Love the helpers! My new acquisition, Spot, likes to ride in my garden golf cart with me. I have also observed her running up one side of my hill of mulch and sliding down the other side. Oh to be young again!!!

Love the shade garden bed. Dianthus adds such pretty color. Although mine comes back every year, I add another new color when I see it. I know you are looking forward to those first lily blooms!

Kate - Spot sounds like a great garden cat!

Debra

Bahhh! I miss my Yardley. Nothing better then a garden cat. Kate: Welcome to "Spot" in our little daylily family.............Nice Iris and shade bloomers Debra. I noticed a few scapes myself and the temperature is due to climb into the 90's by late in the week. Our weather usually transfers east, so temperatures ought to start going up your way too.............Maryl

I love heucheras, and yours are really pretty Debra. I have bought lots over the years, and seems like most disappear after 2 or 3 years except one I think is Sweet Tea, and a gold leafed one. Nice iris, and love your helpers. Of course your build the tower for them, they have to rule from a proper throne and be able to see all their prey, er, minions.

How pretty. Having lovely blooms make the wait easier. Because I feed feral cats, My garden is blessed with quite a few. they are no help at all and love to play in the daylilies. There are a couple, Socks and Henrietta, two of the spayed females who follow me all over the garden. Horton, big black and white males also likes to relax in the garden. Your two garden cats looks like they take an interest in what you are doing, Debra. I love the huecheras. They are very pretty.

kay

I love this forum because not only does it feed my daylily addiction, but my crazy cat lady addiction as well.....lol. The cats look like they live the most contented lives in your garden.

My iris are just budding so soon I will have some color amongst all the green. My kitties would be envious since they are homebound. I lost too many cats to the wild predators in the woods so mine spend their hours on cat trees and towers. They gaze longingly out at the chipmunks running through my gardens and I've tried a couple of times to put the cats outside for 'natural' pest control but they just run back inside the house....lol.

Gotta love those garden cats! Our new garden cat, named Sparky, thinks that every time Bob digs a hole to plant a daylily, it's time for him to go potty.

Nancy

Nancy 6B - I've lost quite a few heucheras over the years, but the huge one called Plum Pudding (on the left in the photo) has been here for over 12 years. It doesn't seem to mind the heat or my clay soil. I've divided it many times for more clumps here and to give away. If you ever want some of that one, let me know. The others in the photo have been here two years and really seem to like that spot. They are Wildberry, Dale's Strain, and Silver Gumdrop. I have some other new ones I got last summer. Of those, Black Pearl, a really dark one, seems to be doing the best. Most of them can't take much sun.

Debra

Hoosier Nan - Sparky is adorable and reminds me of my Cowgirl when she was a kitten. One of my cats, Coco, thinks every hole dug here is for her potty pleasure too.

Celeste - I can't believe this group has stayed alive for 10 years outside. But they are all very cognizant of dangers. Their mother, Tuxie, taught them well. We have foxes, coyotes, and the occasional large dog off its leash here, and they've always been able to outfox these predators. It's so funny that Cowgirl once she came inside never wanted to go out again. Her litter mates (especially Zuzu) still visit her daily in the dining room window and at the front door.

Kay - My cats think everything I do outside is for them. LOL Tuxie, the mama cat, is my best garden helper. She hangs right with me. The others usually don't take much interest.

Maryl - I know you miss Yardley. He was a great garden cat. I'm surprised you haven't acquired a replacement.

Debra

Yardley was the smartest street cat I've ever known and I wouldn't have let him run except he would have it no other way. Still he had a curfew and was in the house by 3PM until 8AM the next morning...........Our new neighbor just got a kitten and she was letting it run. I warned her the streets were too busy and that I'd lost a couple to them. She didn't listen. He didn't make it 6 months. Yardley was just so special in so many ways. I do have two eldery indoor cats to spoil though. We do love our furbabies...............Kisses to all of yours and an extra treat for giving you so much joy and surviving as they have..........Maryl