Early Bloomers
Our backyard was a hard fought victory. We had to contend with impervious red clay soil, all that was left after the builders scraped all the top soil off. Not only that, but they left a slope that slanted toward our house. There was literally nothing in our backyard except a few scraggly patches of grass. So as soon as we could, we had the slope leveled, built a retaining wall, and then began the process of improving the soil and planting. We are still working in this area, but as you can see, we are making progress.
This photo was taken about a month ago, mid April-ish. The Irish moss does wonderfully well and is a true asset to our yard. The second photo is a clematis that faithfully comes back every spring. It blooms during iris season and, in combination with both the iris and ajuga, makes a very pretty picture.
This is a tree peony that we bought on sale several years ago. It was a bare root plant and we were pretty sure it wouldn’t grow. But it did, and over the years it has gotten taller each year until now it is probably about three and a half feet. The blooms are spectacular and quite large as shown in the photo with my hand.
Iris tend to get a little floppy mid summer. But their blooms are so beautiful and so inspiring that they are well worth growing. The purple iris shown here, and the white iris are by the fence along our driveway. They don’t get watered in the summer, unfortunately, but nonetheless come back in glory every spring. The yellow iris are along the retaining wall behind our house and add sparkle to our backyard.
Final thought:
None of the flowers shown here could be called exotic or unusual; they are at garden centers everywhere. In fact, iris and ground covers like ajuga can be pass along plants. But these “ordinary” flowers gladden the heart on warm spring days, and make us realize that indeed they are not “ordinary” at all!