Garden Updates

Remember what the perennial bed next to the deck stairs look like a couple of weeks ago? Yes, it was dominated by my magnificent Peony "Gardenia". Just a short break after they faded, here is what the bed looks like now. Like a totally different garden, isn't it? That's the beauty of a perennial garden. Your garden constantly changing colors and shapes throughout the whole growing season.

Here are some close ups of the beautiful Asiatic Lilies.

My Rhododendron is blooming as well. Funny thing is for 4 years, I never really looked losely at the flowers, I thought they are just boring pink flowers. Imagine how surprised I was when I saw the yellow details.
I also love the contrast between the darker pink buds and softer pink flowers.

The sedum I planted 2 seasons ago from seeds (the finest seeds ever, like cinnamon powder) finally started blooming too. I always thought the reason the plants looked different than the sedum (autumn joy) I know is because they are too young, they might need a couple of more years to grow to that size and shape. Man, was I surprised! It's a totally different sedum! I did some research online, and think it might be Green Mantle. Now think about it, I am counting myself lucky. If it was Autumn Joy, it might be too big for the spot, and will block the sunshine to my peony. Green Mantle is more like a ground cover, so it forms this bright green thick mat in the front of the flower bed, and hangs over the edge a little bit as well. The contrast between this bright green and the darker green leaves of peony and others made the bed more interesting.

I didn't plant any Cilantro this year, so it's probably the seed from last season. I love the delicate shape of the flowers. I need a macro lens for this. =)

Oh, my Columbines are still going strong. But now, it's a mixture of old and new, the seed pod and flower buds. Love how the delicate flowers can turn to this weird shape seed pods. Nature is very interesting.
And I love how this white Columbine flower looks against the huge hosta leaves. In Chinese, we have a saying, to showcase the beauty of a red flower, you have to use green leaves as background. It's true for white flowers too. =) And they don't have to be from the same plant. Isn't that the basic idea of flower arrangements?

Last but not least, one of my potted plant is about to bloom. I have seen its flowers online, but never thought mine will bloom one day! I saw the spike while taking pictures of the azalea. What a happy surprise! Cannot wait to see what the flowers look like when they open up.