Beautiful April Garden

April may be the prettiest month in my garden.I recently had a garden party for the ladies in my church; over 90 people came! (Yes, we managed parking for everybody, and the garden came through completely undisturbed.) The weather was perfect, and we all had a great time. Everyone loves a beautiful garden. Would you like a brief tour? I will cover the woodland garden in my next post. Here are a few views around the patio and front garden:

Yes, that white flower in the front is Erigeron, also called Fleabane, a wildflower that is known as a common weed, though a very pretty one!

The following two images are of my first peony bloom, 'Shirley Temple.' I shot the top picture soon after the peony bud opened, after a heavy rain. The second photo is a few days later. Peonies are new to my garden this year, but not new to my heart, for I have loved them since childhood.

Columbine, purple salvia, Dianthus 'Bath's Pink' and a succulent called 'Blue Chalk Fingers.'

Penelope Rose is one of my favorites.

Romantica rose 'Orchid Romance.' I bought it because of its name!

This Voodoo Lily bloom did not open till the day after the garden party. Thankfully! The bloom smells exactly like a rotting corpse, and I was afraid it would spoil the party.

Foxglove 'Camelot'

Top row: Two views of Calibrachoa. Middle row: Blue Eyed African Daisy; Violas. Bottom row: Hybrid Columbine; Pink Dianthus.

I hope you enjoyed the tour. May you have a beautiful week!   Deb 

Marvelous May

May is saturated with colorful flowers and foliage, with fragrant jasmine and roses and newly mown grass, and with all sorts of bird song. Cheeps come almost incessantly from every bird house. I had a conversation yesterday with a tiny nuthatch who poked his head out and studied the world for a few moments. 

"Why, hello. You are cute," I said.

The little guy looked at me and asked where his mama was, as he was very hungry. Then he pulled back inside his abode, and a chorus of complaints from his brothers and sisters greeted him. It is crowded in there. It won't be long before they fledge.

May is a marvelous month, and sometimes I am overwhelmed by its beauty. Join me for a quick look at the garden. Most of these images were taken in late afternoon, when the land was gilded with golden light:

American smokebush, Cotinus obovatus

Spiraea japonica 'Gold Mound'

Clockwise from top left: Hybrid rose 'Orchid Romance'; Rosa Mutabilis, also called Butterfly Rose; Spiraea japonica 'Anthony Waterer'; Purple Salvia; Magnolia grandiflora, or Southern Magnolia; Rosa 'Zephirine Drouhin', an old Bourbon rose that tolerates some shade; Penelope Rose; Rhododendron; Garden Phlox; Hibiscus.

An assortment of greens in the May garden:Clockwise from top left: Bird's Nest fern, a tropical that spends frost-free months in the woodland garden; leaves of the Chinese Pistache tree; Fatsia japonica 'Spider Web'; Burford Holly with berries that will turn bright red later in the year; Zantedeschia; Variegated Weigela.

I hope you enjoyed the tour. Have a great week!