A few things have managed to bloom even though we are having a cool, dry spring:
The iris is from Cop Car - planted last summer. I'm surprised it bloomed as conventional wisdom says not to expect blooms for 2-3 years after dividing. I had a couple of this color bloom, and several purple iris bloom (you can see some in the background behind the lupine in the picture below)
I don't think the rhodies out front ever have a bad year - no matter how bad they look after a winter!
A red squirrel was scolding me as I was reading under the crabapple tree.
This is an area that during early spring I had pulled everything I could; poison ivy, blackberries and oriental bittersweet were prevalent along with some "good" plants, but I didn't discriminate. The last 3 weekends I have sprayed for poison ivy and the invasive vines. Last weekend, after spraying and letting it dry for several hours, I covered it with heavy plastic, heavy gardener's fabric, then mulch. Hopefully the smothering will finish off the stuff in that area.
I have to smother a 3-4' section alongside the back of that rock wall too. Then I will be religiously spraying in and around the rock wall and the huge stump all summer and into the fall (that is about a 3' diameter stump that poison ivy has thoroughly entrenched itself on the right).
I knew I had poison ivy coming out of the trees behind the house, and out of the swamp to the right of the house, but yesterday I found a good size patch just outside the fence on the left side of the property toward the back corner. I'm officially surrounded :(
Maybe some of that stuff to help the stump rot out faster?
Posted by: Ruth | June 12, 2016 at 08:40 AM
Poison ivy is relentless, as we must be if we don't wish to live amidst it. Of course, birds love the berries and mindlessly plant the seeds through elimination.
You flowers and bushes are gorgeous. The irises must love you to be putting on a show this early. Looks like they are rewarding you for being such a hard worker. (Happy to read that you took the time to read under the tree. How are the mosquitos?)
Posted by: Cop Car | June 12, 2016 at 10:10 AM
P.S. Are those leaves in front of the lupine, columbine?
Posted by: Cop Car | June 12, 2016 at 10:12 AM
Ruth - I don't know if that stuff really works. Wish I could put a stump grinder to it, but then I'd be spreading even more poison ivy.
CC - Those iris were sent with love, so that is probably it :)
The leaves in front of the lupine are bleeding heart. If you look closely, you can see one lone heart just above the leaves.
Posted by: bogie | June 12, 2016 at 03:03 PM
I did see the blossom and did think it looked like bleeding heart; but, I had forgotten what bleeding heart leaves look like. I normally have planted the ones that have fern-like leaves. (My) Grma Hall had the kind that you have. Thanks for setting me straight.
(You got the "sent with love" right!!!!
Posted by: Cop Car | June 12, 2016 at 09:29 PM
Well, I keep saying I need to buy some of the stump rotting stuff, so if I do I'll try to remember to let you know!
Posted by: Ruth | June 13, 2016 at 08:25 AM