Some Blooms from this Weekend

Here are some shots from Saturday morning at the big house, with a little editorial, as well.

First, the Echinaceas are literally buzzing these days, as you can see.

Anthony Waterer Spirea is not a favorite shrub of mine, since I think it is "done to death" in most landscapes, but for these few weeks, I have to admit the show is pretty amazing.

Lastly, however "pedestrian" they might be, Annabelles are still one of my all time favorite hydrangeas. Between the big house and my own garden, there are several cultivars of macrophyllas, serattas, and oakleafs; there are none that I would want to part with, but Annabelles still hold a special spot in my heart as the first hydrangea I grew myself. There is something very simple and lovely about Annabelle in my mind.

The Stepchild Gets Mulch...Finally!

• I wasn't working at the big house or the penthouse today, so it seemed the perfect time to actually work in my own garden. Since I've been meaning to put out pinestraw mulch since March or April, it only makes me about six weeks behind schedule. Fortunately my home garden tends to fall into the categories of "eclectic" and "eccentric," so I'm able to fall back upon that excuse.
  
  I think my home garden is perhaps an emotional response to working in very manicured gardens on a daily basis; "manicured" is definitely NOT an adjective most would use to describe my garden!
  
  Some possible reasons my home garden isn't considered "manicured":
  
• The 300 or so Cleome flowers that have self-seeded themselves since last year, coming up everywhere, including one growing in a crack in my driveway (I adore Cleome, but will definitely be putting out Preen next year);
  
• The New Dawn rose that finished blooming a couple of weeks ago, and is now so large that it threatens to topple its arbor or grab a small child who makes the mistake of walking by (or both);
  
• My Herbal lawn. When asked if I have zoysia, Bermuda, St. Augustine, or Fescue, I simply reply, "Yes;" (But it stays green year round......)
  
• My unique version of Botanical Latin names. I'm not sure why the AHS doesn't list, "Dad's Yellow Iris," "Alice's Monarda," and "Not Ogon Spirea," in their publications.
  
• The fact that my pansies are still in the ground, and actually still blooming their little blue hearts out; The IRS and summer annuals are supposed to be taken care of by April 15 in Atlanta.
  
  As could have been predicted, the rain starting pouring down after I had finished mulching about 25% of the garden beds.......why do I think I'm going to soon be seven weeks behind schedule?
  
  I'm trying very hard to care about being "behind schedule", really I am......
  

Photos for Monica and "Missus"

These were on the morning of April 9, which was ridiculously cold, but really beautiful with the condensation still on all of the blossoms and leaves.

From top to bottom: The Vegetable Garden Ready for Planting (Blueberries, Asaragus and Some Lettuces Already Showing); An Azalea that's "way too bright" so early in the morning; Kwanzan Cherry blossoms up close; a Foxtail Lily that doesn't know how early it is; and the Bridal Wreath Spirea I can never get enough of.

Historic Oakland Cemetery

This weekend hasn't exactly been "gardening weather" in Atlanta (low 40's and raining on and off), but yesterday turned out to be a very interesting morning!

I had some Bridal Wreath Spireas that had seriously outgrown their home, and needed a new one. I've wanted to visit Oakland Cemetery for some time, but have never gotten there, so escorting the orphaned shrubs provided the perfect excuse. I'm sure that Sara, Chuck and I looked a little bedraggled in our mud-covered raincoats, but the Spireas are in and will hopefully love their new home!

Cemeteries are not usually my thing, but this is one of those Victorian park-like settings in which the graves are in and amongst huge collections of flowers, monuments and trees. It is a little like stepping onto the set of "Oliver Twist," particularly when outside the walls of the cemetery one sees the old factories and mills of the late 1800's (fortunately they've all been repurposed as condos, so the skyline stays the same). If you've been to Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Boston, it's a similar feel.

If you haven't visited Historic Oakland Cemetery, you need to! I would love to see it on a sunny day, but there was something very romantic in a turn-of-the-century way about being there in the cold drizzle.

I'm planning to be there the second Saturday of April to do some more volunteer gardening (with lots of others), so if that's your thing, come and join me!