hello again

I know it has been A WHILE since I posted last, to say the least. I'm not going to make any promises (see lower on the page to see how well those stick), but I am going to attempt to get back into posting here at least once a week!

The garden has been going nuts here in Portland. Today is very rainy and moderate/cool, but it's supposed to be sunny and in the 90's by the end of the week. (cue grass growing inches per minute in front of my very eyes.)

The state of the garden is currently very overgrown. I wish I were one of those people who loves to putter around even in the midst of the muddiest, coldest weather of the winter, but alas, I am not. So it's a lot of catch-up. But that's okay.

Here are a few pictures to get started again -- these were taken this afternoon -- three phases of the oriental poppies that volunteer all over the garden every spring.

I may have a few more pictures to put up this week, otherwise, I'll see you here some time next week.


in bud -- I love how delicate the little hairs on the bud are -- they catch all the rain. I'm not sure what their biological function is, but they're awfully pretty in the light.



petals emerging


all the way out, but wet. (they look less droopy in the sunlight, but I think they're pretty this way too.)

busy summer

Long time, no post! I have been busy this summer and unfortunately did not keep up with this blog as much as I would have liked. Here's a picture of Busby helping with the gardening. (such a giver!) He is king of the bark dust pile; in order to get another load for the wheelbarrow, you have to skritch his head. It's a complicated system.

More soon!

hello, foxy

It's foxglove time! I love foxglove. It's true, they don't behave particularly well and I can never predict where they'll be and they seem to migrate all over the yard... but they bring such lovely color and get so tall! Here are some early photos:



I love when they're blooming like this all mixed in with the roses (which you can't really see in this photo, but trust me they're there).



So pretty! Ours range from all white (no dots) to pink to purple (various shades). The big bumblebees love to get inside of these.



Hooray for foxglove!

lagging behind

It's crazy blooming time here in portland! here are a few pictures from the past couple of weeks -- I hope to get caught up to real time soon:



here's a variegated weigela gone WILD. It has a cascading habit, and it has been cascading a lot.



here's a close up of the flower -- isn't it pretty?



these poppies are almost entirely gone by now, but when they're blooming they're very fun. (this photo was from two weeks ago.)



The siberian iris are still hanging on, but only just. (this photo also from two weeks ago -- note the yard debris can in the background!)

rhododendron time!

what does a shrub full of these look like?


like this!


and one not from my yard (but I love the yellow with purple)


these are in my yard and out of control. They need some serious pruning, but I think that will wait until after they're done blooming.

Wisterious

This wisteria isn't in my yard, but I walk by it almost every day. Before it starts blooming it doesn't look like much -- mostly just thick old vines pulling the support up out of the ground. But once it starts blooming...


supporting structures.


It's beautiful and smells good too!


I think the flowers look similar to sweet peas.

some early may color

This frilly purple rhodie is EXPLODING right now -- I'll try to get a full-shrub shot of it soon.



Close up of the purple rhodie. I love the spotting pattern on this one.



This tulip was almost gone by, but I loved how it looked with the scilla behind it.