We have a garden!

The average last freeze date for Bloomington is supposed to be April 15. So, does that mean it is safe to finally plant something? Only about half of the time.

We planted some tulips in front of the house last fall. They were supposed to be white, pink, maroon, and white with purple edges. Unfortunately, the maroon came up more fuschia or purple. And the white came up looking . . . yellow, with red streaks.

I guess they were mislabeled. The overall effect is a bit like Mardi Gras. I was hoping to have pink and maroon flowers in the front of the house, to harmonize with the gray and white house and go with the maroon front door. Purple and yellow weren't exactly what I was picturing. At least the yellow tulips are big and beautiful. And the yellow seems to fade a bit as they open fully. Or am I fooling myself?

I was so eager for spring I couldn't wait for warm weather, so I started some seeds indoors.


We planted them yesterday.


We hope to have cornflowers, blue and white morning glories, moon flowers, and lady lavender (a lot like true lavender, but blooms the first year and is slightly less invasive) by the trellis. So far, we have . . . bean sprouts.


We have tulips in the backyard, too. They were supposed to be purple. I suspect they are the exact same variety as the ones out front that were supposed to be maroon.


Oh, well. At least they came up. I think the hydrangeas next to them are alive. But I have serious doubts about the lilac bush. Other people have actual lilac blooms in their yards right now. I have some tiny buds on the end of dry sticks.


I think I have garden jealousy. "Thou shalt not covet they neighbors shrubs." The book "The Princess Bride" says that originally, all jealousy was reserved to plants. That's where the phrase "green with envy" came from. Tee-hee.


Maybe I can just stick these pansies in front of the slow-growing lilac bush. It IS a rather small bush.


Our snowball bush has little blossoms on it. They're just more green than white. Is there such a thing as acid snow? Maybe that's why its green. I have fond memories of a snowball bush in the house where I grew up. A branch with a "snowball" on the end makes an excellent fairy wand.


Out front, the little faux gas lamp will be surrounded by echinacea, red morning glories, cosmos, and zinnias. I hope the cosmos attract as many caterpillars and butterflies as last year. Dharma loves to chase the butterflies. But they cheat: they can fly and she can't.

Dharma has been enjoying the warm weather, too.