Ask and you shall receive

Rain glorious rain - by the bucket. Everything is bigger, greener and full of vigour. Today it showed 5C (40F) on my thermometer and the wind is really gusty. I had every intention of doing a lady-like putter about the garden this fine Sunday a.m. - and instead did a quick spin and ran back in the house to my sofa, the Times and my coffee. As soon as my fingers warm - I'll go back and mow some of the lawn - anything to keep moving out there. Tonight they're forecasting 3C - which is just a silly temperature for this time of the year.

So without further ado, here's what's been going on in the garden this week:

Monday....
I swear it looks I took this picture while I was practicing a new sport - run, squat and shoot. I assure you its little arms are intact. Poor snap or not, it just reinforces how important bright leaves are for me in a dark garden. Athyrium 'Ghost is just one of the best at providing its own little beacon of light.
The Erodium is back - blooming up a storm.

Big wind during the day and overnight.....here are all the pine cones I'd been waiting for around Christmas for the table.

Hard to capture, but a lovely little perennial - Lychnis atropurpurea. Here is the description from Chiltern Seeds: "From the Balkans, where it is found in moist mountain meadows, comes this rather fine perennial with purplish stems, reddish-purple marked leaves and ten inch panicles of deep purple flowers in late spring. 12-18 ins." Actually, a pretty good description for Chiltern. I've chosen to torture this plant placing it in my sandy dry soil, next to my path - so it will on occasion get a shovel full of salty snow. A very good forget-about it kind of perennial.

Never really noticed before how the flower form of the Cornus alternifolia resemble the form of the branches.

And the Japanese tree peonies are starting to bloom. I think this yellow variety is shy - none of the blossoms face front.

Wednesday

It has been exceptionally bright - and very high UV. For the very brief time this H. montana macrophylla is hit with the sun - look at the sunburn. If the leaf is hit with the sunshine while it's emerging, it just collapses on itself and turns to goo. I'll probably cut this leaf off in a few days when the plant is a little bigger.

Just a short while ago, the tulips were here with their great colours - my favourite hidy hint for ugly tulip leaves - big juicy hosta.

Thursday

Just to prove you don't need a massive bank account to be a great gardener - take a look at what you can do with seed and a great imagination. Jacques, who is the Oakville Trafalgar Hospital gardener, has let the Allium go to seed and then has scattered the seed a little further every year making this wonderful purple river. Sure, it takes a bit of time, but what a wonderful effect.

Friday

Such a happy little geranium at the bottom of my steps.

Am going to have to double check the name of this little woodlander - but not until it warms up a bit.

Facing west in the garden - very pleased with my Loblaws Japanese Maple.

Saturday

Finally got into the garden to do some serious maintenance and edging. I'm not a happy girl until the edges look good.

I had let some milkweed sprout in the garden several years ago. We're on a migration path for monarch butterflies. Every year, I find it in another spot - here it is making nice with the phlox.

OK, will have to take this later in the season to see if I love it or not. In any event, I love the Terra Nova introductions, but some of these bizarro colours don't seem to have a pair in nature. This is H. 'Georgia Peach' - I'm growing it with some grasses that look like they're dead, but they're not. This is Carex 'Bronzita' that I started from seed in 2007 - mea culpa, mea maxima culpa - the hair cut was my silly idea. The ends were dead, it was too close the the edge of the bed, in any event, I feel very sorry that I chopped it up and am hoping it will grow. My artist friend Lisa said perhaps the Heuchera would look good with something with a silver leaf - and I think she's got an excellent point - I've got a silvery salvia somewhere I've got to try the other pot with.

And here's what I hope to tackle after the lawn - the edging - and all those little unwanted volunteers. As a note, for those of you who want to try Wonderberry tomatoes, you'll never have to buy seed the second year, or any other year following the first. Fortunately, I like these tiny little black tomatoes, and I get to sit on the lawn while I read - two good things to be thankful for on a beautiful Sunday morning.