Everything's Coming Up Roses

These are two of the huge wild rose bushes that were here when we moved in. Last year our spring cleanup guy trimmed them way back and I suppose that's the proper way to grow them, but I just love how big and crazy they are.

Irises in Full Bloom

Alas Alex, they do not smell like root beer.

Look What I Picked Up Today

My darling Fiance bought these for me. 

Fern Leaf Bleeding Heart 

 And Ligularia Osiris

I adore Bleeding Heart and Ligularia plants! I can't wait to put these variations by the pond!

Sometimes They Come Back

I couldn't resist the Stephen King reference.

It's been a long, cold winter, but a few friends from last year are starting to come around.

The Magnolia Tree is always pretty in the spring

Purple Rock Cress

White Rock Cress

Helleborus Orientalis

Trillium Sessile

Bleeding Hearts

Lupine

Jacob's Ladder

Labrador Violet

Wild Ginger

Wild Ginger Bloom, I really need a better camera!

Digitalis

Ligularia Japonica

Lily of the Valley

Trout Lily

Jack in the Pulpit

Balloon Flower

Clumping Baby's Breath

Kenilworth Ivy

Black Gamecock Iris

Horsetail Rush

Fiddleheads = Royal Ferns

Hostas

Irish Moss 

Sweet Woodruff and Grape Hyacinth around the Bird Bath

A little birdhouse where Chickadees have settled in

Happy Birthday Stigma!

Happy 15th birthday to our baby girl Stigma. When we were looking at houses we had a list of features that were deal breakers for us. One of those was that the house had to have a large, fenced yard for Stigma to play in. The basement flooded the day before we closed and we had to wait a while to fully move in while they fixed everything. Every day I would load up a car full of our things and take Stigma with me to the house to play while I unpacked. There was a point in the drive, from our townhouse to the house, where Stigma would get excited and start pacing back and forth in the back seat because she knew where we were going. She loves to romp and play in the yard and I think the yard, and Wattson, help to keep her young. Love you Stig!

Seeds, seeds, and more seeds

So I decided seeds might be a great, economical way to get lots of plants into the garden this summer. I ordered from a few different suppliers on Ebay and purchased a little seed starter tray so I could begin germination indoors before spring. Hopefully I'll soon see sprouts from the following plants:

Blue Himalayan Poppy - My favorite seed

Harlequin Iris

Western Blue Flag Iris

Wild Calla Lily

Amethyst Shooting Star

Whipcord Lily

Giant Voodoo Lily

Fortnight Lily

Gentiana Crutiata

Jewelweed

Wild Ginger - Lemmonii X Canadense

Lyre Leaf Sage

Black False Hellebore

Blue Monkey Flower