Poppies at Last!

My garden is coming together finally. We have 9 of the 12 beds filled with a soil/manure blend. We got the tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and watermelon plants in. Seeds started include carrots, cucumber, butternut squash, and onions. I haven’t started onions from seed before, so I’m excited to see how they do. Another first for me this year is wheat. I actually planted a small area in the back of a flowerbed, so it won’t be in the area below. I have a few more things to get in this spring, and am still hopeful I will have time. We missed the early season this year, so I will definitely be excited to get those cool-weather crops put in this summer for my fall garden.

The flower scene is really heating up! My early spring bulbs are all faded now, and the season is giving way to the perennial beauties.

False Indigo (Baptisia australis) is native to my location in the Midwest and is a host plant to the caterpillars of several species of butterflies and moths. This is currently the earliest bloomer in my butterfly & bee corner.

Two of my three roses are in bloom this week. We may need to move the third one, as its location seems to be a bit too shady.

The lilacs put on a decent show this year, and are pretty much spent at this point. It usually takes several years before a lilac blooms, so we are forced to have some patience and take what we can get for a while.

The dwarf iris are done for the year and we have moved into the tall bearded iris bloom time. These guys are super happy this year and are currently full and absolutely gorgeous! I love the curb appeal of having them out close to the road.

My first peony bloom in years is so gratifying to me! We transplanted six peony bushes from my parents’ large collection last year, and five of them have budded out. We randomly selected these with no idea what the flowers were like. This little gem is our earliest and turned out so pretty. The flowers start pink and fade to white before they’re blown. I have a burgundy, a bright pink, and two white or pale pink bushes still in bud. I am so excited to see what they look like!

We planted this dwarf verbascum last year, and it looked okay but not very inspiring. This year is a comepletely different story! I am glad I decided to give it a second chance. It did not disappoint!

My allium is increasing more quickly than I expected. It doesn’t ever last nearly long enough for me, but I just love it while it’s here!

Last, but definitely not least, is our poppy! For some mysterious reason, we have struggled getting poppies to thrive at our new home. We finally have a strong plant that actually set blooms!

Thanks for joining me on my garden tour. I’ll update again soon!