Blue Monday

It's raining today, but we had an absolutely gorgeous weekend.

This is an amsonia that I found growing in the sloughs and floodway fields of our farm. I think it's Amsonia tabernaemontana. The foliage is a beautiful blue-green in spring and is as appealing as the blue flowers.

Bluestar with Eastern columbine. I have also planted this part of the garden
with blue and white baptisia, which should bloom in the next couple of years.

A pair of bluebirds are nesting in the martin house this year. Purple martins have never used the house, in spite of the fact that there are purple martins flying around all of the time. We figure that the house isn't quite high enough for them.

Eventually I will get shots of the blue grosbeaks and indigo buntings. But there's a world of difference between saying "Oh look, there's an Indigo Bunting" and actually getting a good photo!

Blooming Friday

Lots of iris, roses and Baptisia for Blooming Friday this week. We got a good bit of rain the last couple of days, which haven't knocked over the Foxglove (yet, anyway), so the plants and I are all exuberantly happy.

'Hansa' in the foreground.

'Climbing Old Blush' with Baptisia alba

Baptisia 'Purple Smoke' and B. alba

The seed which produced this plant came from Baptisia alba, but clearly there's some B. australis genes in there too.

My first impulse when I say this iris was "Yuck!". Now it's really grown on me. It sets off the purples of the other iris beautifully.

'Hansa', perfection in a rose

'Theodolinda', a lovely fragrant historic iris introduced in 1932.

Eva's White

Mystery iris

This Dianthus has the most wonderful fragrance; it reminds me a lot of American Snowbell. Not the Dianthus fragrance I'm used to, which is a mix of clove and cotton candy.

Iris virginica

Marsh Phlox

Japanese Roof Iris

Blue Geranium

Bud of 'Clotilde Soupert'

'Foxi Pavement'

Rugosa alba

Hodgepodge between the house and driveway: Gulf Coast penstemon, foxglove, mockorange, and an unknown China/ Gallica hybrid.

Looking the other way, up the hill.

Thank you to Katarina at roses and stuff for hosting Blooming Friday.

Wild Geranium

A Geranium we found growing wild on our farm, Geranium maculatum.