Saturday blooms

Thank you all for your warm welcome of the new little monster. Well, he's not much of a monster yet, but I can see it lurking in those eyes. Right now, he's much too nervous to get into much trouble.

He's stolen Peno's favourite cat bed in the bedroom (don't worry, she has a favourite cat bed in EVERY room). He stayed there most of the night, but around 5 am something spooked him and awoke to the sound of him skittering under the dresser.

He was still there when I got out of bed a few hours later. A little while later, he laid at the top of the stairs and watched Dave install the air conditioner. He didn't flinch through the drilling and banging, but just as Dave was finishing, he heard something we didn't and went skittering into the closet. He's still there. When I'm done posting, I'll go and tempt him out with some food.

In the mean time it is hot, hot, hot here (hence the a/c installation) but the gardens are loving it!

The Columbine I started from seed three years ago finally bloomed. In the end I got a lovely pale yellow. Not at all what I was expecting, but still very pretty.

The lilac is putting on quite a show. I only got one bloom stem this year. (last year there were several). But i suspect it may be the proximity to the bird feeder. I was reading that you have to be careful about pruning in fall, because the nodes that create the flowers are already there. You cut them off - no flowers next spring. The birds and squirrels use the bare branches to get to the feeder all winter, and I'm wondering if the nodes got broken. I'll move the feeder and we'll have to wait until next year.

The red iris I bought just bloomed. Yesterday I was a little worried, Just the tips of the petals were showing and it was looking pretty purple. But then I went out there this morning, and there she was in her red velvety glory.

The Salvia is blooming nicely. This must be related to catnip... it looks so similar. Just looked it up.. yup.. it's part of the mint family, just like cat nip. The bee balm I bought it too - but it hasn't bloomed yet.

Last year I moved the Alpine Asters from the big bee garden to the little bee garden, and split the clump into several pieces. Only one piece survived the winter, but she seems pretty happy.

 

So its the Baby's Breath. She's out of the shadow of the daisies and spreading and blooming all over the place. I have it in white and pink

That one is totally pink... for some reason the camera doesn't want to puck up the colour wel. But it's pink, I promise.

The English Daisies are doing well.

And it won't be long before the English Lavender blooms. I really hope this one is more hardy than the Little Bee lavender I bought last year.

The poppies are about to bloom too... that or it's turning into some strange garden monster....

And look at all those buds on the Bachelor buttons. It's going to be Bachelor city soon. And it's not the only thing getting ready... soon we'll see roses and daisies, delphiniums and lilies....soon we'll be awash in blooms!