STELLA!

My FIRST Stella d'Oro!!! I got up to go to work this morning and saw it blooming and did a little Happy Dance on the porch, but didn't have time to go back in for my camera. So I took a picture when I got home tonight, flash and all, even though it was pitch black outside. YAY!

A Wild Day at the Nursery

I finally found my gift cards to the nursery!! I received them for Christmas and promptly misplaced them. So today Dan and I went crazy. It was a blast. But first, look what I found...

Cat in the dishwasher!

She's just fascinated! She gets in there anytime it's open.

These babies followed me home the other day, before I found my gift cards. The lily is called You Are My Sunshine (so of course I had to get it!) and the dianthus is called Apple Spice.

I just love the colors!

And speaking of dianthus... mine are looking gorgeous!

Yay!

That thing coming up under the windchimes is a huge hosta-looking leafy thing. Hmmm.

Did I tell you about the surprise roses on the side yard? They're growing out from underneath a cement retaining wall... and the first one bloomed today! Isn't it gorgeous?? (And it smells heavenly.)

One of my most exciting purchases with the gift card was a clematis, Little Duckling. Isn't it fantastic?

I love the ruffles.

And part of the gift cards went toward a new apple tree for Dan to take Up North. It's an Empire...

... and it already has wee small apples! Unfortunately, they'll only be enjoyed by the deer, the elk, and the pet black bear.

And here's my little Comte de Chambord over by the woodshed.

With a little just-opening, also-fragrant bloom. :)

Oink oink

Some new babies!

And by babies I of course mean flowers. I'm still so sad that gerbera daisies are annuals. I just love them. These are the "festival" variety -- red and apricot.

These Ultra Rose petunias are definitely filling in the windowbox.

I think it's time to give up the ghost on this poor cyclamen. I just couldn't make it happy. :(

Elphaba has been up on this shelf a lot lately. She's such a little demon.

These guys are crabapple seedlings from Dan's uncle. We're hoping they get big and strong.

I really really like these begonias. They're so pretty!

I think this is a lily, but the stalk looks so dark. I've got my fingers crossed that I didn't let a weed get huge and take over.

In other news, we finally figured out where to put the windchime! Merry Christmas to me! :) Thanks, Mom and Dad!

This little guy is a new addition: a Japanese iris named Imperial Magic. Isn't he beautiful?

I also got one named Pink Lady (I didn't have any pink irises!), but she isn't blooming right now.

This sprout is coming up back in the corner by the windchime, columbine, gaillardia, etc. Not entirely sure what it's going to be.

Speaking of!

The Russian sage is really pretty too.

I love the texture of the sedums so much, so I thought I'd try for some close-ups. This is the serrated variety.

And here's the Kerry sedum.

They're just little paddles. I love them. :)

And the close-ups just kind of continued. Here are my precious little violas. :)

Wee yellow trumpets.

This one came out really well. My little Sarah Bernhardt peony.

I'm pretty sure this dianthus is just called Pink Picotee.

And my Granny dianthus. On both of these dianthus pictures you can see sooo many buds!

And speaking of buds, look at Stella!

I tried several close-ups, but bleeding hearts are so hard to get focused. This one of the white turned out pretty well. :)

My creeping phlox.

The very happy Shastas.

Mrow

Look at my sweet girls. Remember when we had to guard little tiny Elphie from big mean Ginger?

Awwww.

Elphaba did some exploring on top of the shoe shelves.

And got caught black-handed.

We decided to get some action shots of me in my garden.

The weeds like to hide in the irises, because they know I don't get in there very often.

Dan got a little artistic.

An awkward sitting position, and Princesse Caroline is on my head.

I didn't count them, but get a load of this patch of irises.

Another view.

We went to a new nursery and they had these kind of pitiful-looking creeping phlox half off. I kind of cut it in half and stuck it in two different spots.

The grape hyancinth has these little pods on it.

I love these lemon zest petunias!

My Kerry sedums are so happy.

Princesse Caroline de Monaco has three blooms!

Look at my dianthus!

Neither is covered like the creeping phlox is, but they're so purty.

I planted that Portland rose, Comte de Chambord, and look at this...

...A BUD! It likes me!!

Here's what I usually refer to as the "other" side of the porch. From front to back, you can see the hostas, the very happy and bloomingful bleeding hearts, creeping phlox, coralbells, and Las Vegas irises.