There is beauty all around…

Memorial Day weekend and the weekend before were spent putting in our vegetable garden and amending parts of our flower gardens. This is my favorite this time of year. It's great being outside, putting my hands in the dirt, finding bugs and worms while pulling weeds to show the kids, and discovering new blooms daily, … plus the beauty of it all! Our world is amazing.

I think flowers of all types are wonderful: bold, delicate, petals of all sizes, but I've always had a thing for roses. I love their soft petals and their sweet scent. Maybe it's the romantic in me, or maybe it's fond memories of Grandpa's rose bushes for sale in front of he and Grandma's place in Huntington Beach. Each were sold in handmade wooden boxes ready to take away. Quinn (my grandpa) has been gone a long time now, but I bet he could have taught me a thing or two about roses.

Last year we planted a section of shrubs and flowers along our back fence, but ended up losing a Yew, a couple of perennials, and some Arborvitae. We replaced the Arborvitae and added a few new things last week.

The vegetable garden is full of newly planted zucchini, yellow squash, red bell peppers, green bell peppers, Armenian cucumbers, slicing cucumbers, pickling cucumbers, romaine lettuce, salad lettuce, beets, two types of red tomatoes, a yellow tomato, cilantro, and strawberries. In planters I also planted cherry tomatoes and basil, alongside lemon sage. We also have our peach, plum, and apple trees and chives. Not bad for city folks!
The first strawberry

Here are some favorite things from the yard right now:


Siberian Iris Bleeding Hearts


Bachelor's Buttons

Penstemon

The "Andrew" tree - Japanese Maple
(planted the day he came home from the hospital)

Salvia
Catmint

Purple Sage

Purple Pansies and Violas in the pots
(until it gets too hot)