Garden Tour: Memorial Day Weekend

And now, at last, she was seeing daylight; the obstacles were clearing away; things were really beginning to move.

-Vita Sackville-West
Saint Joan of Arc, 1936

Thank God we made it through another winter and an unpredictable spring.  I realize spring is not officially over until June 20th, but the swimming pools are open this weekend in Michigan, so as far as I’m concerned we can rest easy.  The cold winds will not cross our path for many days.

Once a month I would like to give you an update of my garden.  This is for your enjoyment as much as it is useful for my personal record keeping.  Are you ready to take a little tour?  Here we go…

These photos were taken today, May 27th, 2016.  These are the perennials flowering now…

Our first sign of Spring is still hanging around.  The hellebores are still in bloom.

 

*Lilacs are still at it, but not for long.  Their flowers are open completely, and their scent is losing its freshness.  Like an old perfume that has sat in the sun too long, they are growing stale.   I clipped what will probably be my last bouquet as the flowers are turning brown with age.

Like clock work, as soon as the lilac’s die off completely all the rose bushes, the hydrangeas and the peonies begin to open.  Soon their colors of pinks, yellows and blues will sit in this little bottle from a local vodka distillery run entirely by women here in Detroit, Our/Detroit Vodka.  Pretty awesome right?  The little bottles they use are great. Perfect for a bud vase when you’re finished with the spirits.

*Set against a mural of the year we signed The Declaration of Independence. I painted it on my garage last summer.  Some people still like to drive by to take pictures. 🙂

 

Sweet Woodruff will flower all summer, I believe.  Not a brilliant show, but just enough to add balance to the mix of other colors.

 

My Lemon-Zest Rose bush.  Set against its blue-green leaves will look quite dashing next to our side door which I will paint either blue or red.   Red would be the safer choice.  However, I believe it’s possible find a shade of blue that would not offend the eye.

 

 

 

Thank you for joining me on a Memorial Day weekend tour.  Don’t forget to kiss a veteran you love!  Without them the mural on my garage would not exist.