A FEW OF THE BEDS IN MY FRONT YARD

The front garden faces the road, so it's not the "living area", but I try to keep it looking colorful with the forest as a backdrop, lots of bright colors and lime green.  I LOVE peonies.

I love the chartreuse of the False Cypress, against the shocking pink of the Knockout Rose (far left), and the Peony in the middle.

Pale pink Oenothera Speciosa, Evening Primrose which self-sows, the grey Rose Campion which I'm hoping blooms more bright pink than white, I get both and this too is a prolific self-sower, the shocking pink of the gorgeous Peony and the bright blue of the Baptisia Australis, False Indigo, both perennial, make for a gorgeous and slog-free garden that pretty much takes care of itself year round.

Aren't I just stunningly beautiful?????

View from the other side with new little Echinacea Purpurea, Coneflower, emerging to fill the gaps and provide summer-long pink to this bed once the Peony and Evening Primrose go back to sleep.

Alongside the front of the house, I continue the chartreuse with Sage, a few False Cypress, Creeping Jenny, Dwarf Nandina and variegated Liriope and then a Crape Myrtle, Sedum, the perennial Hibiscus and double pink Daylilies that will bloom later in the summer.  I think I like busy and I think I like color.

SNIPPETS FROM MY GARDEN AT THE END OF MAY

A new veg garden was started, four 8x8ft raised planting boxes with bark chip paths in between and all around, whisky barrels in the center of each one for "pretty planting" with flowers and herbs, and a rustic fence which is for two reasons.  To keep the deer and bunnies out, and to grow flowering and fruiting vines, creepers and rambling roses. I'll do more details of each box later.

I have "red stations" with hanging baskets that attract hummingbirds, and hummingbird feeders - yes we see them all day long

Long herb boxes to the left with everything I need to cook with, plus a few herbs in each bed mixed in with tomatoes, lemon grass, peppers, cucumbers, carrots and radish seeds yet to emerge.  The box at the back is yet to be filled with good soil but already has two experimental potato towers with plants about 24 inches high already.  We shall see.

The climbing roses have been stunning, New Dawn and Zephirine Drouhin - a fantastically fragrant old fashioned double pink rose

CHANTICLEER - gorgeous containers spilling over with flowers

Chanticleer Gardens in Wayne, Pennsylvania has the most exquisite collection of container gardens - there is something tucked into every little nook and cranny, stunning color combinations, this garden is like walking around an art gallery of flowers and plants.  There are so many, this is only half of the best I picked, so watch this space for the next gorgeous bunch.

The SEAGULLS OF KEY WEST

In the bird world, seagulls just seem so blah!!!  They are always there, flocks of them, you don't have to hunt them down and search for them, armed with binoculars.  They are flying around in great numbers, strutting up and down every beach, crying their cry, trying to steal snacks, scrapping over scraps.  But, when you stop and look at them, they are beautiful, full of character.   On my last trip down to Key West, we did a sunset cruise and these exquisite birds entertained us, posed for some evening light photos.

CHANTICLEER GARDENS in Wayne, Pennsylvania

I LOVE vegetable gardens.  I'm creating my own fenced in area with 4 8x8 raised vegetable boxes - creepers and vines growing around - well they will be growing one day, at the moment, they are newly planted or about to be planted.  I get my inspiration from visiting gardens like Chanticleer which has the most beautiful veg garden ever.  

To quote the Chanticleer website, the "Cut Flower and Vegetable Garden"

A potager, enclosed by paling, contains a mix of vegetables grown for taste and ornament. A rustic fence is walled with tomatoes in summer, Serpent garlic raises its head while thyme passes. Rustic benches are well-placed under the shade of the two katsura trees.

I will post a few of the cutting garden in another post.  Enjoy the veges.