Blooms Everywhere!

It's irises time and peonies time, and roses time in Arlington.

My peach irises in side yard

Irises near one of the schools

 Closeup!

White irises in my backyard

...and blue irises in the background

Variegated iris blooming blue, white peony and catmint in my backyard

 Beautiful climbing rose that I've adored for years (the brick fence is at least 6 feet tall)

Pretty knock-out roses growing in street median

I, sadly, decided to dig out my two roses: the knockout rose neat garage was taken over by overgrown bush, and the climbing rose in the side yard was diseased and I did not care to spray it with necessary chemicals. Oh well, there's plenty to enjoy around.

More views of my flowers...

Oh yea, by the way, this Sunday (19th) I planted some scarlet runner beans. I read an article in The Washington Post about runner beans and had to have them.

Mini-oasis

Irises around a utility pole near my neighbors' house are in full bloom.

There are quite a few mini-gardens like this one around here. I wonder if they were created because of practical reasons (who wants to mow and weedwack that narrow strip between a sidewalk and street and around utility poles?) or because a gardener just had to have one more patch of soil where to put in even more plants. It's probably a little bit of both.

Watch This!

I've been following the blog "You Grow Girl" for quite some time now, but today's post was especially inspiring. The 25-minute video about living from the land in the city embedded in this particular blog entry is worth watching. Funny how a movie from 1984 is still 100% relevant today. If anything, I imagine Polly, the lady in the movie, would feel less as an outsider and curiosity today when backyard gardening has become more mainstream. Even the First Lady has a vegetable patch.

http://www.yougrowgirl.com/2011/02/28/my-urban-garden/

Chincoteague Island

Our family is on vacation on Chincoteague Island, VA. Yesterday I rode a bike around with sole purpose to check out front gardens. It was a very enjoyable ride. I did not stop much to take pictures--I felt I would be intruding somehow. Or I'd need to stop every half-block.

The small spaces charmed me the most.
Colorful storefront on Main Street.

After a Trip

Past four days I was in New York for work. The days were busy and I did not get to explore much farther than a few blocks around the hotel we stayed. This rooftop garden caught my eye from my window.

One of my favorite things when coming home from a trip is to check what has changed in my garden during the days I've been away. There were a couple of tomatoes ready for picking, one cucumber and three zucchinis. Zinnias are in full bloom. Sunflower is beaten down by a recent downpour. Mullen has wilted and has to be pulled out and daisies could use some good deadheading. How soon do you make a round in your garden after coming home from a trip?