the lady ferns above. 

Also dug some sensitive ferns where they were encroaching on the walking space. Yanked out grass that always grows tall in this gap between the basketball hoop and the little patio, that I always have to cut by hand. Put them there. I think ferns will look nicer.

There's more pics and things to say, but another time.

dug up

Again, just an hour's work before I get too tired. I trimmed the euonymus near the garden. Was hesitant to do so a week ago because I thought a bird was preparing to nest there- we saw a pair of finches on the deck (I think house finch or purple finch? the male had rosy color on its back and head) the male held a bunch of dried grass or stems in its beak and was quivering wings at the female (brown and black-streaked) and they were twittering very fast. My husband said "those birds are sure excited". I thought we were seeing courtship behavior, and had seen birds going in and out of the shrub. But they're not there now. (Lots of robins about, and a few cardinals. A pair of mourning doves taking up residence nearby again, and I've seen the wren going to and fro the woodpile. But no catbirds yet). 

Well, realized I shouldn't be so pleased about the euonymus seedlings I grew into decent little shrubs (here's a better photo of those two in the back)

I found out they're considered invasive in my state. I should have guessed, anything that came up so easy to propagate. I promptly went out and dug up the smaller one on the other end of the property line. Dug an offshoot from my forsythia (it's the first opportunity I've had for that) and moved into its place. Probably too hot a day to do so, but this plant is tough. Doesn't look like much in this picture (that's a mayapple next to it) but it's already twice the height of the euonymus I took out. I know forsythia is an aggressive grower too, but I feel I know how to control this one (my older plant is still clear two feet to the neighbor's fence, and I intend to keep it that way with pruning every season).

Moved another, much smaller plant. Embarrassed I can't think of its name right now. Growing in the corner of my garden bed 7 is the parent plant-

and I dug and moved this baby one that came up nearby under the deck in the gravel. When it flowers I'll probably have a better idea.

Also dug today some plants that self-seeded out of the rear perennial bed, coming up around the walkway. Black-eyed susans, baby hellebores and in the back there a few yellow salvia from behind the panicle hydrangea

and a couple echinacea. Planning to take them to the plant swap next week!

tidied up the liriope today

Half the row on the lower slope, had mostly healthy-looking older leaves, not much new growth yet though. I felt safe putting those trimmings in the compost. The plants on the upper section (where the ground is higher and flat) on the other hand, looked pretty awful- lots of dried, dead foliage, lots of rust. But when I cut that back (and threw away), there was nice new foliage coming up!

I got a better photo of that ostrich fern fiddlehead, by putting my finger next to it so the camera knew where to focus.

I'm really liking the look of the younger St john's wort plant. Maybe I should cut the older one back hard, to have a flush of new smaller leaves like this.

I cleaned up around the hellebores some more. Meaning, I put my hands between the slightly larger leaves of second and third-year seedlings, and yanked first-year ones out by the handful. There's just too many. Now room for the slightly older ones to grow without competition, then I can move them to new locations out from under the parents' skirts, or perhaps take to the plant swap. The young plants are in foreground here.