In bloom!

The front yard is looking good! This was tiny (and pink!) last year but it has really grown and is now sort of pinky-purple.

Dogwood Blooms!

I was happy to get a break from the rain that was long enough to snap a quick picture of our dogwood. I think it is really doing well!

New Plants!

We got a Home Depot gift certificate as a reward from the bank and we had coupons (one for buy one get one free shrubs, another for $5 off) so we picked up some plants yesterday. Unfortunately, we couldn't find 2 shrubs we liked (we were hoping to buy one $25 shrub with our gift certificate and then get a free one and pay nothing out of pocket) so we ended up getting another hydrangea for the backyard and some Spanish lavender. I don't like the fussy smell of English or French lavender, but I found this one to be pleasant and I think it will attract bees and butterflies.

Our pretty butterfly bush that was in front of our house was uprooted last week during one of the storms and is dying so I think we will put the lavender there, even thought it isn't going to get as big as the butterfly bush would have. We do have a spirea and a hydrangea out there now, and a few other plants (Mexican roses, I think? Maybe not.) that are doing well. It is a small space and I don't think we actually need another large plant there. The hydrangea will probably go in the backyard somewhere. It is already quite large and blooming so that's fun. It's called blushing bride and has white flowers with light pink streaks. It's also one of the "endless summer" varieties so it should have a long bloom time since it blooms on both old and new growth.

One cool plant I saw and liked but didn't get was a Pink Lemonade honeysuckle. It was really pretty but it needs a trellis or something to grow on and we just got rid off all those grapes and climbing vines and are in the process of getting rid of the shed, so I am not sure where we would put a trellis. Plus we'd have to buy a trellis and we've already spent way more than I wanted to on plants this year. So, we ended up getting a new hydrangea, the lavender, fill dirt and a tomato cage for only about $7 using the coupon and our gift certificate. Not bad! I'll post pictures once they are in the ground.

dogwood!

dogwood!
Originally uploaded by rachel is coconut&lime

Just in bloom! It is amazing that just a few days ago they were tiny buds.

first tulips

first tulips
Originally uploaded by rachel is coconut&lime

These opened over the course of the day, this morning they were just buds!

Red Lilies

Anyone have any idea what these are? They appear to be some sort of lily and are a really lurid red.

Pink Carnations

I bought these back when we first moved in and wanted something that would grow and spread a bit in the area near our mailbox. It was past their blooming season and the picture on the tag was tiny and contained only their Latin name. It wasn't until last year that I realized they were carnations. I had never really thought of carnations as something you can grow in your yard, but you can and they really have spread. The only thing I don't like about them is how floppy they are!