Gardening, anyone?

Thanks Ananda. I see some of the same ladies as the ones here. I think I will stick with this one!

Monis- it looks and sounds so lovely!

I live in a tucked away little part of a small urban area that seems like the country. We have marauding hungry deer here who have lost so much habitat they eat things they aren't supposed to like. I took a chance and made a rock garden outside my fenced and protected area with all deer resistant plants. All my neighbors just shook their heads. But so far, using natural concoctions (and maybe the sounds and smell of Jack) I've been lucky. It's just getting started so doesn't look that great yet. Here is a pic from a couple of weeks ago. It's 4:30 am so I can't post a current pic but will do so later

I planted the following 3 tulips over 30 years ago, but have only bloomed for the last 6 years.

The high 80's for a few days made the following snow glories slowly wither away.

counted my tiger lilies, so far 152 are up .this is not including my Asiatic lillies. can't wait for more to poke through.

Tika- that is quite similar to my recipe. I think I use a bit of hot sauce too. And I hang bars of Irish Spring soap around. And beautiful tulips!

I have sweet woodruff, anenomes, poppies, viburnum, lambs ears, brunnera, an unusual foxglove (species perennial), several catmints, a black pine, a couple of crape myrtles, achillea, can't think of what else. It's looking really good but it's pouring with rain now, so the photo waits again.

Charger- I cannot begin to imagine the bounty of your lilies! So many! I will be needing updates on these! I love all kinds of lilies.

PS just remembered some hens and chicks

I so enjoy the pictures of all the gardens.  They motivate me to become a competent gardener.  I think it's going to be a lifetime task. 

ok finally stopped raining so here's a few of my <6 mo old rock garden. Hope not too many pics. They'll prob look like the last ones haha.

I forgot to mention a peculiar problem we have been dealing with for the last 10 years.  The original owner installed a water softener system and hooked it up not only to the house but also to the outside hose bibs.  The watered the trees and garden patches with salt water for years. 

We have been using gypsum to neutralize the salt that is deep in the soil and this year we finally are seeing an improvement in the grass and trees.  We still have a way to go, but things are looking up.

So lovely. Unusual color

Anemone? Not fully open yet.

Teka- apple blossums are my favorite. My DD asked me once what my favorite colors were and I replied pink and green. My DD made a face - I said you know that light icy pink with pale green like crab apple blossums in Spring! I just melt it's so lovely. Love the photos.

I thought I might comeover here since I love plants and gardens and not everyone shares my interests. The rock garden is coming along nicely. We have had such a warm Spring this year, very unusual for Western Oregon.

My yellow primrose blooming. The flowers tend to be more underneath right now, but I am amazed how much this planting from last year came back with gusto.

We haven't seen a big, round bottom honey bee in a couple of years.  We have a small, slim be that pollinate our flowers but that's it.  I guess we will wait until there are no longer honey bees in North America before we wake up to the fact that honey bees are being killed by insecticides and mites.

The borage that I plant near my tomatoes used to hum with bees.  Perhaps it will again.  I certainly hope so.  BTW borage will keep tomato cut worms away.  Those are the large green caterpillars with black markings that can strip a plant of leaves in one night. 

We still have lots of honey bees, bumble bees and mason bees. We put out one of the wooden hives for the mason bees. Still there have been several huge die offs of bumble bees that hit the evening news.. all from spraying flowering trees. They banned the one spray. Lots of things on the local news about hive preservation, colony collapse and capturing swarms. There are so many millions of fruit trees and fruit bushes/vines crops here that this state would be devastated if the bees left. We treat our bees like they were heaven sent!

People need to view Bees = food!