Workin for the Weekend

Tomorrow is FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah! I do love my weekends, the fur kids like it when I am home or so they tell me :). I wish the forcast was a bit better but Sunday looks like the best day to do something outside, I want to get my raspberry bed cleaned out and trim some rose bushes back. My husband volunteered to help with the raspberry bed, I am taking him up on that offer. I saw a forsynthia bush in bloom today, that is a bush that sometimes blooms in this zone and sometimes not. It always lives but does not always bloom.

Apple Blossom Amarylliss

Ya think this amaryllis is Apple Blossom Pink? Ya think maybe it was in the wrong bin when I bought it? :) I do, but it is pretty none the less. I have had a red one the past two years and wanted a change this year.

Photograph

I had my grandsons with me all weekend which is always an adventure but they helped me take all my garden pictures today, my oldest grandson asked me to take a picture of this mushroom and I liked the way it turned out. We have "adventure" walks when they are here.

Spring has Sprung?

Everything has really popped up with the warm weather, seems really really early to me, hope we don't get bit in the behind with cold weather :). These plants are day lilies, surprise lilies and some daffodils.

Bleeding Hearts showing their noses.

My bleeding hearts are out of the ground, the pink foilage is of course the most familar bleeding heart with pink flowers, the green foilage is a white bleeding heart.

Mitriostigma axillare "African Gardenia

Speaking of scent, this little known plant smells wonderful, the flowers are small but fragrant. It is in bloom currently, it blooms off and on all year long. Soon my hoyas will be setting buds, now there is a plant that smells like heaven.

More Angel Wing Begonias

A couple more pictures of two angel wing begonias. I still can't figure out why it has taken me so long to grow these plants. I am going to have to read up on proporating them so I can have even more next winter, now if they only had a wonderful scent.

Brugmansia

http://mrbrownthumb.blogspot.com/2007/03/brugmansia-in-chicago.html

While visiting Mr Brown Thumb's blog I read a note he wrote about Brugmansia. I love these plants, I had one last summer that I kept in a pot on the patio, it did not start blooming until August but was always in bloom the rest of summer, the blooms lasting one day, the flowers are highly fragrant. In September when frost warnings started I brought the plant into the house, at the time is was loaded with buds, it bloomed in the basement for about the next 5 weeks, the blooms lasted 3-4 days in the basement and in the evening you could smell the flowers over the entire house. It is still green, as soon as the weather warms I am going to put it in a bigger pot with new soil and take it back outside. If the plant did not bloom outside at all, just having the last little bit of summer to bring inside would be worth it! I also ordered another one, a different color, from Select Seeds. I have not tried growing one from seed but I have grown Datura from seed, it is very easy.

Cosmos

Cosmos are one of my favorite flowers, I love to pair them with Cleome (spider flower), when I first started gardening years ago cosmos and spider flowers were some of the first flowers I picked out to plant along with sunburst cosmos. When I was growing up there was an old lady who lived up the street that had a large flower garden, she always had spider flowers, I was fascinated by those flowers. I do not remember the woman's name but I do remember her garden. Have I become that old woman???? :)

Tickled Pink

Shades of Pink

For anyone who does not know Iowa weather, these photos were all taken last spring and summer.

Little Pink Flowers for you and me

Peach Begonia

This angel wing begonia has been in bloom all winter long, I am now loving these plants and can't figure out why I have never had any interest in growing begonias before this.

Good Intentions

With the weekend in sight, I have good intentions of seed starting. I thought I might plant some hollyhocks, foxgloves and delphiniums (which I have chillin in the frig) and whatever else I may find in my seed stash. Anyone else have a seed stash? Years ago I used to start hundreds of seeds, tomatoes, flowers, veggies, it is a good cheap way to get lots of perennials as well. I have gotten lazy or tired, not sure which, last year I didn't start any seeds, not even my beloved moon flowers which I have grown for years but must be started inside if I am going to get any blooms before the frost gets them. I am going to start moon flowers this year but it is too early to get those going right now.

These are a few pics I took this past weekend, my amaryllis is blooming now, it was just opening when I took this picture, the pretty kitty is my Callie Cat who jumps in the tub after the water is drained out, no doubt because it is nice and toasty warm. Also a picture of Erin, and Quasi Boy and Callie napping.

On The Feet Again

Well, I am officially back on BOTH feet again :). No walker no walking cast/boot.............ahhhhhhh life is good! I went back to work a week ago Thursday, which was probably a bit early but I did it. My foot is tender but walkable. I took the dogs for a walk on Saturday and Sunday both, which was great. They thought so as well. Plus I was able to work around the house, I baked two batches of cookies which made my husband happy.

We have even lost a lot of ice here in Iowa. Our backyard was filled with robins all weekend. I got out the lawn chair and sat outside in the sun and read (Same Sweet Girls) while getting my Vitamin D restored.

I received some seeds in the mail today, so I will be planting some seeds this weekend under the grow lights in the basement.

I must leave you with a cheerful picture. I still wish I knew what kind of moth this is.

Blue Flowers

As all gardeners know true blue flowers are difficult to find and even more difficult to photograph as they always look purple or lavender. I have bluebells all along my fence in the backyard, they are remind me of spring and May alters when I was growing up.

Blue Sky Again

Seeing all these pictures makes me wish I was sitting out on the patio after a day of gardening reading a book under the blue sky.

More Shades of Blue

It was wonderful to see some blue sky this weekend, after the week we had here in Iowa!