Garden Impostors and Interlopers

Let's take a walk in the garden and see what's blooming.

These ground phlox look lovely against the stone wall.

 Here's another shot from the driveway.You can see some hyacinth leaves sticking up out of the phlox and behind them, astilbes.

Does anyone recognize these wildflowers? They've sprung up here and there in previous years and are quite delicate. I try to mow around them in the lawn.

The mountain laurel blossoms are ready to open.

Can you guess why this azalea has both pink and white flowers? Actually, there are two shrubs planted so closely together that the branches intertwine and appear as one.You might say they're garden impostors!

 

My many rhododendrons are in full bloom as well. 

I have beautiful views of them from north, south, east and west-facing windows!

Here's another view of those ground phlox. 

You can see a wayward basket of gold is growing from between the stones in the wall

and a fern has sprung up from a crack between the asphalt driveway and the stone wall.

I'm happy to report that everything I plan to eat this summer has been planted in the vegetable garden. The potatoes, both red and russet varieties, are already coming up and some have been mulched. I see no evidence of the terrible slug infestation I battled last year.

Tomato and bell pepper seedlings are in. I've been enjoying a variety of red and green lettuces here and there, and have also planted acorn, spaghetti and zucchini squash plants. I hope I'll have better luck with pollination this year. 

Having loved my homemade pesto sauce so much last year, I bought five more basil plants this year and hope to freeze some.

Cucumber hills have been seeded as well as yellow and green string beans. I put up three tripod-like structures for the beans and some vining annuals, including rudbeckia, morning glory and, just for fun, some miniature Halloween gourds which will look nice filling a bowl this fall. The poles are made out of long branches I pruned from my burning bush in late winter. They stand 5 to 6 feet high.