Spring Garden Update

This year I decided not to grow any vegetable, just flowers. With little Caterpillar around, I don't have any time for gardening. So, all the flowers (most are perennials, some are annuals) have to be tough enough to survive on their own. Here are some perennials in my garden right now. I love this time of the year, there are just so many different colors, and watching your garden wakes up from the long cold winter is always soooo exciting.

These are my favorite! I planted some Columbine seeds after we bought the house. It took them two years to bloom, and they just came back every spring. I love how delicate the flowers are, and they look so shy since they always facing down. They are so lovely, yet very tough. I have them in full sun, full shade, and semi shade, and they are all doing great. The only difference is the ones in shade bloom a little bit late, which is perfect, kind of extends the show.

AK gave me some Lily of Valley last year. They looked like dried up sticks, no much live in them. But I planted them around the garden anyway. They did nothing last season. I am so glad I didn't pull them out. Look at how lovely they are. I know there suppose to be more flowers, but I am just glad they are alive and healthy enough to bloom. I am sure next year, they will do even better. Oh, did I mention about the heavenly fragrance?

I bought this peony "Gardenia" 2 years ago. I heard they will start blooming the third year, but I didn't believe them. But I was pleasantly surprised the other day to see all these lovely buds! They are getting bigger and bigger, about the size of a walnut now. Cannot wait to see the flowers for the first time. Peony "Gardenia" suppose to be the most fragrant peony ever! I planted it right outside the kitchen window, next to the deck, so we can enjoy the sight and the smell in the house.

I sowed those tiny sedum seeds in the space in front of peony last year. I was trying to get a flowerbed that provides different interests throughout growing season. You know, since most of them are perennial, they don't last all summer as the annuals. The daffodils, lilies, daylilies, and mums were great last year. The sedums were very small, I didn't even think they will survive. But look at them now! Even without flowers, they look so refreshing. Maybe I should replant them and separate the plants. But since they are right next to the peony, I don't want to dig too close and damage the peony's roots. So, they just have to stay crowded for a little bit longer.

And here are my strawberry, chive, and some vegetable green grew from dropped seeds last year.