Spring Gardening, Spring Beauty

I'm going to take you on a tour of Reeder Garden and along the way point out what has been keeping us busy lately.

The patio furniture has all been scrubbed and ready for sunny days.

The patio pots have been cleaned, renewed and replanted.

The impatiens and plectranthus have been planted under the cedar tree along the patio.

This spot awaits completion with the addition of several pots that are waiting in the greenhouse until the latest wave of wet weather passes.

Most of these photos were taken Thursday morning before the rain hit.  Today (Friday) Tom got all of the drip system emitters placed into the pots.

The bonsai bench is set up for the summer.

The tulips are done and the nursery cans holding the bulbs have all been removed to a dry corner of the yard, out of sight.

Dahlias that were started in the greenhouse have taken their place.

Garden seating that was stored in the shed has been set out, like the "Story Chair" back in this corner.

Here's the view from the Story Chair.

The lawn edging has been completed.  There's nothing like crisp edges to set off a garden.

Yard art, much of it gifts over the years, has been placed.  Today I put out all the glass flowers, like the one in the header, in a photo taken just a year ago.

Tom is getting the last of the seeds planted in the vegetable/cut flower garden. That framework will be covered with row cover cloth to keep the leaf miners off the beets and flies from laying eggs that make for wormy carrots.

The tree peony has three big blooms this year for the first time.  It is spectacular but I wish it would last longer.

It's columbine time!

The peas and sweet peas are up, and starts from the green house have been planted.

The fresh fronds of the sword ferns glow in the shade of the cedar tree.

Which way?  We'll take the path to the deck.

Then under the other cedar tree and up to the front of the house.

I pulled the pansies and primroses and found other places for them in the yard, and added a heuchera to those already in the birdhouse planter.

Tom's fancy leaf geranium collection, from cuttings grown in the greenhouse, has been potted up and are displayed on the front porch and along the walk.

We removed several old blue star junipers and planted some interesting shade plants: a native tiarella, a fancy leaf violet, a silver leaf brunnera, two small leafed epimediums, a yellow trillium, a jack-in-the-pulpit (arisaema), and a Canadian dogwood.

The pruned junipers along the driveway are softening with new growth.

The golden hop was growing up a rope and has now been anchored to the wire trellis to cover the front access gate/wall.

Inside the gate, in front of the greenhouse, pots await the trip to the Whidbey cabin, tomatoes from the greenhouse have been planted, and there is a holding area for plants from the yard that don't yet have a home.

Inside the greenhouse more patio pots are ready to be set out.

Two hanging pots, one for sun and one for shade, are settling in after having just been planted.

The goal is to have the greenhouse empty in another week. The basil starts might need a bit longer before going into the garden.

Then what's left in the shed will go into the greenhouse, like the emergency supply tub, and the shed will once again become Irene's Flower Shop.  She will be here this weekend and is pressing us for action!

If you made it all the way around the garden, congratulations!

The sun has come back out, the showers are supposed to subside and it looks like we are in store for a pleasant weekend.

Wishing a Happy Mother's Day to all as you honor your mother, remember your mother, honor yourself, enjoy your children or think on your memories.  May beauty surround you.