Warning! This post has lots and lots of pictures. Were having a heat wave here in Wisconsin, so I set my alarm for 6:00 a.m. so I could get SOME garden chores done before it got too unbearable outside, and I couldn't believe what a gorgeous morning it was. The music the birds were making was so beautiful, I just had to sit on my garden bench and just be still, just so I could hear their singing. I love summer. I love never being cold. I love going to bed with just a tank and undies, and not having to cover myself from head to toe just to stay warm. I love waking up and throwing on a pair of jean shorts and flip flops in the morning and just step outside and go '
ahhh!' I'm not cold. The weather is beautiful. The birds are singing. I'm warm, I'm warm, I'm warm. We don't have air conditioning, I hate it. I love having the windows open and hearing the birds and feeling the breeze coming through. Although it was 95 degrees yesterday, I felt perfectly comfortable last night and fell fast asleep. My husband on the other hand was another story. He had trouble sleeping and kept asking me 'Aren't you hot?'. ""Nope", was my reply, "I feel PERFECT!" Anyway, because I was outside so early this morning, the lighting was perfect for photographs. I took 65 pictures! But I won't bore you with them all. Here are the ones I 'narrowed' down too:
Right now the Peony's and Iris are in full bloom. Some of my early blooming peonies are actually done already and sadly I didn't photograph them in time. I have about 13 peony bushes in my yard. I just love them (but I say that about every flower). Below is a common pink peony with a
Salvia in front and some pink Soap Wort.
Here's a pink peony bush with some common yellow iris behind.
And a close up of this beauty.
Has anyone ever heard of the Lilac bush 'Little Princess'? It's suppose to be a small lilac bush perfect for small landscapes. Well, look at mine. It's a monster! It's got to be about 10 or 12 feet tall. I love it. It's my favorite lilac bush. The smell is unbelievable. You can smell it the second you step out of your car or off my front porch.
Here is a rust Iris. I don't have too many of these. They are beautiful, but not as prolific as the purple or yellow ones are.
Here's a close up of my common yellow iris. If anyone ever wants iris bulbs, come on over! Every year I divide them and I have so many I usually just throw them over the fence.
This is a far away shot (my neighbor's view of my yard) looking at my house. You can see all the yellow and purple Iris in bloom.
This is another view of my yard from my neighbor's viewpoint.
You see this flower growing wild along the roadways, but I love it in my garden. It's called Dames Rocket. It's perfect for shady spots.
Here is a ring of
hostas around a maple tree.
This is a red poppy. I love
poppys. I only wish they'd last longer. They have the shortest blooming season of any perennial I know. I have orange
poppys too, but they aren't quite in full bloom yet.
This purple iris is the one I have the most of in my yard. It was on the property when I bought it, so I just kept on dividing it. It's very prolific and it has a beautiful scent. I love to bring them into the house to put in a vase. They fill the air with their sweet perfume.
This is a side view of my garden shed. I wanted you to see the 'snowball bush' or viburnum. I have two of these bushes. I absolutely love them. They stay in bloom so long and are quite the showstoppers.
This is one of the early blooming peonies I told you about earlier. I managed to get one good picture before she is gone for the year.
This is the far Southwest corner of my yard. The lilac bush by the shed grew so much bigger than we thought it would. But EVERYTHING grows so much bigger than we thought it would in my yard. I don't know if I have good soil or what. I swear I do nothing but plant and water.
This is one of my favorite perennials. It's so low maintenance. It's called
Goatsbeard. It stays in bloom for over a month or two, and the foliage is always attractive.
Here is a Burgundy peony.
These are ornamental onions. Aren't they gorgeous! And they are HUGE too!
This is my favorite Iris in my garden. It's a beautiful sky blue. I don't have too many of these, so I really treasure them.
Here's a view looking down into my garden. That gigantic 'Little Princess' lilac bush is on the bottom.
This is a picture of a Foxglove spire which is just starting to bloom, with a blue geranium and yellow iris.
A field of yellow iris.
Another view looking down into my yard at all the Iris below.
And finally, my pond. I think in my last garden post when I showed you this picture all the crab apple trees were in bloom, along with some tulips and daffodils, now their blooms have gone, and the Iris are stealing the show. It always amazes me how all season long the garden changes from wave of beauty to another.
Have a great day! Amy
