Garden Pleasures

The Heuchera is winding down but still lovely. I know I take this same photo every year, but I love the bright pink against the pale fern.

If there’s anything in the whole world cheerier than a patch of daisies, I don’t know what it is.  That's my hydrangea tree behind them, one of my sister's got-it-for-two-bucks-at-Home-Depot finds.  She's a true green thumb and can spot a revivable plant from a half-mile away.  This one was pathetic but now in its second year seems to be bouncing back nicely.

A volunteer! I didn’t have pansies last year, where did you come from?!?

An unknown vine. At first I thought it might be morning glories, then I thought green beans, then I thought it was the dreaded “mile-a-minute vine” but it doesn’t seem to be any of those. Can you identify it? It grows very quickly and looks like it will soon have tiny white blossoms.  It's almost certainly a weed but it's new to my yard and I haven't been able to identify it yet.

Hydrangeas. Last year I had 2 blossoms; this year the shrub is covered with buds.  I know that the pruning of hydangeas is a huge hot-button issue with gardeners.  I don't prune mine at all, but merely remove deadwood each late winter/early spring.  It's fun and provides good swords for playing in the yard (like daylilies do - you swordfight with the spent stalks too, right?).



















Anticipation: if any of you have grown Brugmansias, you know they’re tropical (hardy to zone 9 or something like). I cut mine down to the trunk and store in the cellar over the winter, then drag it out again in the spring. This bud will take 2-3 weeks to bloom and when it does the blossom will be spectactular.

And finally, a stitchy experiment. The ORBC group is currently making Karen Griska’s Asterisk Quilt. What.a.blast. I’m toying with two sets at the moment, neither of which is like this combo of solids. I made two play blocks into a biscornu pincushion. As always the biscornu corners are a little tricky. I used crushed walnut shells to fill this one but if I was to do it again I’d pre-stuff the corners with cotton balls or fiberfill since the shells are so squishy.  It makes a terrific paperweight!