Skiekitty said:Neal - Went to 2 different nurseries yesterday. Bought almost nothing. Prices on plants this year are ridiculous. $15 for a 1 quart plant? $40 for a rose? $60 for a 1/2" caliper tree? But this is my yard EVERY spring.

Oh Neal, you made me laugh. Retail therapy works every time.
Toni, do you have iris blooming now?
I actually have a daylily in bloom. Everything is out of order! I do have a Blushing Knock Out in bloom now, my first rose this season. The iris are stealing the show right now, and of course, we're forecast to have a hail storm tonight or tomorrow.
Several of my presumed dead roses are starting to grow!
Sue, your garden is just incredible. I love love love looking at your photos.

Cindi - I have .. 4? irises in bloom. They're running really late this year. But my lilacs... holy moley are they going insane. Everyone's in bloom.. my common, Mount Baker, Primrose, Charles Joly, Wedgwood (GORGEOUS), Maiden Blush, Beauty of Moscow, Katherine Havamore (sp?), Sensation, Pres. Grevy... I know I have more but can't remember the names. I'll see about getting pics tonight if it's not raining when I get home. Watching these incredibly intense, yet teeny little rain cells building.

The lilacs sound like they're a balm for your soul right now, and that fragrance...aaaahhhhhh- love it! And are you ever right about garden center and nursery prices this year! I browsed a couple of nice garden centers in Lexington today while waiting for a friend I took to town for a physical therapy appointment. Checked out the roses first thing, and nearly had a stroke, all were $40-60. 4" pots of perennials were $7-15, which seemed pricey at first, but when I considered mail order plants I easily rationalized that I wasn't paying shipping, so it was a decent deal. Came home with a Royal Wedding Oriental poppy, Henfield Brilliant Helianthemum, and the goody I'm most excited about, Sweet Summer Love clematis! That one was a bit of a splurge, at $30, but considering most mail order vendors were offering it at $20-25 in a 4" pot and this one is a 2 gallon pot, also easy to rationalize as a good deal. I'm evidently very good at rationalization too, LOL.

If we compare our gardens to Sue's, we'll all be depressed! I just enjoy her posts and don't try to compete.

So true!
I repeat the mantra
"This is only an exhibition. This is not a competition. Please, no wagering."

I come here to see all the beautiful stuff I don't have and will never have and can't even dream of having!
Awesome eye candy Sue

Some of my lilacs..

"Small" common purple (only about 6' tall & about 8' around)


Mount baker


Primrose


Wedgwood Blue


Front yard with "big" common purple (over 12' tall & 10' around)


President Grevy (blue) + Beauty of Moscow/Sensation (blush / deeper purple) + Dappled Dawn


Irises I have blooming (3)

Such a beautiful collection of lilacs you have! Is the rich blue house with red trim yours? I love the colors!

Toni, show Neal your colors! I would love to see Toni's house with all the roses in bloom. It looks like there's already all kinds of other flowers blooming in your yard, Toni! What are the white flowers?
My Cape Diamond rose opened today. It's always early, and it's one of the last ones blooming in the fall, too. I bought it when it first came out and had no idea it would become such a monster. I've had to relocate several daylilies and a Belinda's Dream so they didn't get eaten by the massive Cape!

Cindi - White flowers? You mean the white lilacs? That's the only white I have blooming right now.

Neal - Yea, that's my gaudy house. VERY very gaudy. I love my colors.. it annoys the crap outta my one neighbor though. He doesn't like loud & obnoxious.. and that's me! He's a jerk.

These are the pictures that Cindi was talking about.
http://cubits.org/bluegardens/...
http://cubits.org/bluegardens/...
http://cubits.org/bluegardens/...
http://cubits.org/bluegardens/...
http://cubits.org/bluegardens/...
http://cubits.org/bluegardens/...

and specifically this picture: http://cubits.org/pics/2013-08...

Toni ....

I have five colors out in front of my house and eight in back ...

The guy I had paint the house thought I was crazy to use so many colors, but when we were finished, he kept bringing other clients over to my house to show them how they can make their house more interesting with color. It's not gaudy, but very different for this area. Most people only use two colors.




Your garden in bloom looks beautiful.

Smiles,
Lyn

Lyn - I only see 2 colors? am I blind? And yours isn't gaudy.. it's VERY stately! Mine a blind person would say, "Man, that's LOUD"

Our house used to be all red brick, but it was crumbling, so we removed part of it and replaced it with limestone. It all suits my Gemini nature--the east side is brick and the west side is limestone. Throw in some glass block and stained glass and bright flowers, and it's home! We did most of the work ourselves, so nobody told us we couldn't. I kept the bricks we removed and use them to outline flowerbeds.
I worry more about color combinations on the flowers than I do indoor decorating. Right now, there is a group of bold orange-gold iris next to a massive clump of sweet pink Beverly Sills iris, with a dark red peony on the other side. It feels so wrong it almost makes me sick.

Toni, I absolutely LOVE it! Reminds me of the painted ladies in San Francisco.

As you can see, I would naturally appreciate your colors...

Neal - LOLL.. funny how someone else on Cubits mentioned the "painted ladies". I had to look those up when I first saw that phrase.

I'll be repainting the house probably next year or in 2017... depends on if/when we move. I doubt a house this bright would sell quickly.. but you never know! I've been eyeballing Neal's house when he posted a pic of it a few months ago in talking about lavender/blue roses.. I *love* *love* *love* the purple scheme!! And the inside of my house is even worse.. omg is it ridiculous. The living room makes you feel like you're in a Mexican restaurant.

Skiekitty said:Lyn - I only see 2 colors? am I blind? And yours isn't gaudy.. it's VERY stately! Mine a blind person would say, "Man, that's LOUD"

Toni ...

1. Cream Yellow on the siding,
2. French Blue on the trim and the blocks at foundation and planter tiers in front above the street bed
3. Navy Blue for the stairs and the deck posts
4. Gold Yellow for the door
5. White latice

In back it's mostly cream yellow with french blue trim, but add:

1. Woodshed gray/green
2. Darker french blue under the eves for the patio
3. Red back door and one patio post
4. Navy blue door trim
5. Pink patio post






The photos above were taken a couple of years ago.

I have 2 windows and a slider facing the patio. The frame on the slider is yellow gold, one window frame is pink and the other is emerald green. I have the white lattice enclosing the carport.

I have to paint the stairs going up the slope this year and I am going to use the darker french blue.

I still haven't repaired and painted the fence ... I've been too busy gardening.

Nope. It's not guady, but it's very different for up here ...

Smiles,
Lyn

I had been busy planting my tomato seedlings which took me 3 days, finished yesterday. So today I planted my zucchini and summer squash seeds. Hope I get lots of seedlings. I reused those empty tomato cell packs, filled them up with fresh potting mix and planted 8 different types of summer squash. I have green and yellow types.

I really enjoy growing veggies. I wish I Had more room.

Rita - Why not plant some things between the roses? A couple of years ago, I had a volunteer pumpkin growing between my roses right in the front yard!

The thread "Mystery volunteer in my front yard.. some kind of pumpkin?" in Plant ID forum