
We've had crazy weather lately ... changing from rain, hail, sun, and then back again within minutes! The plants must be a bit bewildered as to what season it is. At least during the showers and occasional downpours I am able to look out and view the profusion of flowers that have burst upon the scene to brighten an otherwise stormy, dark day. One of my favorites is the yellow rhododendron, Hotoi, which is the best I have seen it this year. The flowers are the clearest yellow, and the plant, now over 30 years old, is magnificent. It borders curved steps and is slowly being shaped into a tree form.

A few rocks planted out from the former edge of the bed helps to diffuse the boundary. Our new water pagoda beckons the eye into the space behind the trees.




On the East side of the house another colorful bed emerges from it's Winter mode. My lovely copper fern sparkles as the yellows and rusts of neighboring plants bring it to life. A scattering of the blue flowers of Forget-Me-Not echo the color. In the center of the bed the small leaves of Rosa glauca rise up in a bluish haze. Iris and Peony will soon take center stage, while the golds of Lonicera and Euphorbia polychroma provide highlights.

Other copper pieces in this bed include a spinning Tulip and a small flower and bird that doubles as a bird feeder. The Purple sage at the edge of the bed also picks up the darker colors of the copper. Across the lawn, an ornamental grass is awakening from it's bed in a large blue pot, and will soon cascade over the edge, mingling with the pale blue flowers of the traveling Forget-Me-Not, which appears in different spots each year!

Our natural world is an ever-changing palette, and the windows of our homes frame it all! Don't forget to look out once in awhile.
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