By March 13, the Silly Dog was more than ready to start slurping up spring. The stream behind the house was opening up.
On April 2, Dutch crocus flirted with warming days.
The berm by the road was flush with color on April 5. The rabbits got the better of the display later in the month.
The new bed to the right of the grassy path is ripe with potential on April 7.
Plant more fritillarias! This is F. michailovski on April 16.
Yellow primula is a burst of sunshine on April 23.
Shooting star (Dodecatheon meadia) is starting to spread around the northeast corner of the house. This one planted itself under an azalea and was glorious on May 17.
The water beads along the leaf margins of this young bee balm are the result of guttation on May 22.
The bur oak tree in the back is just starting to leaf out on May 24. It's usually the last tree in the garden to leaf out in spring.
Azalea (part of the Northern Lights series) shows some color on May 24.
By May 27 the azaleas in front are going strong.
The Nebraska immigrant iris blooms on May 29.
Hosta and white-flowering sweet woodruff are easy companions on May 31.
Lots of planting still to come on May 31. This is a portion of the seedlings hardening off in the cold frame.
I can't get enough of that bronze fennel in the foreground. Behind it is a white bleeding heart (Dicentra). The show was under way on June 4.
Looking past the bronze fennel in the other direction. Plants behind it include Abelia, iris, azalea and ferns on June 4.
Mourning widow geranium is one of my favorite hardy geraniums. Here, it skirts a fern in the north garden on June 7.
Wildlife, including this red squirrel dozing in the tree lilac, charmed us on June 20.
Purple penstemon in foreground, red Maltese cross in center and purple baptisia in back make for a burst of color in a front bed on June 26.
The apothecary rose in a back bed put on a short but impressive show. Here it's blooming on July 3.
Verbascum chaixii is more refined than its yellow cousin. This one bloomed in the herb garden on July 6.
Lily buds catch and hold beads of water on a foggy morning on July 6.
Lilies and phlox pair up on July 20.
In their first year, King Pete tiger lilies made a fine showing on July 20.
Annual sweet alyssum is a tried-and-true edging. Here, it borders a back bed on Aug. 30.
Sweet four-o'-clock (Mirabilis longiflora) is a new addition to our annuals repertoire. Here, it's blooming in the evening of Aug. 30.
April's potential is realized on Aug. 30 in the beds along the back grassy path.
We planted mostly annuals in this bed. It's still going strong on Sept. 1.
A Ussarian pear in the front begins to show its fall color on Sept. 22.
A chipmunk feasts on sunflower seeds on Sept. 22.
On Sept. 29, a fall crocus raises its petals in a bed of bacopa.
Sunshine lights up a maple tree in the front yard on Sept. 29.
Fall crocus are a signal that the growing season is coming to a close. These were blooming on Oct. 8.
Fothergilla showed its best color ever this year. Here it is on Oct. 16.
