Tour for a Cure Hosted by Sweet Annee

Deena, from Can I Be Pretty in Pink, also known as Sweet Annee, is hosting Tour for a Cure today. She asked that each of us show photos from our gardens this year and also post the click for a free mammogram button. Please be sure to visit Deena and check out Mr. Linky for more garden photos. Be sure to click on the free mammogram button just beneath my banner to help a woman get a free mammogram.

The first thing to bloom in my garden each spring are snowdrops. I love them and when they bloom I know that spring is definitely on its way. The are so dainty and pretty. The first signs of rebirth.

The second thing to bring forth beautiful thoughts of spring are the fragrant violets above. They are also dainty. They were given to me by my MIL and I love them.

Then come the perriwinkles. They grow in several places in my garden and also behind the house in the garden outside our bedroom. Last year I transplanted a few into the side bed. It was nice to see them there when I stepped out onto the side porch this spring.
Tulips and lavender. That lavender is trying to take over this flower bed. It spreads each year. Each spring I thin it back to almost nothing and the next spring it is right back to full size again. I usually dry a little of it to put in my dresser drawers to keep everything smelling nice.

Meet Desmerelda, Queen of the fairies. She sits in front of this rock in my side flower bed and watches over the sleeping flowers at night. She has a solar light that gives off a glow in the moonlight. She's so pretty and I can see her from the side door.
A new hanging basket this year. This hangs on the stairs that go up to deck on the back of the house. I have never had a hanging basket like that before.
The above hanging basket is scarveola. I have loved this since the boys first gave me a basket like this about 5 or 6 years ago. Each year I have a basket of scarveola hanging in this spot. In the background you can see my butterfly that hangs on my porch.
Red Oriental poppies. One of my favorites. Each year I wait for these to bloom. They don't last long, but I absolutely love them. A little bird left these in a deposit in my flower garden.
And above, one of the blooms. This one was about 4 inches across. They are so beautiful!

Then came the rosebuds. There were dozens of them and I knew I was going to have lots of red fragrant roses this year. We planted these when we moved here 15 years ago and they have never ceased to bloom. One year after a harsh winter, they were late budding and I thought I'd lost them. I really enjoy these roses.

The buds progressed quickly. Next they looked like this. I knew that the hot temperatures would bring them on.

Today they look like the photo above. They are plentiful and there are still lots of buds.

One of the red roses in a closeup. The color is actually darker than this. They are a darker red.
A closeup of one of my pink roses. They are highly fragrant and this one is about 4 inches across. I like to bring these in as they bloom and float them in a rose bowl. They fill the house with their wonderful fragrance.

The flowers above spread like wildfire. They are another that I thin out each spring and they just keep on going and going.
The iris above was given to me by my mother, who got a toe from her mother. This iris has been passed from generation to generation in my family. I enjoy it. It is the only one of my iris that bloomed this year. I think some of them need to be transplanted and given a bit of manure to help them bloom.
The above photo shows my red peony in bud. This is another plant that has been here for 15 years since we bought the house.

Above, it is in full bloom. These peonies and the pink ones below are all fragrant - the pink one more so.

Mini carnations. This was taken a week or so ago and they are finished now. They are pretty though. It's been so hot this year that none of the blooms are lasting long.
The above photo shows my clematis. It always has dozens of blooms on it, yet I do very little with it. I just water it when I remember. It has done very well.
The clematis was also planted the first year we had the house. It gets bigger every year. I love the dark purple shade of it. I tried growing a red one, but alas, it never bloomed and finally died the second year. I've been told that red clematis is very hard to grow, as is white. I'm not sure why.
Purple columbine. I didn't realize that I had so many purple flowers in my garden. There are quite a few.

Here is close-up of the blooms. They are so unique and below is a pink columbine. I don't like it nearly as well. It looks kind of washed out. I got a piece of root from Mom. The purple columbine root came from Aunt May. I'm hoping it continues to do well. It is also a favorite.

Some of my readers will remember my post about the stump I brought home when the City cut down a tree two doors up the street. You can find that post Here.
This is what I've done with it and I think it looks kind of pretty. I would have liked to have put a scarveola in here, but there were none to be found. I settled on this beauty.
Here is it from another angle. I do like the effect it has. We have lots of white clover in our lawn in the area. If you want a lovely natural lawn, white clover works really well and when it is cut, it is so soft on bare feet.
After I had planted the flowers in the stump, I got my garden elf out and asked him to stand guard over the lovely blossoms. He was glad to do the job and gives the stump a more enchanted look, I think. Of course the grandsons love this kind of garden decor and when I choose something, I keep them in mind. It was about eight years ago I bought the garden elf for the boys. Every time they walk past it, the Hi Ho song from Snow White plays. They about drove Grandpa nuts with it way back then.

So that is a tour of my garden. It is a little neglected this year because of all the renovations taking place, but I still enjoy all the lovely blooms. I hope you've enjoyed the tour. Have a great Sunday and remember to stop and smell the roses. ~Blessings, Mary~