What's Blooming at Buttermilk Cottage this May

Beautiful iris are now gone, but bloomed gorgeously in early May

I consider myself a

"reluctant gardener,"

because I have never 

really had a huge interest 

in gardening.

However, when I bought the current

Buttermilk Cottage,

I also bought several established beds.

This calla lily was in a bed in front of the house,
but was moved to a side bed when it first started peeking up
and is looking lovely in its new spot.

Since these established beds...

* were already there,

* I am not one who likes to waste things,

and

* I care about the appearance of my house,

inside and out,

I have spent the past two years

learning about gardening.

I have discovered that...

* gardening is a process

* if something isn't working (pleasing) in one spot,

dig it up and put it somewhere else,

* perennials are my BFFs in the garden,

and

* there is ALWAYS weeding to be done.

These three small azalea bushes

were bought on impulse last spring

when they were blooming.

They ended in a new bed along the

backside of the house.

I watched them with anticipation

during April

when all the other azaleas in the 

neighborhood were blooming.

I got nothing.

But now late in May

this is what they give me!!!

One of my favorites

that comes back beautifully 

each year is Coreopsis.

Also known as tick seed/tick weed,

 that name does not do it justice.

I have been thrilled to discover

it attracts finches,

which look too exotic

to be just flying around!

Speaking of "exotic,"

this lily was purchased last spring,

again because it was blooming,

to be used as a container plant

on my deck.

It did fairly well,

but at the end of last season,

I found a spot for it in the ground

and look what it is doing now!!!

Although the hosta are not yet blooming,

I had to show them to you

because they are HUGE!

Once they started poking through 

the earth in early Spring,

you could almost see 

them growing by the hour.

To conclude,  

the daylilies are beginning to bloom this week.

They have almost outgrown this spot

and I am anticipating

thinning them out

and transplanting a few

to other spots in the yard.

I'm not sure I can really call myself

a reluctant gardener any more.

Although the work can be hot,

dirty, and sometimes backbreaking,

just look what can happen!

April showers really do

bring May flowers!