In my own garden...

It's started! The daylilies have begun to bloom, although it's a bit like catching them still in their pajamas. The blooms are not quite what they will be. It's fun to see them anyway, don't you think?

Royal Eventide, first opening on May 23rd and the earliest of my daylilies:


Catered Affair:


Christine Dixon:


Hidden Riches:


Carolyn Hunt:


I accidentally uploaded this picture from last year...you can see what Carolyn Hunt can do when she really gets going.


Twilight Illusion:


An unknown, originally bought years ago as Hyperion:


Waiting in the Wings is blooming but I haven't gotten a good picture. Today's bloom mysteriously had a petal missing (on the ground). Pathway to Paradise had some trouble opening and was really splotchy. Spectral Elegance, Terry Lyninger and a few others are also starting and I hope to catch them very soon. From this point on, I expect (and hope) to see new ones opening each day!

Here's a little look at part of my daylily seedling bed. You can see some of them have bloom scapes (exciting!), but I wanted to show one particular seedling. Look right in the center of the picture. You'll see a tall scape and beneath it, two fans. I'm really looking forward to seeing this one...it was the very first to scape and looks to be strong and sturdy....now, for a pretty flower (please!)!


Here's Sam sitting in some daylilies, complete with, I notice, a battle ear (he insists on being a warrior).


I keep thinking I'm going to be getting to (I will, I will...I think) posts of roses, clematis and iris. In the meantime, things keep popping and changing daily. Here's some stuff from the last day or so.

Japanese Iris...these are the ones growing in full sun in clay, nowhere near water. They don't know...and we're not telling them.



Louisiana Iris 'Black Gamecock' is blooming almost unnoticed.


Near it, the first of the tall phlox, Phlox maculata 'Miss Lingard', a favorite of Elizabeth Lawrence, is blooming:


Toad Lilies, Tricyrtis 'Lightning Strike', and a Fern, Athyrium 'Ghost' have joined forces in my tightly packed garden.


Rose Campion 'Occulata', grown from seed originally and now reseeds itself around.



Mock Orange, blooming and such a nice scent....just one problem here...this is part of my variegated one and as you can see, the leaves are solid green. I'll have to make a decision. If I continue to let this grow, (it is much more vigorous; there is a whole section of it blooming now in front of the Sweet Shrub.) it will take over.


Blooming later, here is the variegated one:


Last but not least (we gotta stop somewhere) is a hardy geranium. It's a taller one and I'll have to dig out its tag (yikes! no label here!). I like the double flowers...a nice pale lavender.


I probably won't catch up until winter, but I'll keep trying!