The grand finale

This starts at the left side of the backyard.

1) Another climbing plant (on the trellis) and some other flowering thing
2) A funky bush with yellow-outlined leaves
3) Hydrangeas. The blooms are HUGE!
4) Some sort of bleeding heart?
5) Grapes!
6) Big feathery pink things
7) More Black-eyed Susans? And some rhubarb, and something else
8) This tree is out of control
9) Bush
10) Ferns and something else
11) Blueberries, hydrangeas, and (I think) a lilac tree
12) Plum tree - loaded with plums, they're just ready

Okay, that's pretty much the end. I haven't shown you the vegetable garden, or the other grapes (they grow along the deck), and I skipped some plants. So yeah, I need help. Lots of help.

Número tres

More of the right side of the backyard. Have I mentioned we have a jungle?

1) I LOVE these flowers. Don't know what they are, but they smell like peaches. I want more.
2) Roses
3) Okay, not a great photo, but these flowers are about 10 feet tall. Really tall, skinny, with flowers at the end. I'll try to get a close-up of the flowers, if that helps.
4) Misc short plants
5) Black-eyed Susan, right?
6) Another rose
7) Tall yellow things. Goldenrod is my only guess
8) Some sort of ground cover, with pink-ish flowers
9) Something that looks dead, and some bush.
10) The cherry tree. We missed this season, unfortunately, but can't wait for next year!
11) The apple tree. I think they're almost ready.
12) We haven't seen any hydrangeas for a while, have we?
13) Lots of stuff
14) Another rose
15) Another hydrangea, and another doomed rhodo

The jungle part deux

Okay, here's part two: the backyard.

1) A very tall climbing rose
2) Some really pretty flowers. Are they some type of lily?
3) A palm tree. It still has the little brochure on it, so I think we're good for instructions. Although I guess I should take the brochure off, before it gets wet (again), hey?
4) Okay, these are half-dead, but they had lots of white flowers
5) This is some sort of climbing vine thing. Wisteria? Clematis? Killer strangling vine?
6) Rose
7) Um. Lots of stuff.
8) VERY tall roses. That's the roof of our house. There's two or three kinds in there.
9) One of the tall roses
11) The top of the tall roses

Whew. Okay, that's one half of the right side of the backyard. More posts to come.

Welcome to the jungle

(aka Name that Plant)

I'm ready to take on a new obsession: gardening. If you haven't seen it already, we have quite the collection of plants. I don't know 99% of them, so if you do, feel free to let me know! I've numbered each photo.

Yes, I'm embarrassed by the state of the garden. Everything is overgrown. I need to start somewhere, but I really don't know what to do. I'm planning on having a garden party, and it's BYOP (bring your own pruner). Everyone that comes gets a free plant to take home! (I'm not kidding)

1) Just to the left of this photo is a giant rhodo. It is going to be pruned to the ground (not a fan). Then there's this little guy. Some sort of hosta?

2) You can see one of our 1,835 hydrangeas (approximate number). Then there's this bush that has leaves with yellow dots. Yes, I am quite descriptive, aren't I?

3) Another hydrangea
4) And another
5) Then this tall thing that has some flowers
6) More tall things with flowers
7) Pretty flower (see the bee?)
8) Another hydrangea?
9) A view from the side
10) And to the left, a whack of shorter plants
11) To the left, this huge thing
12) Some busy ball of something
13) Okay, one I can get. Some sort of rose
14) White flower balls (I think that's the scientific name)
15) Another hydrangea that hasn't bloomed?

16) Tall fern-like things


17) And a view from the front, with the funky umbrella tree
18) The underside of the funky tree
19) Hydrangeas20) Love the green ones!
And, that's just the FRONT yard. Yikes!

So, if you recognize anything, have any suggestions, tips, warnings, stories, limericks, or haikus, please leave a comment!

Okay, if you say so!

Tonight Dare's mom and stepdad came over for a visit. When I told Chloe, she asked if Mini (their dog) was coming. I said I didn't think so. She said:

"Yes, he's coming. And he's going to love me!"

Nice try

Chloe's slowly adjusting to her new daycare, however she does get a bit weepy when we get there. This morning as we were getting ready to leave the house, she told me that her dog (stuffed animal) was sad. I asked why, and she said "He wants me". It made me smile, but she said it with such a sad look on her face, I just had to give her a big hug.

She still went to daycare though.

Did you know it snowed yesterday?

Well, it did according to Chloe. Apparently she called the clouds, and told them it was time to snow. Then it did, so she got her gloves and daddy's gloves, and went outside and made snowmen.

Huh. I guess her imagination is working fine :p

ps. Still not fully unpacked. The family room and crafts room are wall-to-wall boxes. Sigh.