In the presence of a Monarch.

You can chase a butterfly all over the field and never catch it. But if you sit quietly in the grass it will come and sit on your shoulder. Author Unknown

This beautiful creature landed outside our front door this morning. Enjoying a cool muddy spot, as the grass grows around her. We stuck around to watch her, less than 3 feet away for almost 10 minutes. Our three year old was very impressed. Finally we left her to finish whatever she was doing, and when I peeked 30 minutes later she was gone.

It was a truly memorable moment. She didn't seem bothered by us at all. Moreover she seemed to busy to care about us. I do not know enough about Monarchs, was she just taking a mud bath, or should I keep an eye out for caterpillars?

ETA: I have been informed that this indeed is not a Monarch butterfly. Live and learn. I'm told it is a Swallowtail Butterfly. Regardless, I hope there are little caterpillar babies squirming around my lawn in the next few days!

Its starting to look like summer.

There are lots of things I'm looking forward to this summer. One of those are the Day Lilly's. They surround the old Cedar stump in the centre of the garden. Oh they are a sight when in bloom. A big draw for the hummingbirds. This is a picture from last year.
The summer before last while sitting in the dirt weeding, a hummingbird swooped down to take a drink from the wave of Day Lilly's beside me. Exhilarating! Once the patio is built I'll finally have a great place to sit and enjoy these lovely little moments in the wilds of my front yard.The grass is starting to come along. Soon the front wont look like a construction site at all :)


I could hang out here all day.....

Great surprizes!

In case I haven't done this enough recently, Id like to thank my sister for this gorgeous rose. She gifted it to me last year. For what? I cant remember. It was probably something random like a Tuesday, she's sweet like that.
Well this is this bush's first bloom of the year, and a fantastic one at that!

My mystery rose that grew from the root of an old bush is in full bloom. It looks absolutely nothing like its parent.
This is the mama plant now. Just a few blooms budding. You can see the yellow though.
This is the offspring.
Certainly unexpected.

The Man eating Plant.

So this has been growing in my garden since early spring. My husband and I have been having a debate for a while now.

Man eating plant
Sunflower
Weed?

No idea.
I'm kinda rooting for the man eating plant myself.

A few little wonders.

A perfect spot to watch the world go by.

A recent garage sale find is now allowing some plants and herbs a little light :)
A few more recent plantings.The years first rose. Not what I expected, but stunning all the same.
A few more little lovelies around the garden today.

Have you met my bears?

So they are back. A little older and minus a momma. These two boys wandered back into our lives. Late afternoon at that. Those crazy teenagers! They attacked my garbage, partially thwarted by my latest attempt to bear proof, and then made a hasty retreat to the back yards. Luckily not mine! These boys, have no need for my backyard. I have avoided fruit trees or anything that berries for this very reason.

So through the neighbors carport, and through their nonexistent fence into the neighbor behind our yard for a nap. Yup these two fellas were able to ignore the chorus of dogs barking all around them to have a late afternoon snooze.Once adequately rested, one tried to bite his way through the green mesh covered chain link fence. When that failed, they climbed it instead and meandered their way back to the forest.

Hosta's. Green Thumb Sunday.

Green Thumb Sunday



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This hosta has been sitting in a pot in my backyard for two years. Its already getting too big. This is one of many hosta's I will be transplanting to a patch near the fence. Well, once I'm well enough to dig out the new patch lol!

Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As the Garden Grows for more information.

Happy father's day!

A touch of whimsy.

Well, I needed a change. I put up a new temporary picture the other day, while I worked on this one. I love the new quote, and I thought this little planting of Sedum, Creeping Stonecrop fit just nicely.
A lot has been happening in the garden while Ive been nursing my wounds. The peony Id been itching to see bloom, finally graced us with her presence.The foxglove has been working her magic into all sorts of corners of my garden. There is something quite whimsical about this lady. I love the sight of her spikes of bells!
Otherwise my garden lies in wait. Perennials slowly growing....along with the weeds! Waiting for her grounds keeper to return.

Fun with Mosaics.

Well I was playing with this mosaic picture program today, and I has a little fun putting together one of some of my recent photo's. This was the result.
I think this one will end up on my side bar soon :)

Just to pass the time.

This continuous rain has me thinking of warmer days. Ive been perusing through some old pictures, and this is what Ive come across from last summer.
Echinacea 'Pink Double Delight' Coneflower.
A very vibrant yellow Lilly. I don't know its name, but it screams summer and sunshine to me!
A variety of Cali LillyMmmmm, my dinner plate Dahlia's. I also have purple Dahlia's , a peaches and cream and a mauve and white duet. I planted this year tubers for a white Dahlia and a Caribbean Dahlia. A purple echinacea cone flower. I also have a few redy purple ones in the garden.And how could I have forgotten this stunning red Dahlia?


I just cant wait for summer to actually arrive. She's looking a little delayed from my vantage point!

I spy with my little eye.....

A lilly! Ill be damned! Its been raining for a week. So cold the heat is on, under 10 degrees Ive heard. Brrrrr! More like winter or early spring than the beginning of summer! And yet, here she is.....

Many others stand ready, but are no where near as early as this little pearl.
Oh the rain is responsible for so many things. The ready to burst blooms, the weeds up to my knee's, and even a rain ravaged Poppy or two.
Now if only it would stop raining long enough to get the garden cleared up.

Waiting for the pain to pass.

Well I haven't been here much the last couple of days. For one the weathers been awful, driving rain for days. Yesterday wasn't so bad. I was looking forward to spending my birthday knee deep in weeds. However luck wasn't on my side. Instead I got the pleasure of nursing a case of whiplash, and all the aches and pains associated with a car accident. Yup, my first ever. I had a front end collision with a little punk speeding around a bus as I performed a left hand turn. Luckily everyone was okay. But physically and emotionally, I think it will take some time for me to heal. I hope to get out there soon, but I don't want to push it. Maybe Ill take to garden shopping while I wait. I have a lovely GC to Lee Valley from my mother for my birthday. I am really looking forward to picking out a new pair of clippers and some other much needed accessories, and maybe a few not needed ones :) Whatever the case, the rain can stay. There is not much I can do out there anyways, and it suits my mood.

And down comes the rain.

There is no avoiding it, its been raining. Not a sprinkle, not a spring shower. Those would be fine. My favorite gardening weather requires a little rain. The last few days however, have been anything but gardening weather. The plants are drenched and so is my mood. Its been too long since I had time in the garden.
Well, hopefully soon. A girl can hope right?

Ahhh, that's where she was!

While waiting for the iris' to bloom, I had been certain that this was their colour. I had been quite surprised when the first two pots bloomed a wine purple/red. Then day before yesterday, this little lady bloomed and threw me for a loop. There must have been two different types of iris' in the original clump I dug up. So there you have it, I wasn't losing my mind. My memory did serve, I just obviously never saw the full menu.