Ditch Gardens and Deck Decorations

Nasturtiums grown from seed decorate our sunny deck.

Don't ya just love Sunday mornings? As opposed to Monday mornings when you feel obligated to attack that lengthy list of must-do's vs. wanna do's.

Sit a spell. (See close-ups below of the climbing vines.)

I cheerfully wasted the whole of a Sunday puttering about the gardens, pulling weeds, and saying thank you over and over again.

The 'thank you' part is a little bit of a blessing and way more of a curse...

Clematis climbing vines smile at you from one corner of the deck's privacy screen.

This WAS a cute little country cottage when I first bought it. But, I've gained tons of new neighbors in the last 8 years. So many that I live 'in town' again. New Town, as they call it. My quiet little old ranch road has evolved into a busy thoroughfare. And, a popular bicycle path.

At least 100 honeysuckle blossoms pretty up the other half of the privacy screen.

Now I have an audience while I'm working in the garden. (Which I'm not too thrilled about. Especially when I'm out there in my pajamas.)

I do love the fact that they're so appreciative of my efforts. Calling out: Beautiful flowers! So pretty! as they peddle by.

This used to be the weedy ditch in front of my house.

That's because I gave 'em something to take their mind off the fact that they're peddling uphill. I have the prettiest ditch on the old ranch road!

Over the last 2 years, I slowly, methodically, killed off the crabgrass and dandelions covering the steep ditch in front of my house. Then I filled it with tough as nails waterwise perennials that happily wave in the breeze.

Butterflies play there. Bees are a buzzin'. Teeny green Hummingbirds whiz past my head. It's quickly become my favorite spot in the garden. Even if I do feel compelled to comb my hair before I head out there and say hello to passers by...

PS: Welcome back from the Seattle Fling, garden blogging buddies! I pouted all weekend because I couldn't join you...

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day ~ July, 2011

My most favorite summertime chore is deadheading flowers in the cool of the evening.

After dinner, a garden stroll, wielding my trusty scissors... I lop the heads off all the spent blossoms, encouraging them to smile at me all over again.

Around this joint, Columbines rule the roost. 

I just love how they cross-pollinate to deliver fun, new colors each summer.

Do you deadhead your Columbines? I've found the blue ones, in particular, will flower all summer long, if I keep torturing them with the scissors.

Bumble on the Catmint May Night Salvia (Good catch, Kim! :-)

We're receiving more rain this year than ever before. Flowers are jumping for joy. The garden is abuzz with hummingbirds, bees and butterflies.

Wild Roses

Mom's wild roses pouted for several years after transplanting. With these ideal gardening conditions, they finally agreed to put down roots and embrace their new surroundings.

Mom's Legendary Day Lilies

Truth be told I'm not a fan of Day Lilies. (Lazy one day bloomers... :) But, I guess there's a legacy aspect to gardening. The Lilies, along with the wild roses and peonies, are transplants from my Mother's garden. Her Peonies are older than me.

Salvia and Yarrow

I prefer a wilder look ~ so it feels as if you're strolling through a meadow untouched by gardener's hands. (And, we all know that meadows are filled with weeds so I can pretend like I planned it that way!)

Maltese Cross

I'm doubly nuts for hot, hot colors like this Maltese Cross.

Wine Cups

But, I guess that's the beauty of gardening, isn't it?

How every yard is a reflection of who we are and ~ through our choices ~ a lovely story to tell.

Pay a visit to Carol of May Dreams Gardens ~ creator of Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. From her website, you can stroll through an astonishing number of brightly blooming blogs.

Wordless Wednesdays: It's a Jungle Out Here!

Primrose and Jupiter's Beard

Clematis

John Cabot Roses

Perky Sue with Spirea

Valerian and Catmint

For more Wordless Wednesday participants click here!

The Impulse Garden (as in impulse purchase: one of everything I simply had to buy.)

Wordless Wednesdays: The Summer Garden

Rose Campion + Geraniums

Columbine

Bellflowers

Peonies + Salvia

Evening Primrose

Poppies + Wild Roses + Catmint

The Columbine Garden

 At long last! :)

It's beginning to feel like 'summer' in the mountains!

For more Wordless Wednesday participants click here.

I Give You An M

Here's a fun meme I hope you'll participate in...

I was given the letter ‘M’
Something I like: Moonlight + the sweet scent of Magnolias
Something I love: Miss Megan, Most Marvelous Mare
Something I hate: Malicious Magpies, waking me in the Mornings.
Something bad: Maps Make Me Miserable. Can’t read ‘em. Don’t even wanna try.

If you leave a comment, I’ll give you a different letter so you can join in the fun.

Summer Celebration

Sensation Lilacs

Tomorrow summer officially begins. 

Do you suppose my Lilacs have their eyes on the calendar, too?

President Grevy Lilacs

 One day before the official start of summer, my Harbingers of Spring are finally blooming. And if that seems super late, dig this: I still have tulips flowering.
 

Long Live the Lupines!

But, so are a number of other little lovelies. Like these too cute for words Lupines, who continue to redefine themselves. This year, showing off some polka dots.

Stunning Lilies, transplanted from the indoor garden and, so far, coping well with our chilly nights.

Dame's Rocket

Wild Dame's Rocket ~ which has drifted into my neighbor's yard. He crabs at me constantly, hiring people to remove it. I guess these pretty purples are messing with his monochromatic Kentucky Blue Grass world.

Alyssum and Allium

Ah, summertime. It's such a relief to see the gardens filling up with color. To know that most of my favorites survived. Winter kill wreaked less havoc than I originally thought: RIP one Pear Tree and ALL of the Knopfia. :((

Progressing past the complaint stage, mostly just curious, I'm kind of enjoying this crushed together season, where Lupines and Tulips are gettin' bizzy at the same darn time.

Mountain Lilac Legacy
When properly selected, Lilacs regularly outlive the gardener who plants them. And, they love, love, love the mountains.

Beauty of Moscow Lilac

Popular at 8,000 feet altitude
- Syringa x persica 'Persian' Lilac

Popular at 9,000 feet altitude
- Syringa x prestoniae 'Donald Wyman' Lilac
- Syringa patula 'Miss Kim' Lilac

Popular at 10,000 feet altitude  

- Syringa x chinensis 'Chinese' Lilac

- Syringa vulgaris 'Common Purple' Lilac

Tinkerbelle Lilacs

- Syringa vulgaris alba 'Common White' Lilac
- S x prestoniae 'James MacFarlane' Lilac
- Syringa meyeri 'Korean Dwarf' Lilac
- Syringa x prestoniae 'Royalty' Lilac

Popular at 12,000 feet altitude
- Skiing and snowboarding on the 4th of July

Fancy Flowering Fruits

Apple Trees

 I'm learning a lot about the resiliency of plants during this odd, rainy springtime.  Perennials are struggling, fruit trees are ecstatic.

Flowering Almonds

Lilacs are simply confused. And, way behind the curve. With any luck, I'll be showing off plentiful Lilac blossoms on the 4th of July. 

Finally. First Lilac. (Pay no attention to those Dandelions.)

But, it is finally starting to feel like summer. Everything is lush and lovely though I feel completely out of sync with the rest of the gardening world.

During a normal season, I'd be bragging up peonies and roses right about now. Not coaxing lazy little Lilacs to get with the program.

Pears

The weeds, of course, are the most delighted members of my little gardening community.

Two weeks ago, I fractured my ribs in a freak accident. It's difficult to bend down or pull at the Bermuda Grass.

The day of my accident... I hobbled up the walkway... and I swear! I heard a happy cheer from those pesky Dandelions who knew they'd be getting a free pass this summer.

Plums

There’s never a time to rest. I notice this when I’m sore. If I sit down I instantly see something that requires me to get up and move again.

I'm taking it slow, gobbling Advil, waiting for life to get back to normal. If not that, at least some painless days in a flower-filled garden.

Crabby Appletons

I've not been very good at visiting blogs lately and for that I apologize. Seems there just aren't enough hours in the day.

Mostly I'm just giving you the silent treatment 'cause your roses are blooming and mine are not. :)

Wordless Wednesdays: Wasatch Wildflowers

Locals: Have you hit the trails? What are you waiting for??

Our plentiful rains have inspired an amazing celebration on the lower elevation hiking paths in the Wasatch Mountains, Utah. 

Find these pretties along the Strawberry Narrows.

For more Wordless Wednesday participants, click here!

Pretty in Pink

 Stargazer Lilies are lovin' some sunshine.

 There’s this old saying, “make hay while the sun shines,” but what’s an impatient gardener to do when it’s been raining cats and dogs? Every day! For 6 long weeks?

Getting Lilies (top photo) & Tulips to bloom at the same time is oh-so-easy!

Plant Lilies indoors, in the depths of winter. Quick cure for cabin fever. :)

During the soggy month of May, I took an opposite approach to that old saying, by starting a full-on veggie garden, by seed, in my sunny window.

With those little darlings screaming for more wiggle room, I devoted the whole, blissful weekend to happily transplanting enough vegetables to feed an army, come harvest.

Drifts of Wild Phlox carpet the pasture area of our property.

That is.. IF they survive. Given our bee-zarre weather patterns, it might too early to throw my precious little seedlings to the wolves.

Mother Nature, no doubt, has one more trick up her sleeve. But, I couldn’t wait a moment longer.

I not only want it to be summer. I need it to be summer! It’s just downright nutty that I should have my furnace running in June!

Last summer's Hot Cha Cha Geraniums are still growing strong. 

They flowered, indoors, all winter. (Thanks, Amy!)

So, let's say a prayer. Light a candle. And, cross our fingers that this glorious weather will hold.

* Veggie seedlings don't make the most interesting pictures so here's some of the pink pretties gracing the garden today. This is what I squished into the raised beds:

• Golden Beets
• Chioggia Beets
• Romanesque Cauliflower
• Walla Walla Sweet Onions
• Radicchio Rosso
• Sadie’s Horse Beans
• Pinto Beans
• Luca and Fariolo Italian Beans
• Scarlet Nantes and Parisian Carrots