A Stroll Through the Gardens

After a long week's worth of work in the gardens, I finally got the garden beds in order.  The other morning, I decided to stroll around the yard with my morning coffee and camera in hand.  I wanted to capture in pictures what all that hard work had produced.  Join me for a little garden tour.

We'll start on the deck.

This plaque, I purchased on clearance at Lowes last year, received a little makeover.  Welcoming everyone to our deck left it a bit dirty and faded - see below.  I almost didn't want to put it outside it turned out so well.  

Another welcoming plaque nestled in the flower bed by the deck steps.

And to greet you as you walk up the steps, Mister Bunny, who also received a makeover this Spring.  Last year he was grey, this year he's a new chocolate brown.

All the annuals are planted in their pots, planters and window boxes.  The veges have been planted, and seeds have been sowed.  The perennial and herb beds along with pond garden have been thoroughly weeded.   

Love this color Coleus.

The burgundy veins underneath pop against the chartreuse color leaves.

I finally got around to splitting one of my huge Hostas earlier in the spring.  Until I could find a place to replant the divisions, I put them in pots.  They started doing so well in the pots, I decided to use the potted hostas here and there for some foliage interested.  There's that shade of green again! I love it.

More Hosta under the table.  It needs it's shade.

I had to pair these two Coleus together.  When they get some size, I'm hoping the color combo will make a big statement.  

Another Coleus variety I really like.  Notice how I used a pot that mimicked it's colors?  ;o)  Can't wait for this one to get some size too.

All the plants are small now, but I'm patiently waiting for them to grow and flourish over the next few weeks.

This is the part of the garden season when I really love all my gardens/beds.  When all the plants are fresh and unruly.  Before the weeds take over, and before the some of the plants start waning from the summer heat. 

Another Hosta division.  She looks good there!

I've had this little guy for so long.  The base, his legs, have broken a few times, but I couldn't bear to throw him away.  He's been hanging around doing okay being all glued together!

Love this plant.  It's a perennial called Babtisia, or False Indigo.

Astibles ~ another early spring favorite.  I love them for thier spikey soft blooms and their foliage.

Oh, that pole there in the shot is a tiki torch.  

Bishops Sleeve, or Goutweed, is a nice groundcover plant.  It can be a little invasive, but it's easy to control by thinning.

That broken adirondack chair back is strategically hiding our heater vent.  

Waste nothing, right?!

The pond garden.  More Astilbe, Goatsbeard and Columbine.

A Water Hyacinth is getting ready to bloom.

And as soon as the sunlight shines on the pond, that beautiful bloom pops.

I use this plant, Lirope, a lot in the gardenings and landscaping.

This little guy was crouched down in the grass when I was wondering around by the pond.  He's so small and sweet.  I think he thought he was well hidden in the grass.  

There goes Mama bunny . . . or could it be Papa bunny?

These next few snaps are from the perennial garden.  

Lamb's Ear.  

Another plant I just love.

Not sure what happened here.  A couple years ago, I removed everything planted in this part of the perennial garden, enriched the soil and planted new Blackeyed Susans ~ Rudbeckia ~ and purple Lantana.  The first year all the plants did good.  They stayed small, but seemed happy in their new home.  The second year, the Lantana flourised.  It was growing like crazy, even spilling out into the gravel path.  This year, only a few snipets of the Lantana came back. I have no idea what happened.  The Blackeyed Susans seem to be doing okay.  Guess I'll be shopping at the nursery to find something new to fill the voids.

Hemeroacallis ~ Stella D'Oro Daylilies.

My whimsical little gnome swinging from the tree.  Every garden has to have a gnome, right?

The Herb Garden.

See that purple Clematis?  What a survivor that plant is.  You know how many times over the past, oh, say 10 years, Hubby has accidentally cut this vine down with the trimmer?  Too many to count!  Finally, it's starting to grow, and hopefully within a few years it will just about cover the iron fence that backs this garden.

The Lavender, below, will be in full bloom soon.

A favorite, Catmint, is blooming.

Another favorite herb, Germander, will be blooming soon.

Fragrent Thyme

Oregano

A beautiful Spirea bush I planted years ago has grown nicely in this spot by the shed.  And there's Hubby's not so pretty unmarked police car ruining my shot!

Around the corner is more Lamb's Ear, Guara and a Butterfly Plant.

Russian Sage

 

This garden chair was a "free take me" at a yard sale last year.  It helps to detract a bit from the huge green septic cleanout hatches and white septic vent.  Of course, all this has to be right by the deck steps.  So it's virtually the first thing you see when you enter our backyard.

Thanks for visiting my garden.  I hope I didn't totally overwhelm you with all the pics!  This year, I'll have to consider doing before and after post . . . one reminding of how nice the gardens look now, and how bad they sometimes get in later in the season! 

Linking this post to 

Ms. Greenthumb Jean's 

Bloomin' Tuesday

Thanks, Jean! :o)

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