The flowers are blooming – finally. The daffodils were a no-go this spring. Probably because of the late snow. The iris were stifled by Sparky’s garden hose. The walnut trees are winning (mostly) the battle in the backyard and have either completely prevented or severely impaired the lilacs, mock orange, and forsythia from blooming. But not all is lost. The day lilies are doing their best to take up the slack and the hostas are poised to put on a magnificent show.
The first photo is the day lilies preparing to open and the second photo is a mere 4 days later! We had some rain and I swear you could hear the tomatoes growing! This last photo is my mutant lilies. The first time this happened there was just one bloom. They come back every year with more and more of these layered and ruffled blossoms. They are mixed in with the regular ones and tend to open about 5 -7 days after the normal ones. Aren’t they stunning?
This 1st photo is my Asian lilies that started out bright pink when I planted them but over the last 3 years have started turning yellow. It is a mystery. And the 2nd one is of my Mary Todd Lincoln lily – the photo doesn’t do it justice as the yellow is so bright that it seems to glow!
This last set is the hostas in the front pre-opening and then post opening. I have dark purple ones, lavender and then the white ones in the back yard!
Wow Val..these are beautiful flowers..you must have a really lovely garden..
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Thanks Michelle! The lilies and hostas are practically the only flowers that do well with the walnut trees. I also have an abundance of lily of the valley but they bloom much earlier and have spread like weeds… the main garden in the back is where the kid’s playhouse once stood. When we took it out we had a big square spot that was covered in bark chips. It was easy to convert it to a garden…
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I can imagine you backyard garden Val…it must be very beautiful…from where i am flowers and plants you mentioned do not thrive because of our weather ..
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what a lovely garden you have, the colours and variations are really beautiful Val!
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I’m tickled you think it has variation! Sparky seems to think that the lilies and the hostas are all the plants we need. Of course the many flowers we have planted over the years have mostly been killed by the walnut trees or eaten by the deer or squirrels. That was the fate of the peonies, tulips, roses, hyacinth, and the zinnias. I’m planning on an experiment with cone flowers since they have the reputation of being nearly indestructible!
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lol good luck with that … I await your results 🙂
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In Indiana the Cone flowers grow like weeds – Sparky is reluctant as he is still battling the lily of the valley!
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lol tell him to man up and just get on with it 😉
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Ha! I’m waiting for someone to start squawking that they have too many cone flowers – then Sparky will take some off their hands… I do have some seeds but I should have planted them in April so they’ll have to wait until next year!
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wow can’t imagine I’d be much good at such long term planning!
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And that’s why I don’t have any cone flowers in my garden!
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😦
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abundance!
I just observed that one of my hibiscuses is poised for an explosion of blooms.. in a couple days/weeks.
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We tried a hibiscus and it died. I think the blooms are fabulous! The colors are so rich and vibrant… Please post some photos!
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Wow! What a treat for the eyes and soul!
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Thanks Punam! I’m pleased your soul was fed with this post!!
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You are welcome, Val.
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My daffodils never bloomed either. My hostas never came up. My lily’s have been blooming very plentiful. My hollyhocks too.
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Seems to be the norm this year with the daffodils. I learned the hard way that if I wanted any hope of having daffodils, I had to plant them under chicken wire to thwart the deer. (lost a lot of bulbs the first couple years we lived here!) I have some very fond memories of geocaching in Nebraska and having to wade through a field of hollyhocks to get to the cache. It was so beautiful!!
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My hollyhocks bloom no matter what. My Columbine have slowed down due to the heat.
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The columbine I bought on discount because they looked dead are still blooming – especially the purple and cream one!! Columbine is resilient.
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They will bloom again. This week is only in the 70s and 80s so it will probably send out new blooms.
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That sounds like perfect weather for the flowers. That’s the great thing about columbine – they just keep going!
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Yes they do. Plus they got fertilized so that should help.
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A little fertilizer and they’ll probably bloom until November!
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Likely mid October due to frost here but I am sure the fertilizer will help.
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We usually have a hard frost by the end of Oct too but this last year was too strange and we didn’t get a killing frost until nearly Thanksgiving… Of course winter then lingered forever!
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That is strange. Ours was early October last year. It can be very early in mid September. Or late October.
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Our weather patterns have been so very messed up. I worry about the fruit farms as they are really struggling! We’ve had snow in April and that has ruined much of the fruit production…
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The last few years have been weird.
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And I think they will only get stranger until global warming is addressed.
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Could be. This has been the hottest summer in about five years. We have been mild the last few.
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Yes – it has been topsy-turvy with it staying warm a lot longer and conversely remaining cold for much longer too. The trees are confused as are many of the plants!
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Yes. This week has been cooler and very much welcomed.
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We are getting a break from the heat but now it is all thunderstorms for the next week. Sparky mowed tonight since he figured it would be too wet tomorrow!
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That is nice.
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Beautiful array of flowers, Muri. We have many flowers here, surprises planted by the prior owners. A clump of orange lilies, but no ruffled ones. The yard is shady and there are hostas everywhere. The bees are craziest about the purple hosta flowers, cozying up inside them like they were sleeping bags. I’ve got 3 tomatoes almost ripe and dozens more on the vines, can’t wait until “salsa season.” 🙂
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Ha! That was what we had with our first house. The former owner was a real gardener – we discovered poppies and yucca and even a couple shrubs that turned out to be gooseberry bushes! It was a new discovery every day. We just harvested the first tomatoes – a hand full of cherry tomatoes and a couple beefsteak. Sadly Sparky opted to forgo the chemical application and we lost a couple big tomatoes to tomato worms… And I am NOT going to go out and pick them off the plants by hand! Ick!
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beautiful lilies! My day lilies just said “No.” I think because I moved them. My iris are too crowded, but I have a problem. I cannot throw out plants and I don’t want more gardens.
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Thanks Martha! We avoid moving the hostas or lilies until after they’ve finished blooming – for that very reason. Now is the time to do a plant swap. Mention to neighbors that you have a few plants that need to be “split/thinned” and that you’d be willing to make a trade. I bet someone would be willing to come out and split the iris. Maybe even swap you some “exotic” lilies for some of your iris!! They might even plant them for you if you offered some adult beverage on a hot day! (At least that’s what happens here – and is how we got some of out hostas)
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Lots of color. Any of them attract hummingbirds?
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I’m sure they would but the hummingbirds are all going to the quick and easy hummingbird feeder filled with sugar water! The dark read day lilies have disappeared which makes me very sad!
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Lilies are bulbs, and very resilient. They only have two missions in life: Pollinate and propagate. They are very good at both, even in harsh winters.
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Yes they do well. Sadly the deer really like them. I’m afraid that I’ll have to plant some daffodils to appease the Cervidae else they will start on my lilies…
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There are other, less-Disney like options to take care of Bambi.
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I would love to add “Bambi” to the freezer but we have laws that prevent the discharge of guns in residential areas. And they prohibit bow hunting within the city limits… Anyway since there are plenty of my neighbors who specifically feed the deer, it would be considered baiting which is very illegal. (I keep thinking the only way I’ll get a deer is if we have a car vs. deer situation where the deer loses!)
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Magnificent words and garden!!!!
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Thanks loads for the kind words! I like to claim the garden mine but it is really Sparky’s baby! I buy things and then point to where I want it planted!
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I need to get gardening so that I can share too! 🙂 I hope I am as good at it as you are one day!
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Just a secret – don’t tell anyone – all the plants we have are very “low maintenance” and they thrive on benign neglect! I only plant perennials since I hate to pay for plants that die in the fall and have to be replaced in the spring…
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What a joy to wake up to each new day! Thanks for sharing:)
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You are welcome! I enjoy seeing them bloom – especially my mutant lilies.
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Don’t you just LOVE day lilies!?! They are so easy to grow and so satisfying too. This year I’ve planted Teddy Bear sunflowers that are promising to be quite spectacular. You’ve inspired me to post photos.
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Please do post the photos!! I have limited growing space due to those awful walnut trees so Sparky has taken most of the sunny areas for his veggie gardens…
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Beautiful flower garden, Val!
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Thanks! But if you ask Sparky, he will claim it is HIS garden and that I just have an occasional suggestion! hehehe!
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Bahaha! Don’t they all? 😀
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yes. hehe!
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Beautiful Val! Flowers and birds bring such peace and smiles, no?
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Absolutely! I really miss our pear tree out front. The sparrows would gather and have a regular choral performance every night…
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Lovely flowers
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Thanks Elizabeth!
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I remember those flowers from last year. I’m surprised Sparky didn’t regulate the flow of water.
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