I won't lie to you, there is some serious ugly out in the garden as well. But I'm pretending I never saw it. We'll address that at a later date when I'm no longer in denial.
For today, let's pretend everything looks perfect. Thank you for your support.
Here's what going on:
Physostegia (Obedient plant) 'cultivar unknown' has just started to bloom and I am a huge fan. As promised, the deer have stayed away and they have survived after soaking in water for days at a time. They are allowed to stay for the long haul:
The seed heads on Chasmanthium latifolium (Northern Sea Oats) are just starting to appear. While the seedlings of this ornamental grass are popping up all over my gardens, it's still worth it when the seed heads are back lit later in the season:
Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian Sage) is just starting to bloom a bit and the anticipation of it being in full bloom is killing me:
For now, it is the ultimate "see through" plant; seen here with Echinacea (Purple Coneflower) in the background:
Speaking of purple coneflowers, here are some more; true sign summer has arrived:
Even popping up mysteriously underneath Weigela 'Wine and Roses':
Echinacea 'Fragrant Angel', nice to see you back again:
I'm going to call Pycnanthemum incanum (Mountain Mint) one of my most underrated perennials. This native plant is the ultimate companion plant as it lends an "airiness" to the garden and pulls in all sorts of awesome creatures from butterflies to wasps:
While not yet in bloom, I am still celebrating the buds that have appeared on Daylily 'Little Grapette'. I've been religiously spraying these with Liquid Fence to fend off the deer and so far so good:
I love these blooms but have only managed to see maybe two to three of these the past two years thanks to the friggin deer. After a few divisions along the way, I've got ten of these puppies ready to go. Ain't the bloom nice?:
Good times.
John