Ally, Ally, Quite Contrary…

/ Ally Bean

How does your Spring garden grow?

Glad you asked.  Here are few photos of the backyard.

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A maroon pansy, planted last fall, has returned and is looking pretty.

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The gray stone path on the hillside is happy to be the center of attention between salvia and boxwoods.

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A hosta and a catmint with tiny purple blooms stand side-by-side under the deck, thrilled with the wet + cool weather.

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The pachysandra patch directs your attention into the forest, which is amazingly green this Spring.

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And up on the deck, a potted orange gerbera daisy suggests that Summer is around the corner.

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HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY, everyone.

Make it a good one.

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44 thoughts on “Ally, Ally, Quite Contrary…”

  1. So tidy! My yard is a bit of a mess at the moment. We’ve had some rather impressive storms roll through which has given me a free water feature in the center of the yard.

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      • Oh yes, it is to be envied, with its delightfully wild mud filled border and enough water flow to entice stop overs by a swarm of mosquitoes while not quite enough to create a relaxing babble.

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      • One of the houses I looked at had this tiny little pond right smack in the middle of a fairly large back yard with a perfectly straight path leading to it from the deck. It was completely out of place. You could try that!

        By the way, the rest of the yard looks lovely. I’d enjoy seeing some larger shots to see how these paths and borders fit in. I love the forest at the back of your property. It always reminds me of the bird lady.

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        • Zaz, one of these days I’ll take some photos with more perspective. I forget to do that, taken as I am with details. You’ll be interested to know that crazy bird lady has calmed down, taken down most of her streamers & rarely beats on her metal pans any more. I call this progress.

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  2. I love it when plants come back from the year before. Your pansy looks very happy and healthy. We haven’t had the rain you’ve had, so have watered several times. Things are looking very pretty here. I just planted 14 various sized pots around with dahlias, marigolds, begonias and lantana. I filled our little fountain on the back porch and can now hear a lovely, relaxing sound. I love spring and summer!

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    • Beth, I like pansies, too. Cute faces, great colors + determined. It’s so green here you wouldn’t believe it. I’ve got some geraniums + gerber daisies in pots already, but have kept the herb starts on the porch until it gets a bit warmer. I want a fountain somewhere. Am jealous.

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  3. Wait I am confused, where is it Mother’s Day today?
    It’s Father’s Day in Germany today and on Sunday it will be Mother’s Day. And in France it will be Mother’s Day on the 29th of May this year …
    That green forest is amazingly green.

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    • Solveig, this Sunday is Mother’s Day here in the USA. I’m just greeting everyone ahead of the day. Isn’t that green something else? The color is so intense this year.

      Liked by 1 person

  4. It all looks so lovely and inviting. We’re still quite a bit further behind. I’m only getting hints of buds and my hostas are smaller than my baby finger. I wait patiently.

    Your gray stone path looks like an invitation to explore 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Well…I was going to post my garden pics on my blog but now I think I shall do a bit more trimming lol. Your path is just beautiful! One day I’ll find my own path and place it petfectly.😉
    We live next to a ravine with a steep drop. (It keeps us from having neighbors which I love.) Your yards just lovely!

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    • bitsfromheaven, that path is cool, I admit it. From what I can tell, if you put in a stone path of any sort, everything around it looks better. I like our ravine lot for the same reason you do! Looking forward to seeing your photos soon.

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  6. Ah, so pretty! So green! I love it, thank you for sharing.
    I have an upcoming post about my garden and it’s titled “Who’s Contrary?” so now we can both raise our hands 😛

    Liked by 1 person

    • joey, I love it! I tend to believe that it takes a certain amount of contrariness to even try to grow flowers and herbs and vegetables. So I’ll happily raise my hand with you.

      Liked by 1 person

  8. So pretty. We’ve just had 40 days of cold and dreary spritzing. Weeds have grown by leaps and bounds. Dogwoods are blooming but when the weather isn’t nice (and friendly) I enjoy from inside. Soon.

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    • serena, I’ve never seen the trees in the back this green before. The photo looks like I doctored it, but I didn’t. My aunt was a master gardener, but I’ve never had the patience to take those classes. I just try things and see what happens!

      Liked by 1 person

  11. I love the gerbera daisy and the very serene forest! I have no idea what I want to plant this year. The weather has already been so hot that it will be a LOT of work to water.

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    • Margaret, I do fewer pots each year because I don’t want to lug water around to keep each of them growing. The forest this Spring has been so green. I’ve never seen it like this before.

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  13. So green. Your garden looks like it has many different places to explore. My garden is very green, right now, but I know as the California summer approaches, and the rains disappear for months and months, everything will get tired. So I sit on my patio trying to absorb all the green while it is still here.

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  14. My parents had a non-traditional ravine lot. It was wonderful. And they spent a lot of time enjoying it from the back porch as they grew older.
    I love your paths. Funny how determined some pansies are.
    Happy Mother’s Day early!

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    • philmouse, I imagine as we get older we’ll be enjoying this property from the screened-in porch. Not that we aren’t there often as it is. But, you know, when we’re really old and prefer to stare at the paths instead of walking on them. Like maybe next year… 😉

      Liked by 1 person

        • Z-D wanted [demanded] a screened-in porch with this house. I didn’t care one way or the other about it, but he was right about getting one. I love it, and with all the changes in the back, the porch is just about the best place to be in the house. Hope you get one soon. You deserve it! 😉

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  15. It’s been raining here for almost two weeks straight — but in the city, rain just takes the gray and makes it that much grayer. A great pleasure to look at the damp, lush greens in your pictures!

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