Ideas Mulling in my Head (My 401st Post!)

As I was walking around the yard, taking over 300 photos, I was getting ideas for some changes in the way I post.  I was thinking I'd like my blog to go back to being a way of keeping track of and sharing what's going on in my gardens.  I was thinking about having a day where I focus on a certain part of the yard, but didn't know if I'd be disciplined enough to do that.  I am a hodge podge sort of gal, and my gardens reflect that.

I was thinking about taking a few photos that fit with the memes I like to participate in, then doing my own thing.  In fact, it being Saturday, I took some photos of some critters while I was out, and even exported them to my desktop, intending to use them, but then, I ended up exporting lots of photos of what I decided to post on today, so decided not to use them.

At this point, I decided to start at a point in the yard, showing whatever I am in the mood and have time to show.  When I get a chance to post next, I'll pick up where I left off.  I'm hoping to connect to some memes in the posts still, but won't try to show every single bloom I haven't shown yet, like I usually do.  I don't think most people do, anyway, but I get obsessed at times.

Since it's Saturday, I decided to start with the side yard.  Maybe I will end up posting the same part of the yard each week, and have a "Side Yard Saturday".  It's fitting to start here, anyway, since my first flower bed was the area between the south (left) side of the house and the barbed wire circle leaning against the house.

I'll start with a side view, which I love to take after walking home from my garden across the street.  When we moved here 12 years ago, there were a couple peony bushes Larry said he didn't want there in the lawn.  I'm sorry now that we got rid of them.  The neighbor I gave them to said she'd give me a start of them.  I need to remember to take her up on that.

I posted some photos of the side yard this spring, but lots more has come up and started blooming since then.  This photo is facing southwest.

The comfrey I moved a few weeks ago is doing well, and getting ready to bloom.  It will get taller and hide more of the meter.

The next series of photos head north.  The ladder and bench Larry made are on the egress window.  I've mentioned the first flower bed was the area where they dug when they put the egress window in. Larry had planned to plant grass over it, but I talked him out of that.  Then, over the years, I talked him out of more and more grass.

Our daughter and a friend snuck out of there one evening when she was in high school, and our son's bedroom was there.  I figured it out because it rained, and I went to her room to see if they'd shut the window, and saw that they'd put pillows and blankets to make it look like they were sleeping.

When I first starting planting, I was going with a blue/purple and yellow theme.  I still choose  those colors a lot, but have included other colors as well.

The little plant on the far left is a purple milkweed, one of the several different kinds I planted this spring, hoping for monarch caterpillars.  The pasque seedheads are looking awesome, the candytuft and sweet woodruff are still blooming nicely, and the daylily has lots of buds.

The plant to the right of the egress window is a baptisia.  It may be a dwarf one, but I don't remember.  The bushy plant in front of it is goldenrod "Wichita Mountains".

The white in the middle is yarrow starting to bloom.  The hyssop to its left and in front of it is not looking good.  It is not the blueish blooming one like I had for a number of years, like the tag said.  Maybe I should go ahead and find something else for that spot.  The bushy plant on the right is catmint that is just starting to bloom.

I think I planted the foxglove after I didn't think the Virginia bluebells from a friend didn't make it.  I decided to leave them this spring, thinking the bluebells would go dormant again, and leave enough room for the foxglove to bloom.  I like the look of the seedheads.  I hope more come up next year.  Then, there's Russian sage to the right, which will need to be trimmed to keep it from overpowering the foxglove.  Black eyed Susans are on the upper left.

Behind the foxglove, is hellebore, 'Silver Lace'.  It would like more water than what it's getting, but I put the hellebores next to the house to keep them away from our grandson since they're poisonous.  I know, some of the other plants I have, such as foxglove, are too, so I need to make sure he doesn't go around those, either.

It's past my bedtime, so I'm going to try to finish up quickly.

I'm enjoying the columbines this year.

This bee on the water spot plant was also on the dwarf comfrey.  (Sandy reminded me to deadhead this Virginia waterleaf, as it spreads aggressively in some places.  I looked it up and found the USDA Plants Database, where they said it's of special concern, but I couldn't find out what that means.  Do you know?)

This is the columbine I moved out of the front bed when it was small.  I should probably deadhead it when the blooms are spent.

Continuing north, the back yard is behind this area.

The amsonia and baptisia are beginning to bloom.

The bare looking area is where I had the Virginia mountain mint.  I dug it out, and planted a small part of it in the bed in front of the veggie garden.  It's hard to see, but I planted a purple milkweed and an amsonia hubrichti there.

This is the shed we had to have repaired because the city wouldn't let us tear it down and build another, because it sticks out farther than the neighbors' houses down the street.  The area to the right of here is where the garbage cans are.

Here's another hellebore, and more woodland phlox.  That's a salvia to the right.

Here, you can see a tiny speck of one of the garbage cans on the right of the photo, which is facing back to the south.

Now, I need to figure out a way to make shorter posts.

Have a great Mother's Day, whether you are a mother or not.