Day By Day

Not Much Blooming

2026-10-07T18:55:52.376-04:00

Deer Resting in My Backyard

After two weeks of gray, cloudy weather and rain, we finally saw the sun yesterday. The deer did not mind resting in the wet grass. When the sun returned yesterday, so did the cool fall weather. It was 45 degrees here yesterday morning and this morning. We turned the heat on.

Salvia

My three salvia plants are still blooming, but are getting scraggily. The deer chomped on all the liriope plants so their flowers are gone.

Russian Sage

The Russian Sage bushes are the only other plants in bloom, but are winding down.

Deck Flowers

When the sun came out yesterday I took a photo of the mums and pansies I planted two weeks ago. It was the first time I had seen them in the sun. I have been watching my Yuletide Camellias that were so badly damaged in the so called "snowcrete" we had last winter. They seem to have buds, so I think they will be okay. We'll see how they bloom in the November-December time frame.

25 Years?

2026-09-11T18:47:10.009-04:00

Twin Towers New York

Has it been 25 years since America was attacked on September 11, 2001? It doesn't seem that long ago to me. 2,753 people died in New York as a result of the attack.

Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia

At that time I lived near the Pentagon where three of our neighbors died. That attack, so close to where I lived, stayed with me for a long time. 189 people died at the Pentagon.

Shanksville, Pennsylvania

This is a photo from the National Parks Service website of the field of impact of the fourth plane that was brought down by the passengers so that it would not destroy another building. The park service website calls this "a common field one day, a field of honor forever." In the far distance on the right you can barely see a speck. That speck is a huge boulder that marks the point of impact of the plane. 40 people died at Shanksville.

A Rose for remembrance

There were special and solemn remembrances at all three memorials today marking the 25th anniversary of the attack. Everyone that helped that day was remembered including first responders like EMTs, firefighters, doctors, nurses, ordinary citizens and our Canadian friends who allowed our planes to land there and took care of the passengers. As the petals of the rose unfold in stages, it mirrors how our memories surface little by little.

A Hint of Fall

2026-08-26T17:28:33.829-04:00

Weeping Cherry Trees

Although it is still August, the weeping cherry trees in the yard are always the first trees whose leaves turn color. We have had cooler weather these past two weeks. Also, because the the strong El Nino in the Pacific, it may be the cause of so many cloudy days and downpours this month.

Russian Sage

The only plants that are doing well this summer are the Russian Sage bushes. All the rest of the blooms on the perennials are sparse.

Marigolds

Some of the annuals in pots on my deck are doing well like these marigolds.

Dwarf Peppers

I always put dwarf peppers in one of my deck pots. I like their shape and brightness.

Pink Calibrachoa

This pot of pink calibrachoa was full of blooms, but now seems to be winding down. I have a few more pots of calibrachoa on the deck and the heavy downpours we have been having several days a week have beaten the blooms down, and as soon as they try to recover, they are hit with another downpour.

Resting Deer

I was out in the back yard a few days ago taking photos of the Russian Sage bushes, when I looked up and saw a resting deer watching me. They occasionally rest in the yard, sometimes two or three of them at a time.

August Already!

2026-08-01T19:33:21.721-04:00

Heliopsis

Although it's August now, you wouldn't know it by looking at my flower gardens. This heliopsis, or false sunflower, is just now coming into bloom. In normal year the heliopsis plants would be in full bloom by the first of July. Many plants are behind normal bloom time.

Monarda

I have three monarda, or bee balm, plants that just now come into bloom when normally they start in June. Since it has been somewhat dry here, they have escaped having powdery mildew this year.

Japanese Anemones

These are one of the few that plants are blooming right on time this year. I think the brutal, prolonged winter and the late freeze in spring altered a lot of the plants blooming schedules. Also, it has been so gray here day after day with little rain in June and July which probably pushed back bloom time .

Crepe Myrtle tree

The crepe myrtle tree next to our deck is blooming away. It lost all of it's leaves that turned brown and died after the late spring frost. It grew all new leaves and is now blossoming undeterred.

A Week at the Beach

2026-07-24T18:28:21.750-04:00

Sunset on Kiawah Island

Every summer our family spends a week at the beach on Kiawah Island, South Carolina. It is uncrowded with all natural vegetation. There are no high rise hotels. Just some homes you can rent. Here are a few photos I took of the Island.

Storm Clouds

Three afternoons while we were there, storm clouds suddenly headed for the beach. We had to scramble to pack up and get off the beach. It was time for a late lunch anyway.

Bocce Ball

Because there are no crowds, there are several activities that people do on the beach, like bocce ball, kite flying, volley ball, bike riding, jogging, or just walking and looking for shells.

High Tide

Everyone keeps track of the tides here for the best time to be on the beach for the activities they want to do.

Bike Path

There are several bike paths that traverse the 10 mile long island. Many people bike to get to different parts of the island they want to visit. When my children were younger, they rode all over the island on bikes.

A Sparse May

2026-06-13T14:33:09.886-04:00

Yellow Rose

This is one of two miniature rose bushes brought at the grocery store a couple of years ago that I planted in the yard. The deer don't usually come by this area, but this year right after this first bloom, they ate it and all the buds on both bushes.

Pink Astilbe

Not many pink astilbe plants made it through one of our coldest winters this year. The white astilbe plants never showed up. We had cold weather in the 30's at night right up until the first of June. I could not believe we had to turn the heat on some nights the last week of May.

Salvia

The salvia bloomed right on time in May.

Red Hot Poker

One of three Red Hot Poker plants have bloomed. The other two don't look like they are going to bloom. Many trees and plants are finally recovering from the late frost that turned their leaves brown. The crape myrtle tree has grown all new green leaves as well as the three sycamore trees, the camellias, the cotoneaster plants. Although the cotoneaster plants had no flowers this spring.

A Seesaw Spring

2026-05-19T18:59:55.542-04:00

Catmint

There are several catmint plants in the front yard that have just started to bloom. The weather has been up and down here all month. Unseasonably cool the first 17 days of May. We had a night in the high 30's last week and a day where it did not get out of the 50's. And now we are finally enjoying some heat for three days in the 90's. And then back down in the 50's in two days.

Spirea bush

Several pink spirea bushes are just staring to bloom. Many plants are late because of the cool, cloudy weather the first three weeks of May. The freeze that killed the crape myrtle tree leaves are just now starting to recover. Leaves on three large sycamore trees that were killed in the freeze are now recovering also.

Peony

This is one of three red peony bushes that finally had flowers. There is one yellow peony bush that was severely damaged in the freeze that is just recovering and has no blossoms yet. So many plants were damaged: the cotoneaster ground cover, the privet bushes, the yuletide camellias. We'll see how they turn out.

Blueberries

The highbush blueberry bushes have a few berries coming.

Samaritan Jo clematis

This clematis vine is behind schedule, and just opened three flowers but has several buds.

Dogwood

Three dogwood trees in the yard are finally in bloom. Many plants are damaged or late. Usually by this time in May the temps average 75 to 85, but not this year. I am longing for warm, sunny summer days.

A Freeze!

2026-05-03T18:45:00.000-04:00

Crape Myrtle

After the burst of warm weather in April, we had a freeze April 22nd that damaged this crape myrtle tree that sits next to our deck. All the leaves curled up and turned brown. This photo was taken three days after the freeze.

Pansies

There are four pots of pansies on the deck railing that the freeze did not bother.

Pansies

Another pot of yellow pansies on the deck. This is one of the three pots that I put in the garage in January and left there until March, when I put them back on the deck. And they bloomed again.

Perennial Bachelor buttons

There are several perennial bachelor button plants that the deer never bother, but this year they ate all the flowers but these two.

Pink Peony bush

There are five peony bushes in the back yard. This is the first one to bloom. The rest of the peony bushes are yellow and red.

Purple Iris

A neighbor gave me this iris plant years ago. There are two other iris plants that are different, but they are just starting to bloom.

It has been so cloudy and unseasonably cool the last week and a half. We have been stuck in the 40's at night and 50's during the day. This week we are supposed to have three days of warmer weather. Then cooler than normal until the third week of May. We usually have temps in the 70"s and low 80's in May.

Warm!

2026-04-18T23:40:00.000-04:00

Daffodils

We have had three days of warm weather in the 80's and 90's! We have had to dig out the summer clothes and turn on the air conditioning. You can hear so much birdsong now when you are outside. There are three areas in the yard where there are late blooming white daffodils. This photo was taken

April 3rd and now they are done blooming.

Brunnera

The brunnera plants are blooming, but they don't seem to have as many blooms and are not quite as a bright blue as last year.

Violets

One of the many purple violets that bloom throughout the pachysandra on the side yard . They appeared just after the dandelions.

Grape Hyacinths

Grape hyacinths are growing around this tree trunk and in a side garden near the front of the house.

Clematis vine

I have a clematis called Samaritan Jo that has white blooms. I see some flower buds on it and it should be blooming soon.

Viburnum bush

There is a viburnum bush, sometimes called the snowball bush, in the back yard that has beautiful white blooms. It doesn't have a lot of blooms, probably because we don't prune it until fall (instead of right after it blooms) because birds always build a nest in it in spring.

Now after this recent hot spell we are supposed to get a possible freeze one night this week. I hope it doesn't bother the plants. I have planted pansies in my deck railing pots. They will handle the freeze, but I have held off getting petunias for my large deck pots because of this possible freeze.

Finally Spring

2026-03-24T15:39:00.000-04:00

March 11 snowfall

My daffodils had just bloomed three days ago when we got a light snowfall. We had just had three wonderfully sunny days with temps in the 70's

The Next Day

Melting started immediately with temps hovering around 33 degrees, and the next morning the daffodils started recovering.

Daffodils fully recovered

It took a few days, but all the daffodils were finally standing up straight. This photo was taken on March 21st, 10 days after the snowfall. And you can see the catmint plants emerging behind the daffodils.

Cherry Trees

There are four cherry trees on the side yard that just burst into bloom around the same time. All the cherry trees in the neighborhood are blooming also.

Pear trees

At the same time the two pear trees in the back yard put out their blossoms. It seemed everything bloomed right before the March 20th equinox. We have had the coldest winter in years here as have a lot of other areas. It has been so gray all winter, so it's wonderful to feel the warmth of the sun and see all the plants come to life.

A Promise of Spring

2026-03-05T17:12:00.000-05:00

Fourth Snowfall

After we had some melting, we had two more snowfalls. But now it is meteorological spring, and weather forecasts promise days in the 70's starting in two days. It has been so gray here for so long, I can't wait for some warmth and sun.

Promise of Spring

Daffodils are finally peeking through the ground after the fifth snowfall. This area doesn't get a lot of sun. This pile of ice-covered snow that is still lingering in March (!) is from the snow storm that occurred January 24th that crippled the east coast.

Daffodils Emerging

We had one warm day with sun last weekend, so I tried to uncover all the bulbs in the yard that were trying to grow through the fall plants that I left as groundcover for the winter.

Hellebore plant

I finally got out in the backyard when all the snow was gone last weekend to look under the large trees, and it looks like all the hellebore plants were just starting to bloom. I'll have to clear away all the dead leaves so that their beauty can be seen. They can last till June.

Finally Some Melting

2026-02-15T18:16:00.000-05:00

Winter Kill

After 11 days of below freezing temps with zero or below windchills, we have had 6 days of barely above freezing temps. The last two days have been sunny and warm in the 40's. Melting has started! This photo of my Yuletide camellias shows the damage that the weather has done. This spot gets sun all afternoon, so the ground is visible here, unlike most of the rest of the yard and neighborhood. We could finally get our back door open yesterday after the ice and snow piled up against it melted.

Amaryllis

I have several flowers indoors to keep me happy. One of my sons gave me this amaryllis for Christmas. This is the second time it has bloomed with four flowers. It looks like more green stems may produce more blooms.

Amaryllis

This amaryllis was given to me for Christmas by another son. It just bloomed this week. It has four blooms with seven more coming. The plant is two feet tall with lots of leaves, so I put it in a chair by a kitchen window so it could get some light. You can see the snow in our back yard behind it.

Amaryllis

This is an amaryllis from last year that I kept. It is still alive, but I doubt it will bloom again.

Valentine flowers

This is a mixed bouquet of flowers my husband gave me for Valentines day. It hints of coming spring and brightens up the kitchen.

Valentine flowers

I bought this pot of flowers the week before Valentines day at the grocery store and put it on the kitchen table. Happy Valentines Day to all.

Third Snowfall

2026-01-27T18:08:00.000-05:00

Snowstorm named Fern

As almost half of the country was experiencing this major snowstorm, we got our share. This photo was taken as the snow was falling. We were supposed to get 6 to 8 inches. What we got was about 5 inches and then over 8 hours of sleet! We ended up with about 4 inches of sleet on top of the snow. So we had about 9 inches total precipitation. We only had a brief period of freezing rain after that.

The Day After the Storm

We were thankful that we did not get very much freezing rain that so much of the country did. So there were no power outages in our immediate area. But with the bitter cold temperatures that will continue for 11 days, not much melting will take place. The four inches of sleet we had has hardened into solid ice, and my husband had to take an axe to clear some of it. Schools have been closed for three days now, but we finally got three days of newspapers delivered today after our neighborhood finally got plowed and sanded.

Amaryllis

A bright spot in the house is a pot of amaryllis one of my sons gave me for a Christmas gift. It has three buds so far, and I am looking forward to the flowers. To escape the weather with single digits and below zero windchills every morning, we are taking a long-planned vacation this coming weekend to Florida. Hopefully we will get out of here, as we are facing another winter storm this weekend!

Christmas Lights

The only other bright spot around amidst the dark winter days are the Christmas lights on the deck that we have not taken down yet. We can see them out of our kitchen and family room windows, and they do bring some cheer as we wait for more light-filled days and the promise of spring. Around mid February we will take them down.

Happy Holidays

2025-12-24T13:58:00.000-05:00

Christmas eve has finally arrived. The tree is trimmed, the gifts are wrapped. After a second light snowfall and bitter temps in the teens, we are have been experiencing a warm up for the last two days with temps in the 40's.

Poinsettia

Since there is nothing in bloom outside, except my pansies and cabbages on my deck, I do have a large store bought poinsettia inside.

Poinsettia

There is a small poinsettia from the grocery on my kitchen table with tumbling Santa figurines around it.

Peanuts Snow Globe

We have a couple of holiday snow globes around the house. A favorite is the Snoopy and Woodstock snow globe. It lights up, has snow swirling around inside, and plays several holiday tunes.

Snowman snow globe

Another favorite snow globe also light up, has snow swirling around snowmen, cardinals and a rabbit.

Glass Snowman

This glass snowman sitting in a pile of shredded paper snow is one of our oldest ornaments (at least 25 years old). It graces a table by the front door.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOODNIGHT! HAVE A GREAT NEW YEAR!

A Cold Start To December

2025-12-13T14:24:00.000-05:00

First Snowfall

Many of the northern and northeast states had their first snowfall the first week of December. We barely got brushed by the storm here in northern Virginia. This photo was taken December 4th. We usually don't get snow here until near the end of December.

Pansies

We have had below normal temps since the first of December. This photo is one of the pots of pansies on my deck. The snow did not bother the pansies, but the bitter cold, sometimes in the teens at night, makes them somewhat droopy.

Ornamental Cabbage

I have pots of ornamental cabbages and kale on the deck that will last until near the end of February. I like to have something blooming year round on my deck because I can see the pots from my kitchen and family room.

Yuletide Camellias

The only thing blooming in the yard are the Yuletide camellias. But they have taken a hit from the cold and are looking bedraggled. There are some buds that haven't opened. We are supposed to get a couple of warm days in the 50's at the end of this week, so maybe they will open. In the meantime we are getting snow again tonight, but only a couple of inches.

A Spectacular Fall

2025-11-08T19:51:00.000-05:00

We are having a beautiful fall season here in northern Virginia. We have had cool, crisp mornings. Since we have had very little rain for the last three months, we are in a drought, but that has given us wonderfully dry, sunny days. I was afraid that the drought would cause all the autumn leaves to turn brown before starting to fall, but we have had brilliant color on most of the trees.

Yuletide Camellias

There are three Yuletide camellia bushes in the yard and they just started blooming this week. They are about three weeks early.

Clematis Samaritan Jo

I don't know what this clematis is doing. It died off in the early fall as it has done for the last three years. But all of a sudden it is growing green leaves again.

Ornamental Peppers

Not much blooming in the yard anymore, but the plants in my deck pots are still doing fine.

Dwarf Zinnias

These dwarf zinnias are slowly fading. We have only been down to 34 degrees here at night, but we may get a killing frost this upcoming week. Then I'll replace these pots with pansies.

Fall is Here

2025-10-19T23:14:00.000-04:00

Goldenrod Fireworks

The weather has been so dry here, that we are in a drought again. We had so little rain in August that many of the leaves on the trees turned brown and fell. Ditto for September. Same thing is happening in October. But we have had many sunny days which I am enjoying. A lot of the gardens have dried up, and there is so little blooming. The goldenrod above bloomed right on time.

Abelia Rose Creek

There are three Abelia bushed in the back yard that bloomed the same time as the goldenrod.

Japanese Anemone

This is the last blossom left on the three Japanese anemone plants.

Russian Sage

The several Russian sage bushes have mostly stopped blooming.

Marigolds

The one bright spot in the yard are these marigolds that my husband planted from an old seed packet that he found in the garage. It is getting gold here in the mornings. We have had a couple of days in the low 30's. We turned the heat on. Most of the days will be in the low 60's now, although we had a couple of days where the temps never got out of the 50's.

Vacationing at Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks

2025-09-30T18:53:00.000-04:00

Entrance Sign

In August we take a week's driving vacation, and most of the time it is visiting a state we have never been to, or a national park. We visited Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks many years ago, and loved them so much we decided to go back for a visit.

Bison Herd

We have seen more wildlife at Yellowstone than at any other national park we have visited. Herds of bison and elk can be seen in many of the open meadow areas of the park. You can also see black and grizzly bears, moose, pronghorn, wolves, big horn sheep and mule deer.

Old Faithful Geyser

There are many geysers in the park, but the most famous is Old Faithful, called that because it has a fairly regular daily eruption schedule. The eruption can last for 5 minutes and can expel 8,400 gallons of boiling water and reach a height of 180 feet.

Terraces

At Mammoth Hot Springs area of the park you can see terraces of different colors that form from the 50 underground hot springs that seep through the surface carrying carbonic acid and dissolved limestone that when it is exposed to air is deposited as travertine.

Mud Volcano

This is a photo of a boiling mud pot called mud volcano because in1873 it violently erupted 30 feet high and wide covering trees with mud. It has been much tamer since, just bubbling and boiling. Sulfuric acid is formed from the hydrogen sulfide deep in the earth here and dissolves the surface soils around it. The sulfur makes this a mud pot rather than a hot spring, and gives off that infamous aroma.

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River

The present appearance of the canyon dates from about 10,000 years ago at the end of the last glaciation. It is 20 miles long, and up to 1,200 feet deep. There are falls. The upper falls are 109 feet, and the lower falls are 308 feet.

Entrance sign

We also visited Grand Teton national park which is right next to Yellowstone national park.

Teton Range

Ten million years ago the Teton Range rose abruptly from massive earthquakes along the Teton fault. Erosion from glaciers sculpted the landscape.

Teton Glacier

In this photo the white spot in the center is what remains of Teton glacier. The Teton peak in this photo tops out at 13,775 feet. Many of the mountain range peaks are over 12,000 feet.

Jenny Lake

Jenny Lake is as clear and beautiful as it was when we visited many years ago. It is one of the most visited spots in the park.

Teton Range

The mountains seem as dramatic and stark to me as they were years ago. Grand Teton park has much of the same wildlife as Yellowstone park (bison, moose, elk). Yellowstone is much much larger and has all the exciting geysers, boiling lakes and mud pots, while Grand Teton has such beauty in the stark mountains, sagebrush flats and valley meadows. The big difference I noticed this visit is that it is much more crowded at both parks, and with repairs delayed because of budget cuts, parts of the park are in disrepair.

Remembering 9/11

2025-09-11T16:38:00.000-04:00

Plane Hitting the Second Tower

So Many memories come seeping into my consciousness on this 24th anniversary of the bombing of the twin towers in New York City. As many people do, I remember exactly where I was on the morning of September11, 2001. I had just arrived with two other women for a garden club board meeting at a member's house. As we walked in, the TV was on and others already there asked if we'd heard what had happened. The first plane had struck the world trade center building. We all sat down to watch the news, riveted to the TV. We forgot about the meeting. We watched in horror as the second plane struck. Many members, including myself immediately got on cell phones to contact loved ones. My son was on a plane to New York City that morning.

Pentagon Burning After Being Struck by a Plane

Then the Pentagon building was struck. At that time I lived in Virginia, 13 miles from the Pentagon. Three people who lived in my neighborhood who worked at the Pentagon died that morning.

Pentagon 9/11 Memorial

As time passed, my garden club, in its own way, helped members heal and bring some closure to the emotions and shock of that day. We had as speakers at one of our meetings, the architects that had been chosen to build the 9/11 memorial at the Pentagon. The architects discussed the design, explained why paper bark maple trees were chosen to be planted throughout the memorial, and told us about the grasses, black-eyed susans, echinacea, and sage that would be planted around the perimeter. They talked about how each victim would be memorialized by a stainless steel bench over a shallow basin of circulating water.

Pentagon 9/11 Memorial Lighted at Night

At another meeting, my garden club had as a speaker a women whose husband had died in the Pentagon on 9/11. She explained how getting up every morning and going out to her garden to sit and then to work had saved her sanity and helped her process grief. That garden saved her life, she said.

Our gardens bestow satisfaction, joy, exercise, good food, and beauty. But, as I and other fellow gardeners know, they also bring peace.

Is It Summer?

2025-08-19T19:25:00.002-04:00

Heliopsis

It took a month for this heliopsis to fully bloom. A month ago it had one flower and stayed that way for four weeks until the end of a fairly normal July when it burst into bloom. But now three weeks into August, we have had one of the coldest August months in decades. Some days we did not get out of temps in the 60's. And the majority of days it was cloudy and rainy. I feel like we have been cheated out of summer.

Coreopsis

There were four coreopsis plants in this area, but only one survived and finally bloomed the end of July. Many of the plants in the yard have struggled because of the cold, rainy weather.

Giant Burdock

The giant burdock that mysteriously appeared this year in the yard finally bloomed the end of July.

Japanese Anemone

The one plant that has done well is this Japanese anemone. The bees love it, and the deer have not bothered it this year. But overall, all the summer gardens seem anemic this year.

Beach Time at Kiawah Island, South Carolina

2025-07-26T18:08:00.000-04:00

Entry Road to Kiawah Island, SC

Every year, for the past 30 years, we have spent a week at the beach at Kiawah Island. Back then, much of the island was wild with a small population living there and a few places to rent. You had to get groceries on your way in. Now there is a grocery, a drugstore,a doctor, a few restaurants and shops selling clothing, beach gear, ice cream all in one place as you enter the island. Although some of the island is still wild, it's now a golf destination and famous people stay here.

Main Road Kiawah Island

The island is covered with natural vegetation and constant gardening care keeps it beautiful.

Deer on the Dunes

All sorts of wildlife inhabit the island including alligators in many of the small ponds and inlets. All the dunes were left in their natural state covered with vegetation. There are several wooden boardwalks that you can take over the dunes to the beach.

The Beach at Kiawah Island

The beach is wide and 10 miles long, and uncrowded. You can't get on the island unless you live there or are renting a vacation home. There is a front gate with guards and you have to show your pass.

The Dunes

This phot is looking at the dunes from the beach. There are several turtle nesting areas along the edge of the dunes. They are discreetly marked telling you to stay away. One time at sunset, I was on the beach when the moon rose and the turtle eggs hatched. Tiny little turtles were running as fast as they could to the water. There were several other people on the beach, and we stood guard and shewed the birds away that were trying to get the baby turtles.

Angel Oak

This is a famous oak on the island that is 400 years old. Its branches extend for yards and yards beyond the main trunk. It is said that it can live to be 900 years old. Our family had a wonderful time there as we do every year.

The Heat is On Maybe

2025-06-27T18:47:00.000-04:00

Heliopsis

The first three weeks of June brought constant cool, cloudy weather and rain. I don't ever remember it being this cool through the first three weeks of June in this area. Now we are suddenly thrust into the high 90's because of the heat dome that is covering much of the country. Yesterday we got up to 101, with lower humidity than normal for this area. Almost feels like Phoenix. We had three days without rain, and now today the rain is back. We are certainly out of the drought we have been in for the first part of the year.

Monarda

There are three monarda or bee balm plants in one of the gardens, but only one bloom so far. I started this new post yesterday, and the weather has changed drastically. Today clouds, drizzle and rain with temps in the 60's! I wish the weather would settle and stay warm and sunny.

Wild Strawberry

There are several wild strawberry plants that have been growing in the large back garden for a few weeks now.

Russian sage

Several Russian sage bushes in a grouping in the back yard are just starting to bloom.

Iris

I found one lone iris blooming in the back yard after all the others have already bloomed.

Pansies

These pansies I planted in one of my deck pots last year. It sat through the cold and snows of winter, and the pansies slowly came back this spring. I have left these pansies to see how long they would last. Since it has been so cool and rainy in May and June they are still hanging on. Even through the three 90 to 101 days we just had. Overall, I think the gardens look somewhat anemic this year possibly because of the unusually cool, wet May and June we have had.

Summer is Coming

2025-06-03T13:47:00.001-04:00

Astilbe

This last week has been unusually cold and rainy, like most of May. It was still in the 40's at night three times this week with the heat still coming on yesterday, June 2, at night. I don't ever remember it being this cold this late. But the weather forecast promises summer is coming tomorrow with temps in the high 80's. We are getting wildfire haze from Canada that is going to block some of the sunshine. The astilbe under the trees in the side yard have just bloomed.

Salvia

I have three salvia plants that bloomed right on time in mid May.

Red Hot Poker

There are three of these plants in the garden, but only one has bloomed last week. I don't see any bloom stalks on the other two.

Greater Burdock

This was a surprise! I found it under the trees in the backyard about a week ago. I have not been in the backyard for a couple of weeks because of the constant rain. I've never seen it in the yard, and the seeds must have been dropped by animals.

Wax Leaf Privet

There are several wax leaf privet bushes that line the back of the house, and they are full of white flowers.

Miniature Roses

In an area where the deer never roam, I have planted miniature roses that I got from the grocery store. I got them to have some flowers in the kitchen in the early spring, and planted them last year when they finished blooming. There is a yellow rose plant next to this one that is just about ready to bloom.

Cool, Cloudy and Rainy

2025-05-21T13:34:00.000-04:00

Clematis Samaritan Jo

For the last three weeks we have had mostly clouds, rain and cool weather. There were a few days of sun and 70 and 80 degree temperatures, but we have been mostly stuck in the 50 to 60 degree range and have had one or two nights in the 40's. My clematis vine brightens up a semi shade corner of the house.

Cotoneaster

Despite the cool weather, most of the May flowering plants bloomed on time like the cotoneaster bushes in the front yard.

Peony

There are several peony bushes (which the deer won't touch) in the yard in different colors, red, pink, and this yellow one that's my favorite.

Catmint

The catmint that lines the front walk bloomed right on time. The azaleas in the neighborhood are done flowering, and the iris in the yard have come and gone before I got a good photo of them.

Spirea

The spirea bushes in the yard just started blooming.

Blueberry

The berries on the two old blueberry bushes in the yard are finally turning blue. We've noticed a real drop in the squirrel population in our yard since this winter. We used to have lots of squirrels chasing each other all over the yard, climbing the trees, and walking on the deck railing. This year we have only seen one squirrel in the yard.

Flirting With Freezing

2025-04-26T13:28:00.000-04:00

Magnolia Flower

The first two and a half weeks of April were cold and rainy. We had a freeze which killed the blossoms on our three magnolia trees. This is the third year in a row that the magnolia blossoms were killed before a lot of them even opened. Although we've had some nice days in the 70's and 80's this week, it is still going down in the 40's at night.

Jack Frost Brunnera

The brunnera plants were just starting to bloom when we had the freeze. Some of the blossoms died, but most had not bloomed yet and came through ok.

Lady Ferns

The lady ferns are popping up under all the trees.

Cherry Laurel

All the cherry laurel bushes in the yard burst into bloom this week.

Blueberry bush

The two old highbush blueberry bushes in the yard had buds on them.

Clematis vine

This clematis vine called Samaritan Jo has buds now also.

Peony bush

There are several peony bushes of different colors in the yard that are budding.