Don't Look

You know you're a gardener when your outdoors is cleaner than your indoors. Confession: I've spent so much time gardening lately that my house looks like crap. I keep telling myself, "Don't look" at all of the indoor to-dos. They will get done. They always do. Right now I've got gardening to do. 

Well, and blogging. It's been forever since I've posted photos. I've got a bunch of them so I'll keep my comments brief. If you have a question or comment, feel free to chime in.

Penstemon rupicola with Helianthemum 'Ben Ledi'

P. rupicola close up.

Cirsium rivulare 'Atropurpureum'

Cirsium rivulare 'Atropurpureum'

This one, lone Gardenia blossom overwintered and bloomed. Ah, the fragrance. I took this photo about a week ago but now the flower has faded. In a few months, the entire bush will be abloom. What a nice little spring surprise.

Gardenia jasminoides 'Frostproof'

Enkianthus campanulatus 'Showy Lanterns'

I'm going to move this poor Peony. It just isn't happy in this spot.

Paeonia tenuifolia

Quaking Grass is an annual grass reseeds. The roots are shallow so the plants are easy to pull and transplant into a pot (or feed to my cats). I will dry most of the seed heads though.

Quaking Grass (Briza maxima)

Calycanthus x raulstonii 'Hartlage Wine'

This Night Phlox is incredibly fragrant. I have it in a pot right at nose level.

Night Phlox (Zaluzianskya ovata)

Speaking of fragrance, this bush Lonicera is incredibly fragrant. I almost got rid of it a few years ago when it was in a bad spot. I'm so glad I didn't.

Lonicera syringantha

Jim was new last year. Despite reports of being an "easy to grow" plant, he pouted. This year he's happy. And so am I. 

Chiastrophyllum oppositifolium 'Jim's Pride'

My sister gave me a piece of this gorgeous hardy Geranium. My photo doesn't do it justice.

Geranium nodosum 'Whiteleaf'

In all my gardening years, I've never grown Jack-in-the-pulpit or Arisaema. This spring I decided to try a species. (There are several and the showier they are, the pricier they are.) I bought three bulbs of A. triphyllum from Prairie Moon Nursery. They arrived a few weeks ago and check them out. One is already blooming.

Arisaema triphyllum

 The Clematis are blooming. Well some of them are:

Clematis montana 'Broughton Star'

Clematis 'Polish Spirit' with Solanum crispum 'Glasnevin' and Lonicera 'Gold Flame'

Clematis 'Polish Spirit with Solanum crispum 'Glasnevin' and Lonicera 'Gold Flame'

I didn't move 'Proteus' like I told myself I should. Darn it. Wouldn't this be fabulous mingling with 'Polish Spirit' and 'Glasnevin'?  

Clematis 'Proteus'

Clematis 'Proteus'

More Clems:

Clematis 'Nubia'

Clematis 'Viva Polonia'

Clematis 'Viva Polonia' backside

Rhodohypoxis baurii 'Red Star' with Blue Star Creeper

 

 

Weigela florida 'Variegata' in full, fragrant bloom

I saw this cool plant at Dancing Oaks last fall. I had to have it. 

Fringed Dutchman's Pipe (Aristolochia fimbriata)

 New plant for me... I love it!

Spiraea densiflora

There are a ton more plant photos but I'll save them for next time. Here area some wide shots:

Woodland border

Montia parviflora var. flagellaris and Oxalis crassipes 'Rosea'

Woodland border

Rheum palmatum var. tanguiticum

Shady path to the north part of the garden

Euphorbia stygiana

The blossoms on Euphorbia stygiana are incredibly fragrant! Think sweet honey... yum!

Euphorbia stygiana

 

 

Lychnis viscaria in full bloom

One of the nice things about spring flowers are the spring visitors. 

Painted Lady butterfly nectaring on Lychnis

 After two-plus weeks of sunshine, I'm glad we're finaly getting a bit of rain today. Maybe I'll even tackle the housework. Cheers!

Summer in April

I started this post a few weeks ago but was circumvented by some sort of virus or a bad case of hay fever. Whatever it was and is, it has (and is) kicking my butt and rendering me a lazy blogger, among other things. So the first photos are from that earlier attempt.

Clematis alpina 'Constance'

Clematis macropetala 'Markham's Pink'

A blurry bumblebee!

Ligularia 'Garden Confetti'

Ornamental Rhubarb (Rheum palmatum var. tanguiticum)

I was heartened to finally see the resident swallows return to their summer home. I was worried by their late arrival.

One of the swallows

The chickadees are also fun to watch.

Chickadee bath time

Several months ago, on her way to Portland,  Willow Murawski stopped by and gave me this really cool vintage sewing machine to display in my garden. Right now its sitting beneath the lacy white flowers of the Spirea. Thank you Willow!

Circa 1923 Singer Red Eye Treadle sewing machine

Okay, now on to today's post:

It's been unseasonably warm the past week or two. It has helped wake up the garden. 

Last spring I found a variegated Glechoma and fell in love with it. Usually the leaves are a gray-green with white edges. Not this baby! Check out the spotted green and white variegation! Eventually the entire plant went rogue and I was a happy camper.  Just now I did a search and discovered that my plant tag was incorrect in stating that it was Glechoma hederacea 'Variegata'. It's actually G. h. 'Dappled Light'.

Glechoma hederacea 'Dappled Light' last year

 

I was very careful to keep it safe from winter's cold and this spring, it's rewarding me with these elegant little flowers. Yes. It's the small things.

 

The sweet little flowers of Glechoma hederacea 'Dappled Light'

The Penstemon rupicola is in full bloom. I love it so much.

Pink flowered Penstemon rupicola with Helianthemum nummularium 'Ben Ledi'

 Isn't it gorgeous? And to think that it's native to the Cascade Mountains.

Penstemon rupicola

Penstemon rupicola

My good friend Gail Barnard shared a piece of this hardy Geranium earlier this spring. It has grown and now it's blooming. I didn't really want it for the flowers. It's the variegated foliage that makes me happy.

Geranium phaeum 'Margaret Wilson'

Geranium phaeum 'Margaret Wilson'

Clematis 'Asao' is always the first large flowered hybrid to bloom in my garden. Of course, it's pink!

Clematis 'Asao'

Speaking of pink, another native, Pink Pussy Toes is in full bloom right now. Such a little charmer.

Pink Pussy Toes (Antennaria dioica)

Pink Pussy Toes (Antennaria dioica)

Last year I decided I had to have an Enkianthus. This is the first time it's bloomed for me. I'm not disappointed. 

Enkianthus campanulatus 'Showy Lanters'

And now for some wide shots:

Silene robotti

River rock that I'll place in the garden after I get the plants situated and the mulch down and yada, yada.

A new area ready to be planted.

 

Too much fence showing here again. Must remedy this.

There you have it. So much to do and loving it.

How about you?