Garden Tour!

I went out at 6 this morning to take pictures before the sun came up. I always like the colors best at dawn and just before dusk....

My gardening style is of the cottage variety...things get flopped over and grow on top of each other. It's not random but it is pretty free-form...a lot like my quilts!!!!

So let's take a stroll...

Lavender and "Super Wave" petunias, about to dive over the wall..

Hydrangea, stock, miniature roses, chives, digitalis, Russian sage, tea rose, nicotiana, marigold, day lily..

The brassica corner! Broccoli and kale here, with New Zealand spinach below the kale. I read that brassica flowers attract beneficial insects to the garden, so I have let some of the broccoli go (those yellow flowers on the left). I must say, I have had zero aphids or white flies this year.

This is probably the glam shot of the whole series. You can see how the California poppies have taken over almost the whole path here. (They haven't opened up yet because it is early in the morning.) It is hard to see, but I have celery, dill, and coriander growing amidst the calendula, roses, borage, and lavender. Again, the herb flowers are bringing the good guys to the garden.

See those snapdragons on the left? Not blooming yet. I started those from seed last MARCH, and have been waiting and waiting and WAITING for them to get going already. The variety is "Heavenly White" (from Thompson and Morgan Seeds); they are supposed to smell great. I want them in the center of my Spring CQ, along with the other white flowers I have, some of which have also not bloomed yet, especially the phlox and michaelmas daisies. White cosmos, roses, and nicotiana will also go in the quilt's center.

My trusty bench, under the purple buddlea bush, which I have to keep whacking back.

I love these santolina "shrubs" (when I bought them years ago they were in 4 inch pots). They look like yellow polka dots to me. Nice how they are growing through the deer fence.

This is the border right in front of my house. (That's the garage in the background.)In the lower left is a wonderful hyssop plant..I have it right by the entryway because its pink flowers attract dive-bombing hummingbirds. Look, there's one now, in the upper right corner of the picture!

One time I was up in my garden watering, and a hummingbird was literally diving in and out of the petals of a red rose, like a porpoise in the waves of petals. I was transfixed, watching, and slowly walked closer and closer until I was right next to the rose bush. He was having the best time!
That little bird--and they are real athletes, by the way, with immensely strong muscled necks--finally popped up out of the rose, hovered looking at me, then flew over and landed right on my thumb.
He was just saying hi.
I almost died with delight.

Come back, little guy!