Photography

I've said it before, but I'll say it again- I love herbs in the garden! Look at how beautiful this is!

This is just standard garden sage, as in the spice that you use for cooking. But when she blooms she really pops. And of course the bees love her, too.



This is Veronica Crater Lake Blue. She was a gift from a gardening friend and it's actually been a couple years since she bloomed.

I gave her a very short haircut early this spring and it seems to have sparked something here!



Lastly, just a quick shot of one of my Iris Picasso Moon. I bought her a year or two ago from a local nursery and she really pops in my front garden. The yellow looks especially pronounced this time of year against the fresh green foliage.

Thanks for indulging me!

I don't know about you, but there's something so nostalgic and happy about peonies in the garden. I know they bloom for such a short period of time, but they really are extremely long-lived plants and easy to care for (aside from a little spring staking).

When I noticed this peony blooming for the first time, I had to snap a couple photos. My parents' neighbor gave her to me and she's been growing in the garden for a couple years now with no blooms. But this year she sent up buds and I'm so happy that she's doing well.



I have her planted behind some Aquilegia Tower White which was a happy coincidence. I just kind of plopped them both in this spot a couple years ago. This is the first year they're blooming together!

Enjoy your weekend, thanks for stopping by.

Just sharing a few shots I took this morning on my way in to work. The sun was shining and I couldn't resist grabbing my camera!

This is one of my favourite daylilies- Hyperion. She's an early bloomer, prolific, and quite fragrant. She works well in part shade, too, which is one of the main reasons I love her!



And here's Aquilegia Black Barlow. I have three or four well-developed plants spaced throughout the garden and they provide a nice contrast and pop of color this time of year.

Thanks for stopping by- hope you had a nice weekend!

Nelly Moser has become one of my prized showstoppers, especially this time of the year. I've had her for about five years now, and she's really hit her stride.

She's about 5 feet tall (and would get taller if I had a trellis or teuter large enough to let her!) and always puts on a great show. I noticed the other morning that she started blooming and had to go out and snap a few photos.



This lupine actually self-seeded from my compost pile. I love happy little surprises like this! I've been composting for many years now and usually only get veggies sprouting in the garden as volunteers. But last year I noticed this lupine coming up near my pond.

I decided to let her grow and sure enough, this year she's blooming! I love the purple and white color. I grew the original plant from seeds shared from a friend in Nova Scotia.



I think most people forget how wonderfully decorative most herbs can be. These are just simple garlic chives, but the purple flowers really put on a show this time of year against the fresh green foliage.

Not only are these gorgeous to look at, but I love stepping out of my door and snipping herbs to add to my meals on the spot.



One last photo to share with you today. This is Superstition, a lovely little bearded iris. She's not very tall, but I think she makes up for it with this amazing deep purple color.

Thanks for indulging me!

I love walking out my door and seeing flowers right away. This Centaurea montana greets me as soon as I step down off of the deck.

I grew her from seed many years ago from a gardening friend and seeing her always brings back some great memories. I think the flower buds are just as interesting as the flowers themselves.



Dropmore Hybrid has been a real winner for me in the garden. She reseeds if you let her, but she's not hard to control. And I've found that she's more upright that other varieties I've tried.

From three tiny plants I started four years ago I have more than twice that number now. I'll probably be dividing her again this fall.



Lastly, something new for me this year is Purple Sensation allium. She's been blooming for a couple weeks now and has started to fade slightly.

But I already plan to add more to the garden- no staking needed and they add a great punch of color just when you need it!

My tulips are still going strong here. I mentioned last week how I seem to plant in color blocks. The front of my house starts with flushes of yellow- first the daffodils, then tulips. Then it pops with red before summer hits.

Here is Endless Spring Yellow with some of my daffodils mixed in.



I'm sorry to say I don't know what the name of this daffodil is, but she's hardy and a prolific bloomer. She's a very light yellow color.

You can even see one of my tulips in the background about ready to pop.



And this daffodil is Thalia. She's a wild variety, which means she's smaller, but was hybridized in the past for commercial garden use.

She's supposed to be fragrant, but I really didn't notice until I picked a couple stems and brought them into the house.