Garden Tour

Today I'm off for my knit-centric lunch and then to the Combination Knitting class with Annie Modesitt but you're welcome to visit my garden while I'm gone.

You'll notice you're not alone. Below is a shot of Mrs. Bumble going about her business on one of my rosa glauca shrub roses. She is one of several lovely Bumble Bees that live in our yard. She and the others work very hard all season (I plant early bulbs to give the Bumbles much needed food when they first emerge from hibernation - encouraging them to stay with us). They are stalwart pollinators and happily work along side me in the garden while also tolerating My Beloved's wood working antics. If you look closely or click on the picture to make it bigger you'll see a furry caterpillar laying along the branch just below and to the left of Mrs. B.

We have been strictly organic in our yard and gardens for many years and the diversity and performance that has resulted is remarkable. That's one fat caterpiller but I can't find what he's been chomping on - clearly not on rosa glauca!

The Oriental Poppies are stubbournly refusing to open until the weather warms up...

The darkly veined foliage on the Weigelia is telling me it needs some fertilizing and the Centauria (blue Bachelor's Buttons) are getting ready to make the seed pods the American Gold Finches will enjoy in a few week's time - thanks of course to lots of help from the Bumbles...
The "Summer Snow Viburnum" is in her full glory - and she'll keep that blooming up for weeks!
"Sarah Burnhardt" Poeonies are being stubbourn like the Poppies across the yard...
Sweet Lena Standard Bearded Iris isn't holding back though - lots of blooms per stem, lots of sweet scent per bloom in this variety...
Nor is her cousin and garden neighbour a Giant Bearded Iris I call "Black Dragon". I can't say for sure whether that's his name or just what he looks like his name should be. But that's what he's called around here...
As for the Allium - its a good thing you dropped by today because after weeks of flowering they still look gorgeously graphic - like fireworks held in suspended animation - but its deadheading time so by next week it'd be too late to catch them! I'll be back tomorrow with tales of my knit-filled day downtown - thanks for dropping by!