Gardeners are lovely people!

This will be a long and rambling post, since I need to catch up with a weeks worth of pictures, I should really split them, but since they are all loaded and ready I will leave them together. So much for my rule of 10 pics (max) per post.


The Iris Caesar's Brother is planted not too far from the black Superstition. I think he was a little jealous of all the attention and sent up a flower stalk late in the week. I'm pretty sure I could hear the song 'Anything you can do, I can do better' in the backgroung. But he may be fighting a losing battle...


Gratuitous Superstition picture...

I am enjoying my Cosmos mix immensely. BUT, even though I randomly scattered the 12 plants, they are completely segregated by colour. How does that happen???


Further along, a mystery peony (can't believe I didn't keep the tag or remember the name!) is bowing down to say hello.

Jack Frost has forgiven me for buying him, bringing him home, letting him get snowed on, then baking him & burning his leaves by placing him in a 'protected' area on the other side of the sunroom glass. He has even grown a few blue flowers for me, the hearts are quite taken with him. He also has some silver artemesia for company nearby.

My hostas are growing remarkably well this year, usually they are eaten by slugs. I think my signs may be working.

Pink Beauty Potentilla is covered in blooms! I hope this one overwinters better than the last.

The perennial sage has started to bloom this week, it has grown like crazy since I planted it last year.

I added quite a few blue peachleaf bellflowers last year, and they are starting to bloom. Another wonderful addition from the Campanula family.

And another blue bellflower, the little Campanula 'Get Mee', I like the way it looks with this little sign.

I'm so pleased with my 'Blizzard' Mockorange. I bought it last year, and it bloomed well, but I have found that flowering shrubs can take a few years before they bloom again. The initial flush is from being hopped up on fertilizer at the garden centre. It has produced a beautiful display and the sweet scent is intoxicating.

My 50 cent painted daisy has started to bloom. The fern like foliage is a nice change and the colour is striking.

Daylily Canadian Border Patrol is sending up it's first blooms, they are beautiful with their dark centres, and frilly edges. I planted 3 around my Tango Weigela, you can see a lambs ear and fall aster in the background. Do you see the little leaves on the bottom left of the picture? It is one of 2 Meconopsis plants I ordered earlier in the year. I am keeping my fingers crossed for some blue poppies one day....

More first of the year, Thubergia is really starting to grow and has opened a few pumpkin flowers. Can't wait til the poles are covered!

Remember my full shade peony? It's handful of blooms has just started to open. This little plant truly amazes me!

I have not had a Viburnum before, and added this Blue Muffin Arrowwood. It has a bad reputation for being a poor producer of the blue berries that it is grown for. We'll see how it does after the blooms are done. So far, I think it is a lovely little shrub.

My odds container continues to grow well. The Tiger Eye Gold Rudbeckia has now joined the others in bloom.

Sunrise Sunset rose is growing on me, as the flowers mature they fade a little and sunglasses are no longer needed for viewing.

You're may be wondering where my 'Gardeners are Lovely People' title came from? It came to mind the other night when I was out for a walk and stopped to admire a gorgeous stand of peonies. The homeowner was outside and I commented on how impressive they are. She asked if I wanted some and immediately snipped some off and handed them to me. It's amazing how a relatively simple gesture from a stranger can really make your day.

Then this morning, I stepped outside and saw this large pot on my step. A friend had offered me some yellow irises recently and they magically appeared! I will have to expand beds to fill them in, but am very excited about them.

There are few other new plants in holding, I found the Shasta 'Becky' (of course I couldn't resist) and was given Rudbeckia 'Indian Summer' and Veronica 'Royal Candles' by a friend (helps to have connections lol).

That's it for now! I'll try to post more often so things don't get so far out of hand. If you've made it this far CONGRATULATIONS! You deserve a prize - how about a yellow iris?