Hooray For The Weiglia

We have three of these Weiglia bushes that are full of pink trumpet shaped flowers. It took a few years for me to train my gardener (aka husband) to prune them right after they're done blooming, like he does the Lilacs, and not to touch them after that. It was worth the wait.

My mother bought this Japanese Painted Fern for me a couple weeks ago and yesterday I finally got around to planting it.

The Morello Cherry Lupine that I planted this spring is doing well. The plant tag says the flowers will be a dramatic cherry red, but it's looking like pink to me.

This Foamflower (Tiarella 'Pirate's Patch') was planted late last summer. It's thriving and even blooming. Each leaf should have a dark center patch resembling a "pirate's patch" but, so far, there is only a tiny hint of that.

When it comes to annuals, I rarely buy a pot of flowers already planted but these Impatiens New Guinea were too pretty to pass up.

House plants are not my specialty but I do have this Croton (Codiaeum 'Petra') and have moved it outside for the summer.

Garden Bloggers' Muse Day - June 1, 2009

"It is better to be a young June-bug

than an old bird of paradise."

-Mark Twain

These "young June-bugs" really know how to have fun and enjoy the moment. It's hard to get all three of them to stand still for a picture, so I told them to jump. Phillip & Caitlyn got into it but Joseph was not about to be told what to do.

In this photo, Phillip is jumping with all his might, head thrown back and eyes closed. Makes me think of this quote by Vladlen Kuznetsov.

"Close your eyes - and open your eyes.

You have one second.

This is all your life.

Is this long enough or just too short?

It depends.

Every one has it different."

Enough about the June-bugs.

The Dwarf Korean Lilac bushes that grow next to our deck are close to being in full bloom. We're glad they're near the house where we can enjoy the fragrance. There is nothing not to love about the DKL; easy to grow and maintain and beautiful.

I read recently that the lilac is sometimes referred to as the "apple pie of shrubs." That's certainly true here in Wisconsin.

Jumping right from soft lilac lavender to bright orange. My son and his wife have both a cornfield and natural areas bordering their 3 acres. In the spring of 2008, Phil planted some wildflowers in the natural area and had some nice success considering he did nothing but sow the seeds. This orange flower is the first to bloom this year and we don't know what it is. Can't find it any of my wildflower identification books. Any ideas?

Thank you to Carolyn at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago for starting Garden Bloggers' Muse Day. I always enjoy it and hope you do, too. Carolyn has been busy preparing for and hosting Spring Fling which was held this last weekend. I'm looking forward to reading about it and enjoying all photos.

Just For Fun

Our friends, Debbie and Jim, recently added this Elfin Tree Door and Accessories set to their big weeping willow tree. They bought it from Plow & Hearth and are still waiting for the battery-operated light that comes with the set. Debbie told me that they've had this troll for a very long time and that he's a fill-in until she can find a cuter elf. As you can tell, Debbie and Jim are fun people.

In The Blink Of An Eye

One morning last weekend, we were about to get in the car when Phillip said, "Grandma, I'm going to ride my bike before we go." This bike has been sitting in our garage since 2006 and he's never shown much interest in riding it with or without training wheels. He's even commented in the past, "I'm not going to ride my bike until I'm 16."

I didn't think much about it when

he pushed the bike out to the

driveway and got on it.

To my surprise, he

peddled down the driveway.

He kept going down the street to the

neighbor's driveway on the left

where he turned around without

getting off the bike.

Peddled back up the street to

our driveway with a look of

satisfaction on his sweet face.

His first words after being safely

back in our driveway were,

"I can't believe some kids don't

know how to ride a bike.

It's easy peasy."

He went from not being able to ride a bike to riding it like he'd been doing it for a long time, all in the blink of an eye. I was thrilled for him but there was a part of me that felt like he was riding right out of my life. I'm 100% in favor helmets, just ask my son and dil, but on this particular day, he took off quickly and I didn't want to call out to him for fear of distracting him and causing a fall.

I love this boy!

Porch Swing View

The birds are finally starting to visit our new, cheap, plastic birth bath. So far, there have been robins, goldfinches and cardinals splashing around in there. This particular robin looked annoyed that his picture was being taken. I was sitting on the porch swing with the camera watching him and made sure to get my crooked toes in the second photo because I knew you'd want to see them.

This is the third year that the Fern Leaf Peony has been growing in our yard. One bloom the first year, two blooms the second year and.....you guessed right.....three blooms the third year. If you want to know more about this plant, Roger's Fernleaf Peony Farm is a good place to visit for information.

I was still on the porch swing, when this immature male Baltimore Oriole stopped to sip some nectar from the new, cheap, plastic Oriole feeder. They prefer open areas with tall trees and we have lots of both. Their song is distinctive and I always hear them before seeing them.

These photos were taken a few days ago when it was still warm and sunny. It's been cold and raining for the last couple of days, giving me a chance to catch up on inside projects. Tomorrow will be another planting day with Nicole at her house and then Phillip's soccer game in the evening. Sun and warm temperatures predicted for the day.

Daughter-In-Love

My "daughter-in-love" likes to say that she has no green thumb. Well, she planted this and gave it to me and I'm lovin' everything about it.....just like I love everything about her!

Small Town Cemetery

Last Sunday when we were driving home from Wisconsin Dells, the combination of being out late the night before, enjoying a big lunch and the warm sun shining in through the car windows made us feel sleepy. What better place to find peace and quiet for a nap than a small town cemetery.

My honey husband fell asleep almost immediately but I was curious about the stories I might find if I walked around visiting grave markers and I wasn't disappointed.

I guess back in 1875 the deceased wife of Amos Partridge didn't have a first name. That bothers me because, of course, she had a first name.

Many of the grave markers from the 1800's gave the age at time of death in years, months and days.

I couldn't help but wonder about the headstones that were damaged. How long had they been that way, how did it happen and why didn't anyone try to put them back together?

It would be nice if when the time comes, a peony would grow on my grave or even a sprig of dandelions like in this photo.

Kyle Steven Goodearle most likely would be graduating from high school this year had he lived. Oh, how his family must have grieved and their hearts probably still hurt. He was born on my birthday, April 18.

Gregory J. Hyde, was only 47 years old when he died. He was a husband and probably a father. You can't see it in the photo, but the little frog sitting at the foot of the marker says, "Born to Ride." That tells me it was a motorcycle accident that tore this family apart.

Robert F. Flanagan received a Purple Heart for being wounded while serving in the U.S. military during World War II. Someone who respects our Veterans still sees to it that an American flag flys at his gravestone.

Seth H. Weed died in the Battle of the Wilderness in 1864. I was still thinking about this when we got home. The date told me the American Civil War but I wondered about this particular Battle. Wikipedia says it was fought May 5-7, 1864 in Spotsylvania County and Orange County, Virginia. The Nation was reunited in 1865 but not before 620,000 American died in the war with disease killing twice as many as those lost in battle.