The heat came early this year and with just enough rain it coaxed out lots of flowers we normally don't see quite this soon. We added a bunch of peony plants to our patch, and the new arrivals are already making beautiful music in the garden. G's pampered rhododendrons seem happy, one group of lilies is up, the tiny roses are all abud, the succulent garden is colorful and my beared irises are standing tall. It's a sight to behold.

I do not possess a naturally green thumb, but I love plants and flowers and have really made an effort to learn about native species and what works with our conditions. The first few years of having this little house as a weekend place were largely devoted to domestic projects. It was hard to think a lot about the garden when we were not here often enough to tend it. But last year we put in our first vegetable garden and it really made us want to stay around even more than we already did. This year we have expanded the footprint quite a bit and are looking forward to a big harvest of vegetables for months to come (fingers crossed). I'll post photos of that soon. In the meantime, some more flowers we're enjoying at the moment...