Oh, that is lovely, Dave. Certainly nothing like that going on in mine...in fact, my home garden is still recovering from a year of neglect (as is the allotment) when I threw all my efforts into the wood. Have come to my senses and attempting a recovery this year - I shall hold yours up as an example to aspire towards.

In all honesty, I never manage to get any good photos of mine without someone's bicycle, clothes-washing, lots of utterly dull plastic pots, the dog's tail and even the outside toilet getting in the view. I managed it once by hanging out of the upstairs window, going for the arial shot.

What are those bright pink in your last picture adrimama?

The bright pink flowers in the container in the last photo is dianthus.

a.dri, that salvia is wonderful, it all looks good

It looks good catkin, so many things i can't-or shouldn't grow. Finally gave up on torturing them. I babied rheum along for a year, and while not happy, it seemed to be establishing, then the grasshoppers got it. Hot dry summers just don't do it for them.

Wow Dave, that's fabulous! Excellent mix of textures.

Love your pics catkin, the flowers on your bergenia look different (fewer and larger) than the species; is it special variety? Its beautiful.

Thanks you two! Dave, I have tolerated (not babied many plants over the years. Now, I rip out the ones that don't measure up...it's really liberating. GH, I don't have the tag handy for that Bergenia but I was amazed to see this big bloom because the plant itself isn't much to write home about!

I know, I've always avoided bergenia because it's never really grabbed me, but your flower is quite nice.

100% agree with getting rid of what doesn't work; I just made the same comment in another thread. Some things limp along and then finally I've had enough and "shovel prune" and then I feel loads better and wonder why I didn't do that sooner!

the tree peony in the shelter of the magnolia always blooms a few weeks before the others.

Campanula, my back garden was also abandoned for several years. In our hot, dry climate about all that remained were some ancient cheiranthus and iris on the verge of expiring. Two years ago geums and salvia in the front garden needed dividing and it was either the back or the compost heap. I split and replanted the iris, discovering some minis while I was doing them. That autumn I shook out hesperis, lunaria, and allium seeds, plus some California larkspur seeds that I brought back from a hike. At that point, of course, I kept seeing things in the front that would look good in the back, you know how that goes. The only things actually bought for the back were a six pack each of aurinias and delphiniums. The big thing back there, well actually in the whole place, is weeding out enough to give it a little shape. This year's thugs were hundreds of centranthus and even more larkspur, but it's a good problem. Stipa tenuissima (not it's name anymore) is everywhere, but heigh-ho, what a pleasure when it flowers. Other people from Britain have been cursing a sudden cold spell-how have you been?

Love that red Peony, Dave!!! I never seem to see that color for sale, only whites, pink or magenta...

GH, I fell in love with Bergenia because of their evergreen leaves, especially after having seen them in photos of Beth Chatto's garden. I have some in raised beds that are doing beautifully but others in the beds with heavier soil just languish, mostly!

More garden photos

Ice plant under rose bushes

Swallowtail on Georgia Homestead Verbena

Where are you Adrimama that things are so far along?

I am enjoying this since I have only bulbs, forsythia, and pasque flowers. The magnolias were frozen, about half the bulbs were frozen . . . this has been a slightly discouraging spring here other that the late daffodils.

So jealous. Zone 5 here. All I have are tulips and Pjm rhododendron. Things should pick up soon :)

Catkin- I have a small bulb blooming now that looks like your camassia only it's not even a foot tall. Anyone know what it could be?

I am in North Georgia. I think zone 7b. It's been unusually hot already though!

Adrimama, I love the picture of the pansies near the top of this thread! So cool. Don't they look like faces of a crowd of people pressed up against the stage at a rock concert??

rosa foetida

prunus virginiana, what a heavenly scent

flowergirl, could it be Triteleia? Just guessing.

Dave, so lovely to see your front garden. Is the Rosa foetida 2 colors on one plant or do you have a yellow plant and an orange plant? Beautiful regardless, and I just looked it up to find it's hardy here! So thanks - I think this is one I'll have to find a spot for.

I live in an area where Prunus virginiana grows wild, and though it can be messy in a garden, it's one of my favorite plants in spring, lighting up the roadsides and wood margins with its blossoms.

Babs, virginiana also grows wild all over Nevada where there's enough water. When I was a kid, chokecherry jam was always served with roasted wild duck.

The foetida are two different plants, they are tough. Harrison's double yellow will be coming just a little later and is, I think, superior and much longer lasting.

Just had a colossal lightning, thunder, rain and hail storm, an inch of rain in twenty minutes, I love violent weather. Now the sun is shining and the birds are singing. How is the weather in NH?

catkin, I looked it up, no thats not it. Thanks anyway

Our chokecherries are starting to bloom. It took me years to find out what they are, and I'm happy some have planted themselves in among my scrub oaks.

Here's a few pics showing what's going on in my gardens right now.

Hosta Neptune and friends

Brunnera Jack Frost and Lamprocapnos (formerly known as Dicentra) bleeding hearts.

Lilacs are blooming

Euphorbia Bonfire

Hosta Eye Declare is the bright yellow

This is such a wonderful time of year!

Hi there.

Seacoast NH (z5b) checking in on a cloudy Saturday. We've had a few things up, but still early yet - my lilacs are just starting to open - no buds yet. Primulas are nice and cherry though. Other stuff starting to get rolling:

My main back bed:

Side shade bed:

Best

15al

Sandy your combinations are great. I love the limy greens and yellows of spring, and that hosta-nice.

It has been raining, hailing and thundering here, which is OK, it's been a perfect spring.

Looking good 15al.

front garden in the rain this morning

The first iris opened today,the beginning of a glorious couple of weeks.

The gravel plants are at their best.

Dave, everyone, great photos, I've enjoyed every one of them. I just came in from dragging the hoses around, again. I turned and looked back at the sea of green which is what most of my flowerbeds look like at present and spotted one of my favorite Rhodies back lit by the sun as it was going down. I ran in for the camera to see if I could grab a pic but by the time I got back out the sun was almost off it. I can relate to Camp about taking photos, rarely do I get a good one. If I had only been a few minutes earlier, it looked like it was on fire.

Warlock

Annette

Our weather went from freezy to boiling in a couple of days - nothing compared to US extremes but a shock to us Brits.

Catkin, Beth Chatto is famous for her love of bergenias - a genus I utterly despise... until I came across the most perfectly lovely miniature bergenia omeiensis - absolutely nothing like those leathery slug hotels - I am smitten helplessly despite having nowhere suitable for such a little marvel.

My garden is so tiny, I am often paralysed with indecision what should be granted a permanent place in the two small raised beds. Every inch of standing space and all the coping is yet again covered in seedling pots while there are at least 3 square metres of completely empty soil in the beds awaiting inspiration. There is one annoying rose which I am bored with...but as it was placed on the burial place of a much loved cat, I am a tad leery of unearthing a skeleton puss in an attempt to remove the rose (which will inevitably have a huge laxa taproot)..