Idyllic Scents and Colours

My yard smells beautiful this year.  The lilacs are really pumping out the scent, and the frequent rains keep everything fresh.  My peonies are adding beautiful colour as well.

I don't think I've posted a photo of my lilac tree before.  I think it may need to be pruned?  I don't know anything about lilacs - my parents planted it.

I got this peony plant at Canadian Tire a couple years ago.  I am not sure of the variety.

An iris, planted by my mom.  My Auntie Mary says my mom was really frustrated that her irises never came up or bloomed.  Well, they do now mama :-)  (There may actually be an upside to not being as obsessive about weeding as you were!)

And these peonies were planted by my mom as well:

Gardens are a LOT of work, but certainly worth it.  Don't you agree?

My own Little Garden of Weedin'

I took time off work in early May to get some yard work done, but that didn't work out very well.  I got my cast off on May 2, and it took a full week before I could walk without crutches.  Then it was a matter of being able to stand or kneel for more than a few minutes at a time.  I'm walking well now, but I have a lot of catching up to do with the yard.  In the meantime, I started selling homemade dog cookies and dog food at the Farmers' Market every Sunday.  I've been spending my Saturdays baking and my Sundays at the Market.  My garden has been sorely neglected.

I'm reluctant to post pictures that would showcase my weeds in all their glory, so let's just do close-ups for now.  Therese Bugnet rose bud unfurling:

Chive flowers.  These are edible and surprisingly hot!

A peony bud ready to pop.

Yarrow buds.

The hanging basket I bought my mom for Mother's Day is flourishing.

The front yard is doing very well this year.  Most of the gout weed died off last year due to some mysterious disease/fungus thingie.  It came back, but in the interim, I think the other plants had a chance to get better established.  Usually you can't see the ferns for all the gout weed; and I noticed an iris blossom out there today.

If it wasn't for the weeds, I'd be pretty happy with how well the garden is doing.  With the veggies, my beans, zucchini, and cucumbers are all sprouted; and I'm sure I saw a few tiny beets popping out here and there.  All my seedlings (patty pan squash, several varieties of tomatoes and herbs, and flowers) are doing well too.

Flaunt your Flowers this Fertilizer Friday!

It has been a looong week and it ain't over yet.

I was on vacation last week and returned to work this week. I had hoped to have my yard projects completed before going back to work, but that did not happen. I did, however, get the last of it done on Canada Day, July 1st. Yay me!

In the midst of all this, I have tenants moving out - tenants who did not work out and who I had to ask to leave. They were not happy campers about that and it has been a stressful time. Their stuff is all gone, but they promised to clean, and the dust bunnies and inches of frost in the freezer compartment seem to indicate the cleaning isn't done. I'm not sure if they're coming back or not.

But, the garden of course, is a little oasis of pleasure. It's so peaceful and calming, the perfect place to destress. Things are motoring along out there, in no small part, I'm sure, to Fertilizer Friday. If it wasn't for Tootsie, I'd still be fertilizing just once a month.

Tootsie Time hosts Fertilizer Friday as a time for us to fertilize our plants indoors and out and post pictures of what's growing around us. Here's what's happening outdoors at the School of Yard Knocks:

Yep, they are peonies :-D

My sister came to visit on Tuesday and brought me two beautiful lily plants. I haven't planted them yet.

A little sunflower is cheering up the place.

My wave petunias are starting to kick in.

I was having trouble focussing my camera today for some reason. Sorry for the blurriness. You can see my veggie beds are coming along. I do fertilize my tomatoes, but not any of my other veggies. I'll write more about my veggies in the next few days, as soon as I find some spare time.

Don't forget to visit Tootsie Time to take part in her Fertilizer Friday meme or just to visit the other gardens participating.