An Award, and the State of Flowering Things.

I got this award yesterday from Sandra. Her blog, Elephant Lover, http://sandra-elephantlover.blogspot.com/ a wonderful journey through life in Slovenia. Sandra, I really appreciate this award, thank you very much. I did get it earlier, so I'm not going to repeat my answers to the questions. If you're interested, you can find them here http://livingretiredinwesternnewyorkstate.blogspot.com/2010/05/award.html

There's new "stuff" flowering in my yard right now, including one of my very favorite flowers. The sundrops started to come out yesterday. A few years ago, a friend gave me a few of these. I now have five huge patched, scattered all over the yard, in areas that are sunny, all the way to deep shade. This little flower flourishes in all of them. They'll be blooming for at least a month, and I won't get tired of their cheery little faces.




Isobelle's Lady gave me a Blue Geranium earlier this Spring. It has flourished in its rather mundane location and now has started to flower. Next year, it's getting moved to a location more fitting of its beauty.




The chives are in bloom. Mine come in bloom a little later than most because they're in a pretty shady spot. But, they're another hardy plant and seem to thrive anywhere.




The story behind why this dianthus is blooming in the middle of the woods border is kind of funny. A few years ago, someone gave me a complete "hanging garden" kit. It came complete with the basket, seeds and a strange coconut fiber growing compound. I dutifully put it together and watered it faithfully, but it was kind of a bust. It had nothing but a few white flowers in it. Oh, they were pretty, but it wasn't exactly a stunning arrangement.

So, at the end of the season, I tossed the contents of the basket into the woods, and thought no more about it. Until, the next year, I noticed that there were these beautiful dianthus growing there. They have returned, and multiplied every year. Of course, I now feel obligated to keep all of the weeds away from them, and that area is full of Woodbine (Virginia Creeper) so that can be a heck of a task. Every time I look over there and see those perky little flowers, I have to smile, though.




And finally, I thought maybe you'd like to see how my asters are doing. These are some different kind, and I can't quite remember the name, it's something like Tartarian, or maybe Transylvanian, Aster. Whatever the name is, it is a stunning flower. I normally pinch it back around the first of July, though this year's growing season is so early that I may do it earlier. In the Fall, it will be at least six feet tall, and full of the most beautiful little blue flowers. Along with Mums, it provides the last bit of color before the winter sets in.



This is what they have looked like in previous years.



So, the grass (weeds) is green, and the flowers are blooming. All is well in Louise's yard.