The Third Week Of May In The Backyard

I got behind last week on my yard posts, 'cause......I was in the yard.  :)  Can't pass up sunny days.  Too much work and puttering to be done.

I actually painted the house over the weekend.  Well, not the whole house, but after taking out the rhododendrons, the peeling paint stuck out like a sore thumb, so I scraped the whole front of the house, the porch area, and the driveway side.  Then primed and painted it with a brush.  The south side is in desperate need too, so that will be next.  Ahhhh, the joys of home-ownership.

Anywho, I've got lots of pictures of the back, front and parking strip, so let's start with the back today.

This clematis is somethin' else.  My mom dug it out of her yard to give to me a couple years ago and this year it has outdone itself. She didn't have a tag for it, so it's a mystery one, but it's amazing.

I have it on the metal arbor that The Dad made.

It wasn't in full bloom when I took these pictures, but as of right now, it's solid flowers on the front and back.

It's amazing.

As a side note, I've decided this year that the spirea in the background is one of my favorite plants in the yard.

The color of that sucker definitely pulls its own weight.

While we're in that section of the yard, look at my new allium that my mom got me for Mother's Day.

It's starting to open!
This one is Allium Cristophii, Star Of Persia.

Moving around the yard, my first peony bud is opening.

I want more so bad, but they are SO STINKIN' EXPENSIVE!!!

This one was here when I moved in.

I've moved it around a lot, so it hasn't bloomed well in a while.

All along the edge is this little purple Geranium.

This little pink rose was in the yard when I bought the house.

It has black spot really bad right now.

I'll pull all the leaves off and I'm gonna try a home-remedy recipe my mom gave me on all the roses this year.

A little more to the right, my lone clump of Japanese Iris has its first flower.

I used to have tons of this around the yard, but I've dug most of it out over the years.

I think I may move a piece of it down to the parking strip.

Baby finally has her own pot like the kids.

My mom put this one together for her.

Speaking of pots, I got almost all mine potted up.

I have a lot.

Probably more than I need.  As if there is such a thing.

But they're great for moving around in the garden when you have a hole.

God forbid there should be any dirt showing in the middle of summer.

I've always had fuchsias in this big deck pot, but since I lost every. single. potted fuchsia this winter, I decided to switch it up.  With the neighbor's tree gone, it gets a ton more sun, so it would have been too hot for them anyway.

I just did all annuals.

Verbena, Vanilla Marigolds, Coleus, Salvia, Lantana, and Sweet Potato Vine.

I've been planning on writing a full post about the fence pots, and what I've got goin' on there, since March, but just haven't gotten to it.

Yet another shot of my peach-colored Lewisia. 

I know, but I couldn't help it.

And a new succulent that I love.
Her name is Graptoveria Debbie.

Okay, back into the yard.

The purple Rhody that was here when I bought the house is bloomin' its little heart out.

You might remember me commenting on him in my 12 Years In The Making yard post.

He's come along way, baby.

I keep meaning to paint that garden tool mailbox, but just haven't gotten to it yet.

Ya know, in the five plus years that it's been there.

Right underneath it is a spirea - my goal is to have it get big enough to hide my junk pile of  random garden stuff, and the compost bin, when you're on the other side of the yard.

Off to the left a bit is my giant hosta that I love, love, love.

And that fern I talked about the other day, that may or may not be an Autumn Fern.

And here are just some shots looking from in front of the shed, toward the other side of the yard where the fire pit area is.

Moving around a bit more, under the Mallow tree, the False Solomon's Seal is blooming.

An Epimedium I bought last year, that I was concerned didn't make it, is finally up.
This one is called 'Starlet.'

I have four pots hanging in the tree and my first new fuchsia in one of them is blooming.

I got my two flats of Impatiens planted last week (I'm crossing my fingers that nasty Downy Mildew stuff doesn't get me).

I mixed most of the potted ones in with fuchsias, just in case I end up having to rip them out.

Here are a few of them in a shady spot behind the mallow tree.

A little further along that fence, my 'Sunset' Clematis is blooming.

A little further down, two Spiderwort have started to bloom.

That's another plant that's all over the yard.

It likes to move around a lot.

Without my help.

It comes up in every crack it can find.

And finally, (yes you're almost at the end), the Knock Out Tree Rose is starting to bloom.

It smells sooooooo good.

Okay, that's it for the backyard this week.

Front yard babies are up next.

Shameless plug alert:  

Just a little reminder that you can purchase my floral photographs in my Etsy shop.

If you see one in a post that isn't in the shop, shoot me an email and I'll list it for ya.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/RindyMae

Please see my sidebar for the parties I link up to.