A lot can happen in a day.

It started as a beautiful day.

The Wikiki Clematis has decided to bloom.  

 She has more blooms this year than in the past.  

and the Knockout Rose tree has exploded with blooms.

I took a couple of photos from a different angle than usual.

 Then the nasty storm rolled in about 5pm today, and she was a real bitch.

 We are very happy that our cars were not in the parking lot.

 Fortunately Aunt Mel lucked out with her car not getting hit.

 Not sure if you can tell from the photo, but this Mulberry tree was damaged before the storm took her down.

Deer detourant

As you know, I have tried many things to detour the deer from the yard.  Everything from hanging wind chimes to putting dog hair all over the yard.  Nothing seems to matter, our deer are relentless.  I have decided to make it a bit harder for them to get into the front yard.  I started planting a living fence that will cover the majority of the yard.  They will only have access to the front yard from the driveway and front walk.  Maybe this will keep them out.  Probably not, but what the hell, it is worth a try, and I will only have my time and energy invested in the project.

Here is the east arbor.  This will be the only entrance into the yard from the east side of the property.  I have a plan on what will keep the deer from walking through the arbor, more on that in another posting. I do not plan on leaving that random stepping stone there.  It just happens to be there.

I need a couple of landscape timbers to build a step or two.

  I am planning on putting in a couple more climbers to take over the arbor.  As ugly as that arbor is, you will never see it once the climbers take over.

The hedge is going to be a work in progress.  I started with a bunch of Rose of Sharon's today.  I managed to get a few starts from Dad today, but I hit the jackpot in the backyard. 

 Dad brought down the stakes that I used for the veggie garden, and tied the bushes to them.  This should help them stay vertical.  They have a tendency to lean with the wind if you do not secure them.

 I plan on planting various shrubs between the Rose of Sharon's, alternating sides. Forsythia, Korean Lilac, Common Lilac, Burning bushes to name a few.   I do not want a straight line, hell there is nothing straight here at the ghetto gardens. I also planted some ribbon grass at the base of the plants.  I will probably live to regret that move but I need something that would help me from having to weed around all those bushes.

Flood water

I have never seen this much flooding at Lake Monroe.  I did not get a chance to get down there when the lake was at its highest but I had a chance to drive down there tonight with my aunt.  The water was over the road a few days earlier.

 Can you believe that you are suppose to be able to drive your boats under that bridge.

 One of the many parking lots under water.

 Do you see the stop sign?

More tree tops.

More Iris blooms

As you know, I just took photos of the Iris that were beginning to bloom.  I woke up this morning and more blooms.  At a glance these might all look the same, but they are not.  They have subtle differences, from color to size.

 

Here are some of the old fashion Iris.

Yellow and wine Iris

I had posted this Iris yesterday but more are blooming and I love the color.

I also wanted to mention that the Poppies are starting to bloom as well.

Iris season

The Iris blooms have started to arrive.

I was told that this one was called Almost Black Iris.  I looked online and it does not look anything like Almost Black Iris's, wth. Another posting of flowers that have no names.

 

As you can see from the photo, she will have many more blooms this year.

This little beauty I do not even recall blooming before.

This is definitely an older Iris, but I would not call these old fashion.

They have been around for awhile.

 Purple and White Iris

May happenings in the garden

The Alliums 

I remember them being more in the shape of a ball, wth.

They are still pretty.

What was once about 7 blooms, has dwindled to 3.  One bloom was not ready for her close up.

The Bridal Veil Spirea had started to bloom while we were in Las Vegas.

The Old Fashion Viburnam is getting ready to get cut completely back and moved.  I like to stress my plants out as often as I can. lol  Seriously, I do need to move this plant for more sunshine.  I have just the spot.

The Yellow water iris are starting to bloom.  They are close to 5 feet tall. 

Here is a close up of the first bloom.  

Variagated Bamboo hiding under the lilies.

Another Variagated Bamboo start growing in the lilies.  I am going to move her to a better location with more sunshine.

Yes, they look a complete mess, but she is blooming damn it. lol  This is what it looks like in my ICU for plants.

Now this is what I call a pile of MULCH.

The tree trimmers were limbing up trees in the neighborhood again.  This is the best way to get mulch, because its completely free.  I know, I should let the debris cook a bit before I spread it on the flower beds, but I don't have the patience. 

I have no idea why this one Hosta is not nearly as big as the surrounding Hosta's.  Lets see if she can catch up with the rest of the ladies.

Here is another small Hosta, but this one has an excuse, its just a baby.  This is the start I was given by Aunt Lois a couple weeks ago.  Do you even see it in the bottom left corner of the picture?

Spring trip

My Honey went to Las Vegas for a conference this past week, and I had the opportunity to go visit him for a couple of days.  While he was in his conference getting smarter, I was wandering the Las Vegas Boulevard taking a gazillion pictures.  I walked from Mandalay Bay to Treasure Island and here is a sample of what I encountered.

We stayed at the New York New York Casino.

I wanted to do this in the front yard.

 

This is exactly how I felt after I walked all over the strip.

I want this statue in our yard.

Blooming Jasmine all over the strip, filling the air with their fragrance.  You could smell the Jasmine the minute you walked outside, anywhere on the strip, I was loving that surprise.

The Luxor

Mandalay Bay

This shrub seemed to be about everywhere.

She was in the lion exhibit in the MGM Grand.

MGM

The Mirage

I loved this tree.

Monte Carlo

New York New York

Paris

The Bellagio

The Venetian

This was outside Mandalay Bay.

The Luxor

The bloom of this plant reminded me of a Dogwood bloom.  The foliage looked similar to a Yucca plant.

And the following photos were taken the day I left.  I decided to walk to the airport.  Sounds crazy, but I had time, no money and it was beautiful outside.  I left the MGM at 5:20 pm, and walked into the airport at 6:07.  I should probably mention that it was in the low 80's, with a strong wind, and it was beautiful.  I also want to mention that it was a leisurely stroll, and not power walking.

The first Cactus I saw.