Pretty in purple and other fabulously interesting tidbits

  My garden goes through different phases throughout the year and this is its purple phase.

  The lilacs were beautiful, but are almost gone and now the irises are blooming everywhere.  Irises are one of my favorite flowers because they will grow about anywhere, are always pretty and, except for having to divide them every few years, are completely carefree. 

  Love these with the white.  I don't know where or when I got them, but they are putting on quite a show this Spring. 

   Along the driveway are more irises and an honesty or what I call money plant.  Money plant is self-seeding and grows about anywhere.  Some may call it a weed, but I think it is really pretty and has very interesting seedpods that look like gold when the sun shines through them. 

  One of our clematis has burst into mulitple blooms in the last couple of days.  A little early, but then everything has been about one month early this year.  I have a clematis that was David's grandmother's which I dug up when her house sold and brought it here where it is thriving.  It is at least 60 years old and I am amazed that every year it blooms just as prettily as the first time I ever saw it in Grandma Henley's back yard.    It isn't blooming yet, but is getting ready to.

  We have spirea bushes all around our house.  They have been here ever since we moved here 35 years ago.  Every few years we cut them back and they always come back bigger and more beautiful.  They are a nice compliment to all the purple flowers.

  Then there's the snowball bush.  We got a start from David's grandma many years ago.  We have babied two plants for many years.  A couple of years ago I thought we had lost them both, but this year they are both blooming and lush.  This plant is right outside our back door by the deck and is just beautiful.  I was going to write about out kitchen garden, but I think this is enough for today.  I spend most of my time outside this time of year working in the yard and garden.  Sometimes I wish for a rainy day so that I can get things done inside.  I read a book recently called "The Solitary Summer," by Elizabeth von Amim that had a quote in it that expresses my sentiments exactly:

  "  I never pay bills or write letters on fine summer days.  Not for any will I forego all that such a day rightly spent out of doors might give me, so that a wet day at intervals is almost as necessary for me as for my garden."  Bye.