Foliage, and a Few More Blooms

Our weather has been improving the last few days.  I was able to get some planting done today, even though the soil was still on the wet side.  I planted raspberries where I had planned to put in some sweet potatoes across the street.  Now, I need to find spots for them.

I help serve supper at a local outreach center 4 times a year, and the third Saturday of May is one of our days.  When I got home this evening, there was enough light left to take some photos.  I couldn't decide if they were going to be for Pam's Foliage Follow-up, or part 3 of my curb bed.  Then, I decided to do both.

Not all clematis foliage is the same.  The one on our front porch railing has nice sized leaves.  This plant does not latch on to the supports, but needs to be tied to them.

The foliage on my mother-in-law's peonies deserves respect, as the plants have been in front of the house over 20 years.

Lamb's ears foliage is pretty this time of year.

The painter's palette and lamium are sharing space with the lamb's ear this year.  I may need to do some thinning.

The various kinds of heucheras are looking good.  They've grown quite a bit this spring, and some are blooming.  I need to clip back the blooms that aren't the pretty bells that some are.

The strappy foliage of the daffodils aren't looking ragged yet.  That's pig squeak in the back left, with pulmonaria in the middle.

The 'Snow Angel' heuchera hasn't been as hearty as others, and this one hasn't grown as large as the others.  I'm hoping it continues to be healthy.

I have a wash tub full of ginger mint that has survived several winters.  It started out sharing the pot with a pineapple sage and another plant of some kind.  I enjoy making tea with it.

The hostas are doing well this year.

This photo of the front yard shows lots of foliage.  I posted about the curb areas to the left (west) of the sidewalk.  The area to the right (east) was planted a year after the area just across from it.  Larry and I had argued about the original size of the first one, after the area was dug to replace our neighbor's water main.  The next year, he thought we should plant on the other side to make it more symmetrical.  We now have more flags in our yard from the gas and water companies.  They're supposed to call us back Monday to let us know why.  I hope they are not planning to dig in the planting areas any time soon.

This is facing south, from the yard.

The next 3 photos are facing west.

The narrow part was added a couple years ago when Larry said he couldn't get grass to grow there, and would I like to plant something else there? 

Larry updated some things on my computer today, including iphoto.  The photos are not staying rotated after I edit them.  I included this anyway, because I am enjoying the perennial geranium foliage, and this is playing nicely so far with the iris foliage.

This is knautia getting ready to bloom.

I grow several kinds of sea holly.  I don't remember which kind this is, but I don't touch the foliage on it.

I like the color of 'Fireworks' goldenrod foliage.  The first few years I grew it, it behaved itself, but now, I'm needing to keep it from spreading too far.

This is a betony of some kind.

This is a bulb that usually has just a few blooms, if I'm remembering correctly.  It's got lots of buds this year.  I like the strappy foliage.

I've learned that arum is invasive in some areas.  It's another one that didn't spread much for the first 8 years I had it, but now, it's starting to.  It's foliage is different from other plants I grow.

I just had to include this photo of the onion chives and regular chives.  They had one bloom open yesterday, and the rest joined them today.  The salad burnet is loaded with blooms, too.  When the blooms fade, I'll cut them all to the ground, and enjoy harvesting more from them.