Gardening Update

H'lo, everyone!  Well, I've been busy in my garden, and my garden has been busy growing flowers!  First, an update on the front yard.  Three of the flowers I bought last year @ the Bowie/Crofton Plant sale have come up: two columbines and a bleeding heart.  Here they are:

 Above, the bleeding heart.  Adorable, right?  And I think it cost me all of 50 cents last year, as did the other plants! :D

 Above and below, columbines.  No blooms yet, though.  Maybe next year?

As for the back yard, I am happy to report my trip yesterday to Homestead Gardens was a success!  Have a peek at the gardens on either side of my gate.

 The back row boasts two lupine (mixed colors).  In the middle is a lavender plant, followed by a row of dianthus (Sweet William).  Then, in the very front - you can't really see them in this photo, but they are there, I promise, are seedlings I started from seed.  They include marigold, alyssum and German chamomile. I hope the little fellas survive and thrive!

 I think I'm going to buy one more lupine plant for each side and put it in the middle between the two plants that are already there.  Originally, I was going to put in double hollyhocks, but it is such a small space that I don't want it to look too busy.  Also, I got a flat of the dianthus for $18 (32 plants total) and I have a bunch left over:

I think I'll put these, along with the lily of the valley bulbs I bought, in the front yard (why is it that lily of the valleys are only sold in the spring and not the fall?  Strange).

Then, when May comes I'll buy some more perennial herbs to add to the existing lavender and rosemary, filling out that row.  I have bags of mulch to cover the gardens as well, but didn't want to mulch until I was done planting for the season.

Yesterday when I was planting the gardens, a big fat toad nearly scared me to death, so I moved my toad house to that side of the garden as he seems to prefer it.  I hope he comes back to stay and eats all my garden pests!  YAY! :)

Oh yes, and I bought two cultivars of lavender: English Lavender "Munstead" (Lavandula angustifolia) and Winter Bee Spanish Lavender (Lavandula stoechas, pat. no 20840)