Black-Eyed Susan

Rudbeckia hirta - Black-eyed Susan, also
 called Brown-eyed Susan among other names. It has really
taken off this year. It is the Maryland
state flower, a perennial and drought
tolerant. In my experience, it
doesn't like water on it's leaves. 

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY

Newberry Festival daylily always blooms for me on the 4th!!

Had a new visitor to the bird feeder. I think he or she
might be a Downey Woodpecker.

Savannah Debutante, a double daylily has
really done well this year!

Visitor to daylily

A June Day

This beauty is Lady Georgia.

Persian Market is a 1998 All American Daylily selection and is a rebloomer!

Decatur Apricot

Eye Yi Yi

Princess Navajo

Coneflowers Echinacea purpurea are multiplying.

They've gotten really tall this year.

First Few Strawberries and More Iris

The strawberries are really looking good this year. Lettuce
from last year went to seed and has come up all
over the strawberry patch and they love each other!

Decandence tall bearded iris. I brought
this from my old house in 2010 and
this is the first time it has bloomed!

Electrique iris

Purple Double Columbine

I started these double Columbine from seed in
Feb 2012 and have babied the seedlings and
now am rewarded today with them blooming!
I have lost the seed packet, so I think these
are Clementine Double Columbine. Out
of 2 pkgs I got 2 plants. 

I think they were worth the effort!

Continuing The Garden Transformation

When we first bought the house
in 2010

Trying to make the well
house not stick out like a sore thumb.

Today

Photo taken when we first
bought the house 

Today

Superstition iris

Silverado and Sky Spirit iris

Trying to train the Wisteria onto the top of the fence

Living Fence Coming Along and Iris

The living fence is slowly coming along.
I can't decide whether to shape into a
box hedge or leave them bushy.

Before photo

Spin-off, an Heirloom, and Footloose iris

I thought I had killed this beauty - Moonlit Water.
She is alive and well.

These iris are in the rose bed.

The Iris Are Back

I just love this time of year - everything is new and
green. In Texas when June arrives, everything begins to
look a bit raggedy and stressed. The silvery bush to the
 left is one of the remaining Elaeagnus, in front,  that
survived the drought in 2011. It seems to be
doing well now. I did plant it a little bit to close to the
Pink Knockout rose, which is to the right. I planted
the dark purple iris last summer in front of the
Red Knockout roses. I planted the Heirloom iris on our
embankment last summer as well and they have really
multiplied!

Heirloom iris on embankment.

Sky Spirit iris just bloomed this morning.
This one is in the backyard. Behind it is
another Elaeagnus that was almost
dead in the Summer of 2011. I
moved some of them to the back for
tender loving care and now they look great. The
red "schoolhouse" birdhouse is now
home to what I believe are Eastern Bluebirds.
They are a beautiful blue with orange bellies.

I also moved some of the Footloose iris to the front.
I think they look great by these rocks. This
is usually the first iris to bloom in my garden
and is very prolific and looks stunning planted
alongside tall white iris. I bought this
several years ago from Schreiner's Iris Gardens online.
They are based in Oregon.

Here they are in my previous garden. I brought
the white with me, but haven't seen them this year so far.

Succulents

My granddaughter went with me to the garden
center and this is what she picked out. I've never
really looked much at succulents - but this all looks quit nice
together. She did a good job of picking these out. Later she wants
to add some miniature cactus.
The plants are Flapjack Kalanchoe luciae and String of Buttons
 and the two on the bottom-
 we are not sure - they didn't
 come with labels, but after looking on the internet
I think Tricolor Stonecrop Sedum spurium 'Tricolor' 
and Blue carpet sedum. 

Update to last post - RV has been moved
out of the backyard!

I bought this shrub last spring (Loropetalum "Purple Diamond"). 
It survived the summer
and now it's in bloom. I love it.

Texas Mission Almond tree. My daughter and
son-in-law bought this tree for me at
Christmas time a year ago by mail-order. I didn't
even bother to photograph it last
year, as it looked like a small stick. It has
just bloomed and is looking more like a tree.