What's Blooming Now

I missed the official Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day on March 15... I always seem to... But I do have wonderful things blooming in my garden.

Carolina jessamine...

Daffodils... a 2009 Christmas present from my grandmother.
Sweet olive... I love sweet olive. The fragrance is amazing coming from such a tiny flower.
Pansies...
And a peeping tom... hehe.
Also, the blog isn't the only thing around here that has gotten an update. We got the house painted. Here is a before photo from January... before the paint and before I cut back roses and lantana.
And here's an after photo.
Yep, its yellow. It is Sherwin Williams Cupola Yellow (SW7692). I have mixed feelings about it. I really did not like the peachy, pinky stucco before. My plan was to keep the color in the neutral zone but lean towards the yellow side of the color spectrum... I don't think I exactly accomplished that with this color.

On one hand I say, "Damn, that's bright..." and on the other hand I say, "Of course it looks bright now when the lawn and perennials are dormant and drab looking!" Maybe once I have some hot pink knockout roses, bright yellow, orange, and pink lantanas, purple irises, and pretty white and yellow shasta daisies blooming it won't look quite so bright. Ha, am I kidding myself?

Opinions, please?! Be honest. I neither love or hate this color, and since we really only have two walls with this paint on it (front and back) it would be easy to change. Nevertheless, I am waiting until everything greens up to make my final decision.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - May 2009

What's blooming...

in my herb garden?

Thyme

Lavender
Catmint "Walker's Low"

in my backyard?

Hydrangea "Endless Summer"

Gardenia "August Beauty"

in my veggie garden?

There's not much blooming, but I have leeks, lettuce, Swiss chard, and fennel. And sugar snap peas, eight-ball zucchini, and yellow crookneck squash.

April Bloom Day (One Day Late)

Blooming in my central Mississippi garden:

• Bridal wreath spirea, "Eleanor Tabor" Indian hawthorn, and azaleas are winding down their blooms
• Knockout roses
• Homestead purple verbena
• Iris
• H.F. Young, Henryii, and Franziska Marie clematis
• Catmint "Walker's Low"
• Pansies

What's Blooming at a Shower Fresh Garden?

Fall is in the air this week at a Shower Fresh Garden. I can hardly believe it! Monday and Tuesday the high was in the mid 70s. Low was in the low 60s. Isn't that wonderful? Here in Mississippi, we've had summers where September was still in the high 90s. Even on my wedding day in late September 2004 we had hot, muggy weather.

My anniversary is coming up soon. Chip and I are planning to go to Oxford to celebrate the beginning of our fifth year of marriage. Oxford is where we spent our first years together and where we got married. We're planning a dinner for two at City Grocery, then meeting up with friends at the Neko Case show at Oxford's new Lyric theather. Then Friday is the day of the big debate. Yes, the really, really big Presidential Debate. I'm beyond excited that we get to be in town on such a historic day for Ole Miss, Oxford, and the USA! I'll try to take good photos to share with all of you. I might see some TV news reporters. Maybe I'll even get to shake the hand of future President Obama!

I am ready for fall gardening. I'm making a list of perennials I want to try. My veronicas turned black (disease?), so I want to replace them with something new. Maybe liatris (aka gayfeather or blazing star)? Photo from White Flower Farm (not my yard)... Many of my flowers are still blooming their hearts out. The new hydrangeas look really pretty. I am beyond happy about these shrubs. Next year I want to try to get the blooms to stay purple because I love purple.
Purple heart is blooming its heart out, and the bumblebees are happy. This guy gathered all the pollen he could carry.

Catmint and liriope (monkey grass to us Southerners) are also blooming this time of year.

Coleus and dwarf orange zinnias complement the Ole Miss "M" flag in the backyard. Mexican purple sage opened its blooms last week as the verbena winds down.

Mexican petunia continues to put on a show.
I have put out a few mums, as the geraniums I bought back in March for the front door were looking a little worse for wear. Pink mums for me.

May 2008 Bloom Day

And what a beautiful day it has been! I woke up to heavy rain this morning. Flash flood warnings all over the state and radio announcements of road closures. It rained hard and heavy until about noon. The clouds rolled away and today has been gorgeous. Nice enough to make me sneak out an get a chocolate malt at about 3 PM (my thighs are not thanking me).


Oh, it is bloom day, too! Wanna see what's blooming in my garden?


Well, the hydrangeas are. In the front yard.
And in the backyard.

The daylilies, brushed with stems of blue fescue and palmetto, are blooming, too. The zinnias, cosmos, and sunflowers in the semi-circle bed reseeded from last year and have just begun to bloom. And verbena carpets the front of the bed with its jolly purple blooms. Salvia May Night has not disappointed. Its deep purple spires are keeping the yellow roses company.
And the perennial bed is just coming to life. Knockout roses are in full bloom, while the gladioli, Russian sage, shasta daisy, and echinacea are just beginning to put on buds.

Clematis "Henryi" and "Franziska Marie" are blooming their hearts out on the iron obelisk. The obelisk and vines are supposed to be covering the ugly pipe. Is it working? Happy May Bloom Day!