April Showers. .You Know What THAT Means!!

Well. .the school year is officially over around this place!!

Though it just ended yesterday, it FEELS like it is mid-June to me. Everything is blooming early. .and the heat is on!! Tomorrow is slated to be 99 degrees. We have already had several days in the mid 90's. Come along and see what is new here.

A lump of blue/purple salvia is coming along very nicely. .a gift from GonSS from her garden to mine in April. .I have been just tickled with it's progress. .I notice with her photos. .and from my mom's garden (I was able to ID this plant at her house! She knew what it was, I hadn't known that before) that this will freely self seed, and fill in a nice area of the Memory garden.

The wintersown Carnival morning glories are starting to climb up the rustic cedar fence. I can't wait to see the blooms. 

The cosmos did a super job of reseeding themselves to fill in this area on the east side of the pond. .I don't think I had any there last year. .so they must have traveled across the yard. The variegated cattail clump to the right in the photo has developed catkins. .will have to get a close up when the wind isn't blowing 50 mph!

The butterfly milkweed has established himself well. .and looks to have even reseeded in the area. It is really stunning in the midst of the purple larkspur. This weekend I hope to deadhead some of the dying larkspur to make way for the summer blooms.

The Ratibida are just starting their blooms. .The burgundy Mexican Hat coneflower plants were the "new plant" winners around here last year. .surviving the drought and heat and blooming for nearly 4 months. The yellow Ratibida are really nice too. They bloomed last summer, but they weren't that great. .these blooms seem to be larger and more showy! They self-seeded well. .and I will no doubt be digging them out for years to come!! 

The holly hocks are certainly making a statement this spring! Never do I recall having such nice looking plants. .and blooms from them. Earlier in the week as I shot these photos. .I scared a hummer out of them. I was tickled that there is still one out. .and that provoked me to refill my feeder and hang it where I could see it better. And then I was gone all week, here and there and everywhere. .am hoping to see him this weekend.

The blooms are red, burgundy, light pink, and white. Even the foliage has been relatively unscathed by insects. Maybe the chickens have scared them all away!!

The Russian garden is in bloom. Though the bluish sage in the middle is just starting and hard to see. The blanket flower have reseeded themselves in the garden. .but it just seems to be taking a long time for it to fill in. .It's coming!

I've been pretty happy with my patio plants so far this year. I found this cool looking foxtail fern and used some hot pink petunias and gomphrenia plants. Finally the honeysuckle bush is tall enough to give some relief and afternoon shade to the deck and it's inhabitants. 

The view from the boys' upstairs room shows the shape-up of the fish pond. The bushes to the far right are the caryopteris. .

Amazingly. .they are starting to bloom. .nearly 2 months ahead of schedule!!

One of the daylily plants shared by my friend Pat is blooming. .Pat. .if you stop by this post. .ID this one for me!! The other clumps have buds on them too. .so now it will be a short wait to see!! 

Wheat harvest started this afternoon. While the guys were in the middle of all that. .Cami and I hung out in the yard. .just taking deep breaths!! We jumped. .and played on the swings. .and checked out the flowers. .and peeked in the bluebird houses. .

Guess what we found?? 

A few TINY little bluebirds in the house by the road. Squinting with one eye through a 2 inch hole into a dark box provided only the glimpse of beaks and movement. .so we googled baby bluebirds. Cami couldn't see anything in the hole. .but she was pretty impressed by the tiny, naked birds we saw in the google images!! Can't wait to see them grow!!

Have a wonderful weekend!!

We are needing one around this house!!