One of the first purchases I ever made at the Learning Garden plant sale was this Rhododendron 'Elsie Lee' (Azalea). I think it was about 10 years ago that I bought this beauty. She has thrived in my front flower bed. You can see the rain is hanging on every petal.
Something else that is really blooming at full tilt now is the Columbine, Aquilegia. I have a few colors, really like this color combo.
And then there are these taller ones in the curved bed.
The rain has taken a toll on the Irises. In the front yard I have white iris and purple and white in the back yard.
One sweet little plant that I bought at Smithfield Gardens years and years ago is this Ledebouria cooperi, aka Scilla cooperi. The common name is Zebra quill. Tiny bulbed plant in the Hyacinth family. It is so tiny. You can see the pine straw beside it. This was an impulse buy on my first visit to Smithfield Gardens. The botanical name is very similar to my own, so of course I had to buy it. This is one plant I will be taking with me to South Carolina. Just have to.
The tray of snapdragons that I bought in March are all blooming now. I thought it was a mix of colors, but it turns out they are all this deep red with the yellow throat that echos the azaleas and wallflowers near where they are planted.
and finally.......... my week will end with us going up to James Madison University for graduation. One is graduating from grad school and the other from undergrad. We are very proud of both of them.
So fluttering above a sea of Stringy Stonecrop, Sedum sarmentosum, and a few Dusty Miller-- JMU Duke Dog! Love you girls! Congratualations to you both.
Hi Janet, hooray for the graduations! A wonderful occasion. And congrats on the successful plant sale and meeting Racquel. Always exciting to meet fellow bloggers face to face, even if you had met her before? That is a fave evergreen azalea with the purple hue, a good one for sure. The columbines seem to take all the rain much better than the poor iris here as well. But rain is good and spring is in full swing towards summer it seems. Do you have your plant list of what you are taking prepared? :-)
ReplyDeleteFrances
Graduation. What fun. Good for them.
ReplyDeleteIt is so fun when blog friends visit you! Amazing we are able to connect with such wonderful people
ReplyDeleteCongrats to the new graduates! How exciting for you and for them! A wonderful day indeed.
ReplyDeleteI too really like that color combination with the pink and blue. Perfect!
Glad you and Racquel met! It's always fun meeting new folks and the ones we talk to are the best-we already know them without meeting them.
Beautiful columbines...a nice combination. We've had that same rain and it sure does pound the life out of a spring garden....there's always next week to look forward to (my mantra today)! What fun to meet Racquel...meeting another blogger is a great treat!
ReplyDeleteCongrats to your two grads! I remember feeling so proud of our son when he graduated.
gail
Hi Frances, hooray for no more tuition payments too!! ;-)
ReplyDeleteIt was fun to meet Racquel, we had not met before.
The rain really knocked a lot of stuff down. My purple irises are not looking good at all.
I am trying to not have too big of a list of plants material to take with us.
K & V- It will be fun, lots of family coming.
Dirt Princess- I was quite pleased to see Racquel Saturday morning.
Tina- thanks for the congrats, will pass it on the graduates.
It is fun to meet folks we have 'chatted' with for a while. It is like meeting a penpal.
Gail- thanks, some of this rain was really falling hard. When all was done, we 'only' got just under 3 inches over the weekend. More forecasted throughout the week. It is a very proud time.
Congrats on your daughter's graduations, you must be so proud! What an accomplishment! :) It was nice getting to meet you & I look forward to getting together soon when things calm down a bit for you. Wasn't this rain glorious? I hope we get some more since I finally put all my annual seeds down today, lol.
ReplyDeleteHi Racquel.. I am very proud of both my girls. It was great to see you. We will make plans (do things ever calm down? ;-) )
ReplyDeleteI need to put more seeds out too.
Congrats on the graduations! I learned to swim in the pool at JMU (I grew up outside Harrisonburg), I'm sure it's changed a lot since then tho! How fun to meet Racquel and at a plant sale too ~ nothing better, right? The pink columbine is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteJanet~~ You must be very proud of your girls. Beautiful photos.
ReplyDeleteHi Kathleen, thanks for stopping by. It is a small world. JMU is certainly a pretty place.
ReplyDeleteIt was fun to meet Racquel.
Grace, yes- very proud. Thanks.
Congrats to the girls and you for living though it. Sounds like the plant sale was a great success. Your bloomers are pretty. Isn't it nice to have warm weather return?
ReplyDeleteI'm so exhausted. I've been in the garden all day bending over planting. It's the only way I can get them from the pot to the ground! They refuse to to it on their own.
hi Anna, thanks! Graduation will be lots of fun --seeing some family that we haven't seen since last year's graduation in New York.
ReplyDeletePlants don't want to plant themselves? Interesting. :-) We could use a break in the rain. Over two inches today and almost three total for Saturday and Sunday and Monday. Time to build the ark.
Oh, we want the rain, and then it clobbers the irises. Darn! What a time of celebration, with TWO graduates from a fine school, meeting Raquel, and planning the new house.
ReplyDeleteI vote for lifting and moving the shallow-rooted azaleas and rhododendrons. Imagine how nice to have old friends on the new property? Easy movers.
The squill is adorable!
Hi Miss Daffodil- Iti s a big time all around that is for sure. We will see when it comes time to move how much umphff I have left in me for plants that I may want to bring along. Like I said, the little quill for sure. It is cute isn't it?
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