That garden shot after Graham Thomas is EVERYTHING! The stuff dreams are made of- glorious!

Thanks Neal, I am pretty happy with it. It's done with that big flush now and has dropped a bunch of leaves due to blackspot, it gets it every year.

Very nice garden Sue. I'm a plant crammer also, but I do it because it keeps the area I have to water and weed smaller. Not that I don't have lots of xeriscape outside the watering area, LOL. Love the raised bed with the seating area. My hubby always jokes about seating areas, that I never sit down so what good are seats?
I always think about my brother-in-law coming to visit and sitting on the garden swing. My husband came out to him and he looked around and said "I can see a least a hundred different plants just in this little area". Yeah, definately a plant crammer. But I love the look, all the different shapes and flowers.

Thanks for popping in fellow plant crammer! @DomehomeDee

Suzanne, your gardens are so beautiful and your roses are spectacular.

Thank you Jean, thanks for checking it out!

Sue, is there any chance to see some updated pictures of your beautiful garden? (... and the 'girls')

Soon, been working a lot and the garden needs clipping of spent blooms and weed pulling but I will get a few shots with the chickens soon.

You could give us a shot or two with spent blooms and weeds in some horrendously bad lighting just to let us, your clamoring public, know that you have a real garden where things are not always perfect but then we would know, the spell might be broken

Pretty garden with a wonderful selection of plants. I always enjoy before and after photos. If the choice is either all the precious colorful gems in the world or a beautiful color filled garden. It is easy to choose a garden full of colorful blooms. There is a miracle of life in every flower and gardener's understand how precious flowers are. Many joys to you!

Than you Sharon, glad you stopped in!

Now dirt, I have to maintain some form of illusion!

I just flooded another gopher tunnel, cleaned the coop and run, wiped my garden shoes of chicken dodo, threw a stinky green rotten egg over the fence that the poodle had discovered under a bush and was happily munching on , hows that for a reality check!

about right, I'd say

Well, time to revive this thread, my goodness! Time flies but the garden is getting ready to explode into bloom so my camera has come back out. I did a lot of sewing through all winter rains, so much rain that the 6 year Calif. drought was officially declared over. We had another good shower this evening and now the forecast is dry for the next week. My garden has never looked so full, lush and green, and of course, that includes the weeds. I have been filling 2 large green recycling bins every week for a month now, I add a lot to my compost pile too. I've also hit my favorite nursery a couple of times this past month for some fillers for pots.
So I'll add a few shots from the last couple of weeks.

Spring color starts with Carolina Jasmine (Gelsemium sempervirens 'Margarita')
I got this from Brushwood about 4 years ago and it's really filled in nicely on the metal arbor.


Weigela


Huechera and petunias


And gradually the iris and clematis join in.
Filibuster


Refiner's Fire


Ramona


Louisiana Iris 'Contraband Girl'


Dawn


Elsa Spaeth


Plum Pretty Whiskers


And one by one the roses are joining in.

Helen Hayes



Royal Sunset


Teasing Georgia


Honey Perfume



I love seeing the variety of greens, especially the chartreuse and gold colors of the foliage mixed in with darker green, it adds so much pop, makes nice background for the bloom shots too.




Weigela (Weigela florida 'Briant Rubidor')





The chickens blend in nicely too.



The greens before the blooms explode into color. The yellow locust tree in the center is just leafing out, soon it will be the golden centerpiece of the garden again.

Everything looks amazing! Loving seeing those fat, pretty birds pecking around!

Thank you for this 'come back', Sue. I love your garden!

I see you added a rooster.

No, no rooster, not allowed to have them here, they are all hens, the original ones. Rosie just has a bigger comb than the other two. It's typical for Rhode Island Reds.

My apologies, Rosie. This reveals my ignorance

She is the bossy dominant one so certainly can appear to be like a rooster!