Stuck Between A Rock and A Hard Place and GBBD

Well, this isn't really a rock, but it is a hard place. This poor little Columbine grew from a deposited seed a few years ago. I have tried to pull many times. Look at it....it looks like it is looking at me saying---help me



When it was small I thought I could easily slide it out, thinking the root structure was not too large. Well, it couldn't be pulled and I haven't had the heart to kill it. So every year, I have a very pretty Aquilegia growing in the crack of the sidewalk and the house.




Miss Bateman, my bargain Clematis is starting to bloom. I have her behind the mailbox and she seems to be very happy.
.



More blooms opening every day



For those who didn't know what we in the South have been talking in reference to the pollen....here are a few examples. This is in front of my garage door....after it rained.


The yellow is the pine pollen from the Loblolly Pine primarily.  The fuzzy 'stuff' is the catkins from the oaks.   It is mostly the oak pollen that people have trouble with, though the pine pollen is more visible.




After a rain is puddles and settles in many places.  With hope another rain will finish off the high volume of pollen that is lingering.


And so for this April Garden Bloggers Bloom Day I welcome the first of the Tradescantia that is already blooming in my garden.  Please visit Carol  at May Dreams Gardens for more GBBD postings.







words and photos by Janet,The Queen of Seaford.

After the Sale and Before Graduation

Many thanks for all the well wishing on our plant sale. It was a success. Especially fun for me was the fact that Racquel, one of my blogging buddies, came by with her husband. Thanks for coming Racquel, we will get together soon!
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.

Getting Ready for Our Plant Sale

Yesterday and today I am in the Learning Garden getting ready for our sale this weekend. We get a lot of donations from folks in the community, so the selection is always varied. In past years I obsessed about whether we had enough plants. Every year, it works out. So I am not getting too worked up this year....am I getting wiser as I get older?!?!
After things were set up yesterday I walked around the garden with the camera. The Rhododendrons are starting to pop like popcorn. Each one is a new favorite as I walk through the Rhododendron section........




From the Rhodie section I went past our trellises that have lots of blooms.




The Chionanthus virginicus is in bloom for the sale...always a bonus!


And one of the Amsonia...


The various Aquilegia are also showing off-


Azaleas are also putting on a great show at this time... Beautiful settings...full of color.


One of my favorite azaleas is Rhododendron 'White Rosebud' ('Kehr's White rosebud')



I finished my walk through the Shade Garden... love the combination of foliage contrasts. Tradescantia 'Sweet Kate' Spider wort and Polygontum odoratum 'Variegatum' Solomon's Seal.



HAPPY MAY!!!!