Elisa's Eye on the World

Tulips by the Back Door

Darling pair of pinkies!

The Fancy Fringe Red Gang

Mash Up Medley!

Tall crimson bulbs and one yellow Picasco type with pointy petals.

Two Sets of Fancy Fringed Tulips

Red Fancy Fringed Tulips waiting to open....

While the "safety yellow" ones put on their show.

Tulips Part I

 

Garden Views 3-23

Finally, here's some pictures of the garden taken outside, instead of through the window.  Spring is on the way!
The Elf has been relocated to the "fairy flower" area with columbines and foxgloves.

The violet colored blooms are Vinca groundcover, the tall shrub / herb  is Rosemary.

A big bag of compost spread in this area, after some diligent weeding was very rewarding.

 

Garden View Early March

I tagged "bulbs" here and must note this means the emergence of bulb activity. The Garden Elf has been repositioned for spring where soon, he will be surrounded by fairy like flowers and plants. Ah Spring!

Flowering Frenzy

Lovable Daisies

Last of the Rockrose

Impressive Peony

Exotic Tiger Lily

Sunday Garden Stroll

Return of the Rhododendron.

 
Lupine, moved last year so it would have more room to sprawl. One of those plants with fantastic leaves and flowers.

Peony standing by to bloom (please please please!)

  
The triangle areas between the paths are really starting to take shape after 5 or so season. So much better than all the decking the dominated the yard when we moved in 17 years ago this weekend.

Tulips, Heuchera, Fox Gloves with a background of mixed Sedum and Ornamental Strawberry.

South Fence Side with New Raised Bed

The glacial green area marks the area called "South Beach" to the left is the rejuvenated fern, trimmed down in February and now has interesting growth emerging. The rain barrel and then the small glacial green area which is nice for the cafe table set or hammock.

Then on the left  is the new raised bed, now home to 2 dozen mixed color Gladiolus and 4 White Thyme ground covers. This is where the fence was replaced and it was about time go it planted. In the fall, tall but narrow shrubs are planned to give year round interest to the area.

Cut Flowers at the Pike Place Market

Most were from the Skagit Valley north of Seattle. Many vendors sell the tulips by the bunch or stem, which was nice. And I guess a sign of the economy.

Walking Around the Garden Today

Tulips and Heuchera by front gate.

Sunflower seed starts.

Tulip Time!

Tulip Time by the Back Steps

The yellow are the "Fancy Fringe" variety and the orange with yellow a returning "orphan" from a collection a friend gave us. Off the the right is the lovely light purple of Lanium.

Garden View From Back Steps

Taken around 6 pm tonight - note emerging bulbs and partially concealed garden whimsy.

February Snow Showers Dust the Garden

The bits of green sticking out are spring bulbs. I've learned they will hold on and find the right time to bloom, without damage despite the record low temps and snow.

View from the laundry room window. Artsy.

The orange dart? It's another element of Garden Whimsy. We found the lawn dart under the deck during the remodel. The teak bench was a great investment. Built from a kit, it requires not annual maintenance except to hose it off in the spring.

So nice not to see the ugly red shed. The blue recycling tote is standing on the remaining foundation until we build a proper corral on the north side.

Here Come the Tulips

Here are some early signs of spring bulbs after a near frosty morning.

Early February Garden

This is the view from the window to my left as I type this entry. Hubs just cut back the Fern, as recommended by Garden Guru L for early February. Not very impressive right now but this area which faces the New South Beach lounging area is set for a spruce up.

I've been in the kitchen making clam chowder, but opened the window to take these as the drizzle dripped outside.

There's a nice view of the strech of fence that's on its last legs, and pending replacements. We already flipped over the boards so the pained brown side is not visible but the posts are failing and it's too high in some places, short in others and gotta go.

Hubs dismantles the former wheel barrow planter for proper disposal. This is from inside, the green rock is the New South Beach the nearby area has lots of early spring bulbs that will be rocking out by the end of the month.

First Garden Photos with the New Camera

Foxglove close-up

Leopard lily close-up

Blue pansies with flowering sedum

Purple Power!

Lupine!

Columbine.

Johnson Blue (Geranium)

Tulips!

April Garden Assortment

Here's another shot from April: Heuchera (Coral Bells), Velvet Tulips, Grape Hyacinth with a border of a low growing Hebe. The steel garden ornament was locally made and rotates with the seasons.

Tulip Diversity

Somehow this did not get posted in April, an interesting combination of bulbs by the front gate.

Picasso Tulips Return

I have nick-named these bright yellow pointy petaled tulips Tweety and Woodstock for the cartoon characters of the same color. A great contrast with the weathered teak bench and retaining wall. The areas of pink are Bleeding Hearts.

Tulip Roll Call from Last Weekend

Here's an overview of the tulips taken last weekend:

Lush Green with Bright Tulip Accents

The "flame" tulip is now supported to help it through the persistent spring storms. The first of the Fancy Fringed Tulips are putting on a bright yellow show.

Band of Red Tulips Bordering The Space Needle

Guest gardener post. This length of red tulips along Broad Street in front of the Space Needle is quite striking. The small grove of trees are an urban treasure. The Needle is often depicted, but how often do you see the base? To the right, melting into the grayish background are portions of Frank Gehry's "Experience Music Project."

April 1 Front Yard Tulips

The Crimson & Cream combination of tulips are starting to look good, surrounded by Heuchera, Hebes and Sedum. The early blooming purple blue grape hyacinth add nice texture to the mix.

Low Growing Delights

This sweet little area long the Glacial Green rock covered path looks more delightful each day. If you like the pinkish ground cover read this post.

Tulip by the Backdoor Update

This is from yesterday afternoon when it was warm and bright. This morning it's rainy and cool and the flower has reverted to the closed "flame" shape.

First Tulip of 2010

Doubling up the Bulbs

This archive picture from May 2009 shows the area where another set of the same bulbs were recently added.

While these are quite lovely, the dark purple bulbs were supposed to be cream. I wrote the company last spring, sending them this picture and they delivered  another batch in the fall.

Using a  bulb auger (which extracts the dirt and makes a nice hole) found at a yard sale I was able to quickly supplement new bulbs to the area; followed by a nice covering of organic compost. No need to water as the fall rains set in right after I sank the last bulb.

First of the Leopard Lilies

The first of the Leopard Lilies to return this year has started to bloom; filling in the color gap of late June.

Another view of the Amaryllis in Bloom

The blooms here are so special, I could not resist posting another view of this crisp white Amaryllis with green tinges.

The Amaryllis Gang

Here garden whimsy is added with Ali, Frank and Annie on daytime guard duty of the Amaryllis. This will be its first outside bloom. Before, it was forced to bloom inside in a container. The red bulb was planted alongside the pathway to the top of the garden. Along the way sedums and ornamental strawberry surround the stones and ornamental grass mark the top. Raised beds with the vegetables are in the background along with a few soon to be blooming iris plants.

Late Afternoon Sun on the Tulips

Tulip Extreme Close Up

I have to do some research to determine what type of bulb this is, it comes back every year with bright red petals and a stunning "interior."

Late Blooming Daffodils

First Backyard Tulip of 2009

Hurray for the first of the bulbs to open in the backyard. This gem is surrounded by the Fancy Fringed Tulip collection and a variety of shrubs and ground covers.

Trio of Containers

Somewhat rearranged and weeded through, these containers and their contents survived a grueling winter. Any blooms will be a success. Note the absence of a tray under each pot; instead there are "feet" which keeps the container away from the ground and well drained.

Light Snow in Mid-March

March 15, the backyard under a light layer of snow. If you look close you can see the coiled up green tulip foliage which was starting to emerge before the cold set in.

The Soon to be Blooming area by the Back Door

The shrubs are trimmed and bedding areas topped, with leaf compost from our own yardwaste. This area is planted with a delightful combination of bulbs, who should start appearing in the coming weeks.

A Reminder of Bulbs that will Soon Bloom

This April 2006 shot is a great reminder of the bulbs that will be soon be blooming by the back door.

Mid January Bulbs Breaking Through

Two bulbs have surfaced over on the north side of the house. To be sure, the containers each need a fresh topping of compost, but I am going to share the photo with you all the same.

Late Summer Bulb Blooming on November 1

I looked out the back door this morning and a Mexican Shell Flower was in bloom - the rest had their day back in July.

Mexican Shell Flower Bloom of the Day

Ever so cute Mexican Shell Flower with Euphoriba Myrsinites (also known as Creeping Spurge, Donkey Tail or Myrtle Spurge) on the left.

Tigridia or Mexican Shell Flower

Tigridia or Mexican Shell Flower is an early summer bulb with one day blooms over a course of a few weeks.

A dozen or so bulbs were planted in the area where the Fancy Fringed Bulbs blossom in the spring.

Red and Yellow Columbine

What an amazing color combination!

Late April View of South Side

I'm still catching up on photos from the last week in April. Do you see the Garden Whimsy?

There is a red "Lawn Dart" towards the center. When we took out the rotting deck a few years ago, this object was found underneath. We find it an interesting contrast to the organic surroundings and other bright colors.

Poppy-Like Tulip

Hubs added needed support to this droopy but lovely Poppy-Like Tulip.

Spring Combination View: Late April

Hubs captured the best of spring here, and the view will only get better as the season progresses, and the plants grow even more. Here are Heuchera, Foxgloves, Sedums and Grape Hyacinth backed by Cat Mint.

Naturalized Picasso Tulips

Without any assistance or care, over the past decade these Picasso tulips have naturalized from one to some! The pointed petals and lovely yellow, are something to look forward to each spring.

First Blooms among the Fancy Fringed Tulips 2008

Captured before the driving rain, hail and snow set in on April 18. Behind the bulbs is one of the many Columbines.